After years of box-office failures, many have grown weary of Disney-produced movie sequels. Banking on nostalgia to sell tickets, most movie remakes forget storytelling in favor of advertising. Freakier Friday is the exception.
On Friday, August 8th, Disney’s newest sequel swept theaters by storm. Often, Disney sequels are sub-par, but Freakier Friday’s exceptional cast and humor exempts the film from this pattern
About the Story
Originally, Freaky Friday was released in 1976, and was an instant success. Due to the film’s popularity, Disney expanded the movie into multiple remakes, garnering a total of seven films. The most popular remake was released in 2003, starring Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The 2003 film, directed by Mark Waters, followed teenaged Anna Coleman and her mother Tess Coleman. After the passing of Anna’s father, the pair’s relationship grows strained. When Tess considers reamarrying after Anna’s father’s death, Anna acts out in protest, further troubling the relationship. Eventually, a fortune cookie curses the two and they switch bodies. Desperate to return back to their original selves, the two do everything they can to find a solution—and get a better understanding of each other’s lives in the process. This understanding is what eventually mends their relationship, breaking the curse. Audiences praised the film for showing a fair perspective of mother and daughter relationships while still being able to add humor and spunk.
The 2025 remake had its speculations on whether it would live up to the success of the first, but it did just that. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, the film reprised Lohan and Curtis, but also introduced two new characters: Julia Butters, who played Anna’s daughter Harper, and Sophia Hammons, who played Anna’s soon-to-be step-daughter, Lily. When Anna meets Lily’s father, Eric (Manny Jacinto), they instantly fall in love and get engaged six months later. Unfortunately, Harper and Lily struggle to find common ground. All the while Tess (Curtis) struggles to find boundaries, and insists on helping Anna with everything and anything to do with Harper.
Once again, the family’s lack of perspectives attracts yet another curse. Harper switches bodies with her mother, and Lily switches bodies with Tess. They must learn to resolve their issues, overcome the problems, and see eye-to-eye in order to switch back.
Worth Watching?
While the sequel made subtle callbacks to the first film, it still managed to be unique in its humor and storytelling. Both films discuss strained family relationships, and even while the protagonists couldn’t see eye-to-eye, both stories allowed audiences to understand each character’s perspective. Still, with the film following four different characters, it was difficult to understand each character’s arc—especially at the beginning while viewers were trying to grasp exactly who switched into who’s body. Like most recent movie releases, the film felt “over-polished,” and lacked some of the nostalgic, relatable feel of the first. Regardless, the film was consistently funny, entertaining audiences of all ages.
Verdict
Considering the twenty-two year gap between both films, Disney impressed viewers with their ability to reunite familiar cast-members and produce the same feel good story as the last. After years of disappointment, Disney has redeemed itself by creating a well written and highly rated sequel film.
