Freakier Friday

As a sweet and silly teen comedy with a big heart and outrageously good original songs, Freaky Friday has endured over decades. Its special sauce came courtesy of a then-teenage Lindsay Lohan and parental Jamie Lee Curtis, whose combined chemistry and knack for physical comedy worked wonders for the film’s body-swapping premise. It was a sparky partnership that welcomed a reunion, albeit under just the right circumstances.

Set in the modern day, Freakier Friday has the advantage of being set some 20 years after its predecessor, when a new generation has arrived at teenagedom. As we learn via a scrapbook-style montage, that new generation is represented by Harper (Julia Butters), the surfing, beanie-sporting daughter of Lohan’s single parent Anna. It’s a fun set-up that allows for Curtis’ cool therapist grandma, Tess, to inevitably overstep boundaries as she bonds with Harper at Anna’s behest. Their wonky dynamic, which honours the forged closeness that Anna and Tess share after their maiden swap in the first film, works. Until, that is, Anna falls hard and fast for English restaurateur Eric (Manny Jacinto). An engagement, his prim fashionista daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), and an upcoming move to London are suddenly in the picture.

Lohan and Curtis once again shine with their free-wheeling charms.

The many plates Freakier Friday spins are an effort to make the premise work while pushing the film into a new era. The four-way swap — caused by an amateur psychic at Anna’s bachelorette party — allows both Lohan and Curtis to once again shine with their free-wheeling charms as both are catapulted into younger mindsets this time, squabbling and strutting awkwardly in bold, teen-skewing apparel. But the story could afford to let a few of those plates crash down; so concerned is the script with hitting fan-service beats while also trying to appeal to younger audiences that it doesn’t give either enough space to breathe, instead bouncing between plot points with just a thin thread of narrative pulling it along.

Which isn’t to say that it lacks magic. The return of Chad Michael Murray’s blond biker love interest Jake creates one of the film’s funniest scenes, as Lily’s Tess whispers flirting tips to Harper’s Anna, resulting in a dazzling showcase of Lohan’s slapstick sensibilities. The years have done nothing to dampen her bond with Curtis, and it’s a thrill to see them perform together again in a story that gives them a wide canvas to play on. Tropes like an outfit-changing montage, which in other movies might feel tired, are delightful here, especially with Lily’s love of fashion driving Tess’ pink sunglasses and safety-pin-adorned jackets. The supporting cast are commendable, especially Butters and Hammons holding up the adults-as-teens side of the story. But it succeeds above all else as a vehicle for its leading duo’s polished attributes.