Pam says:
“Freaky Friday” joins the long list of body-swapping films; “17 Again” with Zac Efron, “All of Me” with Steve Martin, or “13 Going on 30” with Jennifer Garner are just a few of the comedies that just don’t seem to get old. But now we have a sequel to the Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan film with “Freakier Friday.” They’re playing with fire, but ultimately, it’s a fun continuation of the story.
We meet Anna (Lohan) as a record company publicist and single mom of a rebellious daughter Harper (Julia Butters). Anna’s mom, Tess (Curtis) is solidly continuing her role as a therapist, branching out into the world of podcasting. As Harper’s new nemesis in high school, Lily (Sophia Hammons), a Brit living in LA with single dad Eric (Manny Jacinto), their lives collide as Eric and Anna fall in love quickly plan a wedding. This set up in the first act has its moments of humor, but almost sputters out. Thankfully, as act two begins and the four women encounter Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer), the magic of body swapping and true comedy begins.
The teens, initially disgusted by their new bodies that crack and snap, filled with lines and “issues,” realize they’ve hit pay day. Now working together with the common goal of breaking up their parents’ relationship before the wedding just 36 hours away, the two sets of females embark upon many new adventures including finding Anna’s ex- Jake (Chad Michael Murray).
Initially, it was a bit confusing remembering who embodied whose body, but eventually, that confusion subsided and the storyline, with all its madcap situations, just got funnier and funnier. Curtis and Lohan were the stars here and they were having a blast. With Curtis pretending to be the mind of a teen, attempting to drive a car or hold her bladder longer than an hour, fighting the aging process with lip plumper, she steals every scene. Lohan, a bit more understated as she plays her young daughter, finds depth and love; we just know she’s relishing in bringing this story back to life.
Reyes and Butters have a solid performance, but perhaps their lack of experience shows in not being able to consistently pick up on the older actors’ mannerisms and nuances. This is the reason for the initial confusion of characters, but as I indicated earlier, this is Curtis and Lohan’s film.
While the movie started a bit sluggishly, it finished strong as Curtis and Lohan are magical together. Be sure to stick around for the credits as the “bloopers” are hysterical!
3 stars
