“Freakier Friday” delivers a fresh, funny spin on the classic intergenerational body-swapping comedy. Tess and Anna are back and with a new Gen Alpha twist the chaos and laughs come faster and louder in this heartfelt Disney sequel.
The 2003 Freaky Friday was not just memorable for its high-concept premise. It was the magic between Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. They did not just swap bodies. They sold the experience with chemistry that made you believe these two women were literally walking in each other’s shoes. That connection still holds 22 years later and it is what made the original a beloved classic.
Fast forward to now. Tess and Anna have moved past their earlier mother-daughter drama. Anna has stepped into single motherhood with her teenage daughter Harper (Julia Butters). Tess is committed to supporting her. But of course this is not all smooth sailing. Anna feels Tess sometimes crosses the line between supportive and overbearing while Tess insists she is just trying to help, especially when it comes to everyday stuff like school drop-offs. That dynamic feels real and relatable, especially for anyone who has navigated the complicated waters of family roles.
Meanwhile Tess is hitting the road again with her psychologist book tour and Anna is managing a popstar named Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) who is creatively blocked after a rough breakup. So yes, life is busy and messy.
On the teenage front the rivalry between Harper and Lily (Sophia Hammons), an international student from England, shakes things up and brings Anna and Lily’s dad Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto) together. Both single parents Anna and Eric spark a romance at a tense parent-teacher conference meant to squash their daughters’ fights. Of course their relationship is not met with open arms by Harper and Lily who are less than thrilled about their families blending.
Then there is Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer), a multi-hyphenate psychic whose palm reading sets the stage for the chaos to come. She delivers a premonition to Harper and Lily: “Change the hearts you know are wrong to reach the place where you belong.” That prophecy kicks off the body swap with Tess and Lily trading places and Anna and Harper switching too. What follows are hilarious mix-ups, wild teenage makeovers, and eye-opening moments as the four experience life from each other’s perspectives, juggling the angst of adolescence with the weight of adult responsibilities.
But this time the stakes are higher. Alongside the usual chaos is an immigration subplot where Anna and Eric have to prove their relationship is legit in an official interview adding pressure to an already fragile situation. On top of that the wedding is on the line and Harper and Lily, despite their rivalry, team up to sabotage the whole thing. This includes pulling out all the stops like trying to tank the immigration interview or dragging back Anna’s old flame Jake who now runs The Record Parlour.
What makes “Freakier Friday” stand out is how it expands beyond the original’s millennial-mom dynamic to include Gen Alpha perspectives. Tess who struggled to understand a millennial daughter back in the day now faces the challenge of connecting with a Gen Alpha teen raised halfway across the world with different dreams and anxieties. Lily meanwhile is plunged into the life of a woman raised in a completely different era tasked with holding it together professionally while confronting emotions she usually keeps under tight control.
Despite being an intergenerational ensemble comedy, much of the film’s emotional core centers on Tess and Anna. Their body swap journey forces them to confront their differences, appreciate each other’s struggles, and ultimately find empathy and understanding. A lot of that comes through comedy riffing on the idea that youth is wasted on the young, alongside some hilarious gags about the realities of aging. The geriatric jokes include involuntary peeing, proper Fixodent use, the awkward thought of adult diapers, and not knowing which end goes where on an enema.
The swap between Anna and Harper also carries emotional weight. Anna is forced to reckon with how often she has dismissed Harper’s passions like surfing as just distractions rather than what really grounds her daughter’s identity. Harper meanwhile gets a front-row seat to the pressures behind Anna’s sometimes smothering protectiveness. Harper even reveals moments of guilt, worried she has held her mom back from her own happiness, confessing she has considered staying with her grandmother if Anna makes big changes.
Jokes about the young include having a higher butt, a faster metaobolism, literally being a mom and needing therapy for the rest of their lives, and asking why a person would need so many loose tissues in their pocket.
