Running Time: 111 minutes
This feature from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on August 8th, 2025.
The 1972 Mary Rogers book Freaky Friday has been a rousing success since its original print run. It immediately made an impression on young readers, as well as Disney executives, who quickly picked up the film rights and adapted the story on several occasions. The biggest box-office success was the 2003 version, and a sequel to that movie is now arriving at cinemas. Freakier Fridayreunites the cast of the previous feature for more body-swapping shenanigans.
I’ll be bluntly honest and admit that I missed the previous edition and came into this follow-up cold. To newcomers, it is immediately clear that most, if not all of the characters from the original have returned. And that means that some of the references and character appearances in this film won’t rouse a reaction from those unfamiliar with the previous entry. Still, it is geared to tweens, and so the themes are simple and straightforward and the plot is never hard to follow.
After finding a bit of success as a musician, Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) has stepped off the stage and is now manager of popstar Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). She is also a widow struggling to connect with her teenage daughter/surfing enthusiast, Harper (Julia Butters). Family matriarch Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a constant presence offering psychiatric advice to all, which often results in more squabbling. When Anna falls for British restauranteur Eric Davies (Manny Jacinto) and accepts his marriage proposal, Harper is furious. Her enemy at school, the fashion-obsessed Lily (Sophia Hammons), will soon be her stepsister and there are plans for all to leave Los Angeles for England. After an eventful evening, Anna wakes up in her daughter’s body and vice-versa, while Lily and Tess go through an even more extreme change. The youngsters in adult bodies team up to sabotage the wedding, while the adults in teenage form grapple with reversing the spell.
The basic concept has always offered plenty of comedic potential and the cast certainly do their best to maximize it. Curtis and Lohan are having a great time playing naïve teenagers trying to navigate adult situations. Their sabotaging efforts are deeply flawed, resulting in some amusing moments when attempting to pass themselves off as professionals. They’re also horrified by their elders’ bodies and fashion sense, resulting in entertaining physical comedy and pointed comments. Curtis makes the most of a sequence in which she disastrously attempts to change her image for an upcoming book tour. And both Curtis and Lohan earn laughs in a great scene involving an attempt to rekindle a past relationship at a record shop.
The younger cast members get in a few good chuckles as well. It is fun to see teens respond with excitement and an appreciation of their newly youthful bodies. They go so far as to stuff their faces with junk food at every opportunity. These bits are good, although the film does feel like it could have come up with even more exaggerated and wilder scenarios.
The movie is also episodic, with each set of characters navigating a different situation and getting into trouble in the process. As mentioned, some bits are amusing, but several fail to make a big impression. And as the story progresses and the characters learn more about each other’s problems and struggles. While it certainly helps to hammer home the message of the importance of family and that often unrecognized selfless acts are made to help one another, it leads to some overly heartfelt declarations and forced sentiment that is too sugary for its own good.
The end result is a genial Disney production, helped by a game cast giving their all in every comedic situation. For any viewer who fondly remembers the book and/or previous series entry and is excited to catch up with the characters, there are in-jokes and references that will certainly boost their enjoyment. As for me, Freakier Friday would have benefitted from even more outrageousness (maybe even multiple body swaps among the central characters), but it serves as passable, tween-centric family entertainment.