The Freaky Friday franchise began in 1976 when mother (Barbara Harris) and daughter (Jodie Foster) switch personalities and have to live each other’s lives on one strange Friday. In 1995, a made-for-TV version aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney, starring Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann. This was followed by 2003, when the most well-known remake hit theaters, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. It updated the story for a new generation and became a significant hit. Then, a musical adaptation based on the stage version, starring Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Zuehlsdorff, was released on Disney in 2018 without much fanfare.
Then, rumors of a sequel to the Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsay Lohan’s Freaky Friday film surfaced. Proving to be a real thing, filming for the project took place between June and August 2024. At last, on August 8, 2025, Freakier Friday arrived in theaters, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, returning is Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan with Ryan Malgarini as Harry Coleman (Anna’s younger brother), Christina Vidal Mitchell, as Maddie, Haley Hudson, as Peg, Mark Harmon as Ryan, Tess’s husband, Chad Michael Murray Jake, Anna’s old flame, and Stephen Tobolowsky as Mr. Bates with Rosalind Chao and Lucille Soong as Mama P and Grandma Chiang, the fortune cookie duo.
New to the party is Julia Butters as Anna’s rebellious daughter, Sophia Hammons as Lily Reyes, Anna’s soon-to-be stepdaughter from the UK, Manny Jacinto, Eric Reyes, Anna’s fiance, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, a popstar managed by Anna, and Vanessa Bayer as Madame Jen this time with the story set twenty-two years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice.
The interesting thing about revisiting this world, at least for me, is that Lindsay Lohan is now a parent, so it is interesting to see how she would approach the character of Anna in this new context. It is fun to see her in top form, especially since it looked like she was going to join the 27 Club a handful of years ago. Jamie Lee Curtis brings a funny version of herself, not phoning it in, just naturally bringing out her goofiness. Together, the two deliver the cute and endearing experience of navigating parenting, career, and assimilation, while Jamie Lee Curtis navigates being a grandparent and all that aging entails.
So, how would Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons do as Anna’s daughter and soon-to-be? They look natural as the two navigate assimilating from visiting friends to soon-to-be sibs and the changes that will bring/brought …including a move across the pond. When the change occurs, hilarity and some deep discussions ensue over who they are, where they are, and who they want to be going forward. We have already discussed change, and part of Freakier Friday‘s theme includes grief and belonging, as seen in Lily mourning her late mother and the aforementioned move across the pond. Harper fears losing her home and autonomy.
These emotional undercurrents drive the goings-on. And, acceptance and growth…well, you will have to see how that shakes out. The movie satirizes its legacy, with callbacks to the first installment, even including a shout-out to 2004’s Mean Girls, in which Lohan also starred. Finally, both films satirize influencer culture, psychic grifters, and the chaos that is modern adolescence in the 2000s, while still embracing heartfelt storytelling.
Overall, Freakier Friday caters to fan service, but that fan service serves a purpose, moving the story forward and promoting character growth. For that, Cryptic Rock gives this sequel 5 of 5 stars.
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