Freakier Friday Is Here to Blow Your Nostalgia Circuits
Feeling nostalgic? Disney sure hopes so, because they’ve decided 20 years later is the perfect time to whip out a sequel to 2003’s beloved classic Freaky Friday. Enter Freakier Friday, the millennial fever dream we didn’t know we needed—but apparently can’t resist. Buckle up, because this body-swapping chaos doesn’t just double down on the dysfunctional family dynamics; it triples them.
The Freaky Family Expands
For those living under a cinematic rock, Freaky Friday starred Lindsay Lohan at her teen rebellious best, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis delivering a mom performance that was equal parts mom jeans and “why do I have to deal with this?” energy.
Fast-forward to Freakier Friday, and things have, predictably, gotten even weirder. Anna (a now grown-up Lohan) is parenting her own angsty teenager, Harper, while juggling a new engagement. Meanwhile, Grandma Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis, delightfully sharper than the average grandma trope) is all up in everyone’s business. And just when that dynamic wasn’t bonkers enough, a palm reader crash-lands right into the plot to sprinkle a little “what if… but worse?” chaos. That’s right, folks—we’ve moved on from the mystical fortune cookies to… palm reading drama. Because nothing screams progress like upgrading your mystical gimmick.
Intergenerational Chaos, Now With More Sass
When Harper (Anna’s daughter) realizes she’s about to get a new blend family (aka a stepsister she despises), things get heated. Body-swapping shenanigans ensue, but here’s Disney’s brilliant twisty twist for Freakier Friday: Instead of just two people swapping bodies (yawn, we’ve seen it), now there are FOUR. Anna is now inside Harper’s body, Harper is inside Anna’s body, Tess gets to experience the awkward hellscape of being an insecure teen again, and Lily (the soon-to-be stepdaughter) is barely hanging on.
What follows is pure Disney chaos. There’s lip-plumper experimentation, high-stakes scooter racing, and even an iconic food fight that’ll make Lizzie McGuire fans nostalgic for cafeteria meltdowns. And yes, Chad Michael Murray, the man of EVERYBODY’s early-2000s fantasies, is back to stir up feelings none of us asked for but are absolutely happy to relive
Freaky, Freakier, But Still Kinda Sappy
What sets Freakier Friday apart from other shallow reboots (ahem, I’m looking at you, The Lion King “live action”), is that it doesn’t just bank on cheap nostalgia. Sure, it’s got callbacks galore (Pink Slip reunion, anyone?), but there’s actual heart too. This isn’t just about reliving the “good old days”—it’s a funny, surprisingly touching look at how understanding and empathy between generations is still… complicated. Like REALLY complicated. The kind of complicated where you might actually need a magic psychic to get it together.
Nostalgia or Naïveté?
Is Freakier Friday surprisingly good, or are we all just so starved for the comfort of early 2000s vibes that we’d accept literally anything starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis again? Maybe it doesn’t really matter. Whether you’re a millennial chasing that childhood serotonin hit or a Gen Z-er who’s seen the OG on Disney+, Freakier Friday is for you.
Also, there’s something kind of perfect about Freaky Friday being a reboot FROM the start. Most of y’all probably don’t even know that 2003’s Freaky Friday was itself a reboot of a reboot of a movie from the 70s, which was based on a book. That means loyalty to nostalgia is literally baked into this franchise’s DNA. AND, unlike many sequels (Pirates of the Caribbean 7, anyone?), this one honors its roots and doesn’t feel like it’s just here for our wallets.
Is It Worth Watching?
Look, Freakier Friday isn’t going to win an Oscar or change your life, but it’s got laughs, heart, and just enough chaos to keep you hooked. Go for Lindsay and Jamie Lee. Stay for the Lip Plumper Scene™. Leave with your heart slightly full and your brain actively blocking Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” from becoming a permanent earworm.
Plus, if you don’t watch it now, you KNOW you’re going to be scrolling Disney+ in three months to stream it anyway. Might as well get that popcorn and relive the family madness on the big screen.
The Verdict? Freaky Good Time
While Freakier Friday might not shatter cinematic boundaries, it enthusiastically stomps around in the nostalgic puddle we all low-key love. If nothing else, it’s proof that good stories (and soul-swapping shenanigans) never go out of style.
