By Lexie Rodenbaugh | Arts & Life Writer
“Freakier Friday,” released Aug. 8, is a remake of the 2003 film, “Freaky Friday,” starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The actresses reprise their roles after 22 years, adding on two new co-stars, Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons.
The twist? This isn’t just a two-person body swap anymore. Nope, the 2025 sequel goes bigger — four people, four swapped lives and a lot more chaos. In this new take, Lohan swaps bodies with her daughter Harper, played by Butters, while Curtis’ Tess swaps with Anna’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Lily, played by Hammons. That’s right, the family tree here is more complicated than the actual plot.
This change reframes many of the tropes from the 2003 version — awkwardly trying to act normal at school, fumbling through unfamiliar jobs — but this time we get both daughters trying to survive adult responsibilities, and both moms attempting to blend into Gen Z social life without setting the entire decade back ten years.
The main conflict in the movie is the war of pettiness between Lily and Harper, who are determined to stop their parents from getting married. London-born Lily is determined to stay in the United Kingdom, while surfer-girl Harper would rather stay in the City of Angels. When they swap bodies, they decide the best thing to do would be to sabotage their parents’ loving relationships and break them up so they can (not selfishly at all) stay in their homelands. What could go wrong?
Rather than feeling like this could become a sleepover classic for generations to come, it was more like, “Well, I guess I’ll watch it.” While this movie didn’t quite hit the mark that the early 2000s Disney comedies used to bring, it was entertaining in its own way, even if that means it felt like a humiliation ritual for Jamie Lee Curtis, cursed with a horrible wardrobe and an even worse script.
Other than the wardrobe, Freakier Friday’s main weakness is its flawed attempt at Gen Z humor. It felt like the writers were in their late 30s, and the only jokes they could come up with were adults using Gen Z slang incorrectly. Half the time, watching this movie aroused the same feeling as when my dad tries to use the word “slay.” While good-spirited, just not quite right.
Another agitating attempt to relate to the younger generation was the movie’s use of mega-woke buzzwords. An actual quote by Lindsay’s character reads, “You’re [going to] braid each other’s hair in a non culturally appropriating way.” What I’m sure was an attempt to mock today’s culture in a comical and relatable manner just turned into a roll-your-eyes-moment for my friend and me, who were thinking, “Is this all Gen X thinks we say?” It was borderline offensive imagining the writers sitting around the round table, ChatGPT’ing “funny jokes about Gen Z culture.”
That’s not to say the movie is a complete disaster. Some moments genuinely made me laugh, though I’ll admit, some of it was the kind of laughter born from secondhand embarrassment. Certain scenes feel like they were lifted straight from the golden age of early-2000s comedies, except without the raw charm that made those moments work back then. The visuals are too polished, the actors too self-aware and the writing just doesn’t have that quirky rhythm that made films like “Freaky Friday” so rewatchable. It’s missing the grit and awkward sincerity of the era it’s trying to mimic.
Still, the film does have bright spots. One unexpected strength is how it handles grief. For a movie aimed at younger audiences, it doesn’t shy away from showing sadness, loss and the messy process of healing. There’s no forced “everything’s fine, move along” attitude. The characters are allowed to sit with their feelings, and that sincerity stands out in a sea of otherwise over-scripted moments.
And yes, the ending delivers the classic Disney emotional payoff: everyone gets what they want, hearts are mended and the credits roll over smiles and hugs. Of course, in true Disney fashion, this happens regardless of how many hearts were bruised or stubborn decisions overturned along the way.
What I’m trying to say is this movie is nothing new. Spin-offs are getting old (and have been old), and remakes aren’t hitting the mark that today’s society is setting. Yes, we miss movies like “She’s All That” and “The Princess Diaries,” but it’s time to just let them be what they are: movies of our childhood. While this was a sweet movie — and it was very nice to finally see Lindsay Lohan doing well — I don’t think that anybody particularly asked for it.
Nostalgia might get us to buy the ticket, but it can’t guarantee we’ll leave the theater feeling like it was worth the trip. Sometimes, the kindest thing we can do for the movies that shaped us is to let them stay where they belong — in our memories, untouched and un-updated.
