Freakier Friday (dir. Nisha Ganatra)

By: Tarek Fayoumi

Twenty-two years after the release of Freaky Friday, a body switch comedy about an uptight mother, Tess, and her free spirited daughter Anna, comes its questionably necessary sequel Freakier Friday.   This time around, both Tess and Anna are parents, offering a new form of chaos.   Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Deli Boys), this sequel provides double the  mayhem, causing  fans who thought they had seen  the worst of Anna and Tess, to reconsider. The body switching,  once again leads to all forms of  humorous hijinks but ultimately comes across in a predictable manner. 

Lindsay Lohan (Our Little Secret, Mean Girls) is back as Anna, now a mother, and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Bear) once again returns  as Tess, now a grandmother. Both have come a long way with a stronger bond  since the events of the first film. The primary  problem the duo  have to tackle involves Anna’s stepdaughter Harper, played by Julie Butters (Queen of Bones), unfortunately not a lot of context is provided in Harper’s upbringing. The story circles Anna, who is about to marry the love of her life Eric,  played by Manny Jacinto (The Good Place). When Eric’s daughter Lily is added to the mix, the body comedy ensues with the addition of the new parent / child combos.  Just when the worst was thought to be over, things in the world of Freakier Friday  get a whole lot more stressful. Especially because Harper and Lily are enemies at school and bound to be stepsisters.

Nisha Ganatra’s  film has its  funny moments, however  everything is shrouded  by a layer of predictability. This can be expected because there is only so much one can do to refresh a Freaky Friday movie. A majority of the film revolves around the tips and  turns centered around the mothers and the daughters as they learn to navigate the uncharted territory of their unexpected switch. Even though the plot twists are predictable,  they are not without  a certain level of charm. What does the trick for Freakier Friday is the context of ageism. Because the older characters tend to thrive in  younger bodies with the switch. The writing and setup is keen enough to  build laughs and momentum. Many of the comedic gags worked, but the pacing and repetitiveness are unavoidable. Rather than cover valuable new ground, Freakier Friday  works as evidence  that returning to the lives of Tess and Anna is a positive reminder  of the success of  the first film.

Target Score 5/10- Freakier Friday offers a few memorable moments, but in the end, a plot that is painfully recycled. There  may be temporary joy for families to laugh with, as the film  benefits by having both Lohan and Curtis back, but otherwise the presentation will only make viewers yearn for the original.