Freakier Friday

The most enjoyable thing about body swaps is truly getting to see the actor become the other character. Face/Off, Big, 13 Going on 30, both Freaky Fridays, etc - you really feel the role reversal. That's what made the 2003 version so endearing, you really enjoyed the characters trapped in the other body like it actually happened. I'd say JLC was really the only one that truly succeeded in that regard here. *Saying* dialog or wearing different clothes or being uncomfortable doesn't cut it. Lilo was enjoyable all around, but she didn't truly take on the other character as well as last time. Probably because the teens weren't that memorable as JLC and Lilo swapping were. And the dual swaps with actors that aren't as memorable for their caricatures or impressions made the movie really confusing, and I was continually using too much brain power to try and remember who was really who, and a good body swap shouldn't have that problem.

I'm a little frustrated with the marketing, that we've been fed so much of the legacy characters, to spend so much time with these newcomers. I get the need to reach all audiences, so I know there's no way around that, but I would have loved to see more involvement from Mark Harmon (Tess' husband Ryan) and Ryan Margarini (Anna's younger brother). Chad Michael Murray (Jake) was also under utilized, as well as Pink Slip. There were more included from the legacy cast than I expected, but they were too short.

Overall I laughed and cried and smiled, but having Tess' husband and Anna's younger brother swap would have been more fun than two newcomers. I was a little too confused to say that I enjoyed it more than the first one, and the characters broke reality a few too many times with jokes for the sake of age rather than what characters would realistically do. As an editor myself, the movie could have lost about 10 minutes for better comedy pacing.

This film won't be remembered for its stellar body swapping, but younger audiences will for sure enjoy the antics and everyone with a heart will get the feels at the end, and the family might just be a little closer to each other. For everyone's sake, I hope the film makes a profit so we can see Freakiest Friday in 20 years - but please, have JLC and Lilo swap places again.

LIKES: Cute Charming Nostalgic References Great Music Good Acting Deep At Times/Heartwarming Some Comedic Gold Summary: Like most Disney pieces, there is always some factor of cuteness in the film. Freakier Friday continues to add that family-friendly element (for ages above like eleven) that holds elements that we always loved in our Disney Channel originals. Fun little bouts of youthful deviousness mixed with family bonding are much of this film, jokes finding their way into that peppy energy I loved in my teens, but with just a touch of modern maturity to help it. It's a charming adventure for the coming-of-age genre, characters finding footholds to still get better despite the past, helping to illustrate that sometimes we need to learn lessons a few times to get it right. Such elements come with the same Disney presentation, that element of fun, awkward antics, getting us toward the lessons in that clumsy style that will be uncomfortable, but in many cases, fun as old and new once again debate over who is superior. Amid the "old" is the nostalgia factor that we love to capitalize on and dive back into. The references are plenty, many new twists or nods to the original that are fun, many turned to help advance the story, or put that right joke into the movie. Some of it is a little heavy-handed or stretched, but I had fun seeing it integrated into the story, especially those comedic gold moments that were so clever that my friend and I laughed out loud for several seconds. Finally, the movie still has the Disney finesse of pulling at your heartstrings, fantastically crafted moments that blend all the Hollywood magic into those memorable moments. Add in the music, a soundtrack that is vibing in so many styles that feel representative of the generations to further help Disney's live action movie feel fun, a few tracks having me tap my toes in glee as I bobbed to the beat.

Outside of these qualities, Freakier Friday thrives well on the speeches and dialogue, with solid delivery and background music to help enhance the moment, executed to a grand degree by the cast. I enjoyed all four of the performances, the talented women finding some depth to their performances and accomplishing two roles trapped in one body with some impressive acting ability. Sophia Hammons has poise, panache, and a bratty attitude that her accent sells with such finesse. When the swap occurs, she gets the mannerisms of her switched persona well, making not only the fashion look wonderful, but also the deeper moments at times. Butters was very enjoyable, a mashup of so many personalities that it was hard to choose which form I preferred; all have a good place in this film. But the champions are who you most likely want to hear about, and Lohan continues to redeem herself with roles that have tapped back into her roots, but excelled into mature means that are a nice blend of qualities. Lohan's execution of two personalities worked for me, and I love the dynamic range that she brings with this fun performance. It's Curtis who steals a lot of the show for me, the seasoned actress continuing to look good and own the moments, no matter how silly they are. I love the chemistry between them, the fun energy familiar in many ways, with some moments again a perfect mixture of talent and writing.