At its core the film uses the body swap to dig into real generational tension and understanding. It leans into the humor of youth wasted on the young while also poking fun at the supposed wisdom of getting older. One of the funniest moments is Harper in Anna’s body awkwardly trying to flirt with Jake while Lily in Tess’s body offers hilariously bad advice behind a stack of vinyl covers featuring Sade, Sinéad O’Connor, and Britney Spears. There is even a gag where Lily looks for old people music and immediately names Coldplay.
Other jokes land on Tess’s aging face with playful nods to crevices and her inability to get up after hiding from Jake on the floor. Harper throws shade at her mom’s wardrobe and guilty pleasure tunes and there is a nice bit of mother-daughter humor when Anna tells Tess she would be more helpful if she just unfollowed her on social media.
On the emotional front Lily’s relationship with her dad is complicated. She is caught between loyalty and uncertainty as their family faces big shifts including the possibility of moving back to London. Still processing her mother’s death Lily tries to navigate this blended family and balance her love for her dad with the challenges of change.
Harper and Anna’s bond is just as layered. Harper clearly loves and respects her mom and recognizes the sacrifices Anna has made as a single parent. But there is an undercurrent of guilt and the typical teenage push-pull with independence. At its heart their relationship is grounded in honest conversations and a shared desire to understand each other better.
So when Tess, Anna, Harper, and Lily swap bodies, they must confront the unique challenges, pressures, and emotions that the others face every day. Tess experiences the pressures of being a teenager, while Anna faces the responsibilities and stresses of adulthood and parenthood. Harper and Lily, by living as each other, come to understand the insecurities and family pressures the other is dealing with. This helps them get a better sense of what their parents are feeling and what they are sacrificing.
Another thing that “Freakier Friday” apart is how it weaves in Filipino culture through Eric’s heritage in a way that feels natural and meaningful. The casual use of “Lola” for grandmother isn’t just a cute detail, it’s a nod to the deep respect Filipino families have for their elders and the way extended family shapes their lives. The shout-out to relatives flying in from Manila adds that diasporic layer so many Filipino families live with, highlighting the transnational ties that keep family bonds strong across oceans. These cultural touches go beyond just the immigration storyline, giving the family dynamic an extra layer of warmth and authenticity that hits home.
The chemistry between Curtis and Lohan a reminder of why the 2003 film hit so hard in the first place. Curtis still delivers impeccable comedic timing, whether fumbling through teen slang or struggling to bend her aging knees. Lohan, now playing a mom instead of a rebellious teen, brings warmth, vulnerability, and a grounded presence that anchors the emotional arcs. Butters shines as Harper, capturing the tension between teenage rebellion and heartfelt vulnerability, while Hammons adds quiet strength and poise as Lily, especially as she navigates grief and change. Together, they hold their own alongside Curtis and Lohan, grounding the Gen Alpha chaos in something real and relatable.
Then there’s Jacinto, who brings warmth and quiet charm to the role. His moments with Lohan’s Anna carry a soft, unspoken chemistry that feels genuine and earned. The actor isn’t afraid to be silly in more ways than one. Whether attempting the Time of My Life lift only for Anna to bail mid-dance, or trying make it past the shore break while surfing only to end up looking like a flailing fish he leans into the embarrassment with grace and humility. It’s both funny and endearing, adding a romantic spark to the film’s heart.
So when it’s time for him to step into the role of a father or express quiet disappointment in the people he loves, we get to see Jacinto’s range.
While the film’s strength lies in its ability to balance heartfelt emotional moments with broad comedy, it does falter in other places. Some of the generational jokes feel a bit too easy or predictable, leaning on clichés rather than offering fresh insights or clever twists. Other times the subplots like wedding planning, Anna trying to manage Ella’s crisis, and Tess navigating podcasting overshadow the central story and takes away from some of the characters. That said, even though the aspects that shouldn’t work for the film, the film manages to pull them off with enough charm and heart to keep the audience invested.
“Freakier Friday” succeeds by blending nostalgia with fresh energy, heartfelt family dynamics with laugh-out-loud moments, and a layered exploration of generational change that feels both timely and timeless. It’s a joyous reminder that understanding and connection often come from walking a mile in someone else’s shoes or maybe a mystical body swap.
8.5/10
Freakier Friday is in theaters August 8, 2025