DISLIKES: Predictable Cheesy Too Silly Pacing Issues Some Story Elements That Needed More Some Aggressive Comedy Too Niche Feels Not The Same Caliber As The First Summary: Where the movie starts to fail for me comes in the modernization elements that most movies have taken in this age of viewing. As expected, this sequel does not escape the predictable formula this franchise takes, the path not exactly identical to the first film, but incredibly similar as they search for the answers to their predicament. Freakier Friday's fun helps to dilute some of the predictability, though it doesn't do much for the very cheesy and overly silly moments Disney writing brings with it in modern times. Jokes are very much in your face, with a lot of rough patches of over-aggressive one-liners, corny callouts, and exaggerated jokes that may cross into insulting territory depending on your sensitivity. Such aggressive comedy feels very influencer in tone, the attempts to cram so much simplistic silliness are a bit exhausting at times, with only some relief coming from those awesome comedic moments.

Other elements that suffered for me were the pacing issues, the film having a bit uneven pace as it went from highs to lows so abruptly that the plot felt disconnected compared to the golden age of live-action storytelling. The story elements are there, providing enough of a bridge, but they felt so unequal in quality, with many characters wasted and lacking the involvement the first one did so well. Key obstacles felt truncated, qualities missing those full-impactful moments, not quite there with many characters' fun cameos for a quick blast to the past, but needing something more to be worth the inclusion than just a fun joke. Too many characters? Too much trying to be integrated? Too focused on the new? I'm not sure, but the story just needs some more polishing and advancements to obtain the same caliber as the first, instead of following into this niche that my friend and I feel this movie is targeted at pleasing.

The VERDICT: Freakier Friday is one of the better modernizations of a sequel I have seen in a while. There is respect for the old story, but also plenty of new things to help it be its own film, which should be pleasing to the audience. It's a fun movie, some of that Disney magic coming out in full force to make a charming and enchanting film for most families. Great performances help bring the characters to the forefront, nailing double performance expectations, selling some comedic gold moments, and helping pump the theater up with energy that I like my Disney films to have. Other elements help the film flourish in the form of fun lines and good music, giving us that 2000s feeling at times that I loved diving back into after all these years. Sadly, the movie's modern influences are a little more prevalent than I would like, primarily in the story and over-aggressive comedy that has been popular since the mid-2010s. They can be funny at times, some of the clever moments helping cut through the thicket of jokes that are in your face and focused on demographic topics, primarily ageist jokes. While the awkward moments can be funny, the movie concentrates on the jokes a bit too much, not handling the story progression as well as the first. Cute as it may be, alongside some key scene moments, the uneven pacing and quality are what sort of cut this film's quality down a few pegs. It's not bad, that's not what I'm saying. I just think that it's a much more niche film than the first, matching a caliber that feels like a high-quality Disney+ Channel original movie rather than a full blockbuster feature. Is it worth a trip to the theater? For the target audience of moms with daughters this age, or a group of moms looking for a nostalgia trip, this is your movie to have fun with. For the rest, wait for the inevitable release on streaming to maximize your time. My scores for Freakier Friday are: Comedy/Family/Fantasy: 7.0-7.5 Movie Overall: 6.5.

Lindsay's clearly having a blast again, quirky, lively, and fully dialed in from start to finish. I laughed in the right spots and enjoyed the ride, but the plot didn't exactly stick. An hour later I could barely recall what happened, like a fun dream you forget by lunch. Enjoyable in the moment, forgettable after.

I'm sure people who liked the first one, will like this one as well. However, for some reason I think that 35+ year old people will appreciate it more than youngsters, especially us millenial Lindsey Lohan fans who grew up with her excellent movies in the 90s and 00s. I must admit I'm really happy she got her life back together and is acting again.

On the negative side, it would have been a bit better if this was a 90 minute movie, which I find to be a perfect length for comedies. I really hope that Naked Gun and this movie will be the start of a big screen comedy comeback because last 10 years have been horrible to comedies.

I just got out of Freakier Friday.

A legacy sequel to a fun remake. What can go wrong??

Not a lot, really, I liked the Jodie Foster version and had fun with the remake. This was when Lohan was at the top of her games.

Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are front and centre in this, (which I'm glad about, as I was worried the younger cast were going to dominate) and they still play well off each other!! There scenes were my favourite in the movie. The other girls, Julia Butters who plays Lohan's daughter (and later Lohan) and Sophia Hammond who plays Lohan's soon to be daughter in law (and later Jamie Lee Curtis) are both great, too. Manny Jacinto is perfect as Lohan's husband to be, Mark Harmon is back, but isn't given much to do and I don't think he even shared a scene with Lohan.

The ending is quite emotional, it does have a lot of heart to it. Especially if you have kids or have lost a parent.

This feels like this was filmed as a streaming movie, that the decided to go theatrical, with. It just feels small scale. It is a bit convoluted and the swapping around is more than a bit confusing at first. A few times, I had to take a minute and think who I was watching!! It has pacing issues, but when the premise is this complicated, it's to be expected and the dialogue can often be clunky and awkward.

Overall I liked it, it was good to see Lohan back on the big screen.