'Freakier Friday' Review: Four Swaps, One Psychic, And The Return Of Lindsay Lohan’s Guitar

Oasis reunion this, Oasis reunion that… PINK SLIP IS BACK, and it’s about to cause more chaos than your Nokia phone did when your polyphonic ringtone blasted in tuition class. Twenty years after Jamie Lee Curtis shouted 'Make good choices!' out of a car window, the line gets flipped in Freakier Friday— and just like that, we’re back in the Lindsay Lohan Cinematic Universe. This long-awaited sequel is a nostalgic fever dream stitched together with guitar solos, chaotic body-swaps, and a very welcome case of Lohanassaince.

Lohan is loving life, and honestly? That’s reason enough to greenlight this movie. But thankfully, Freakier Fridayoffers more than millennial wish fulfilment. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, the film picks up with Anna (Lindsay Lohan), now a cool mom in her 30s who gave up her rock star dreams to raise her daughter Harper (Julia Butters). She manages a global pop star (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), juggles a budding romance with dreamy widower Eric (Manny Jacinto), and tries to keep up with a teenage daughter who thinks Coldplay is 'old people music.' Naturally, chaos ensues.

The plot takes a full Disney detour when Harper and her soon-to-be stepsister Lily (Sophia Hammons), a posh British mean girl with a wardrobe to match, clash hard enough to trigger the return of the body swap. Except this time, it’s not just Anna and Harper switching lives — a second swap hits, and suddenly Lily ends up in the body of Grandma Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), and vice versa. The psychic behind all this? Vanessa Bayer as a possibly-unlicensed barista hiding behind a soda machine. Don’t ask for more.

The double-swap premise should, in theory, dial up the comedy and hijinks and in small bursts, it absolutely does. Watching Lohan, as Harper, attempt to flirt with her own mom’s fiancé, or Curtis-as-Lily load up on dairy while exclaiming, “I haven’t had cheese since Bush was president!” is exactly the absurd joy we signed up for. Julia Butters, meanwhile, absolutely nails the millennial meltdown vibes, clutching white wine and stressing about PTA drama with startling believability.

Still, not all the swaps land with the same zing. Lily’s British accent bizarrely survives the body switch, and some of the comic tension fizzles where it should soar. The original Freaky Friday worked because Curtis and Lohan fully embodied each other; you could feel the transformation. Here, the shifts feel more cosmetic at times, like the movie's too polite to let these characters fully unravel. But even with its stumbles, the film keeps a steady hum of sweetness and sincerity.

And then—oh, then—there’s the Pink Slip moment. Anna takes the stage at the Wiltern, flanked by her original bandmates (Christina Vidal and Haley Hudson) for a roaring rendition of Take Me Away that singlehandedly restores serotonin levels to 2003. It’s loud and joyful in a way that only a Disney sequel led by a once-teen icon shredding on a guitar can be. This moment alone makes the ticket worth it. 

Cameo hunters, prepare yourselves: Chad Michael Murray returns as Jake (now a dreamy record store owner, obviously), Elaine Hendrix pops in with a perfect Parent Trap nod, and beloved side characters like Pei-Pei, Grandpa Ryan, and even the school’s grumpy detention monitor, Elton Bates, make brief, smile-inducing appearances. The Easter eggs are sprinkled with care, just enough to send millennials into gentle cardiac arrest without alienating Gen Z.

Of course, there are flaws. The plot gets wobbly, some jokes fall flat, and the pacing occasionally lags like a Disney+ stream on bad Wi-Fi. But Freakier Friday never loses its heart. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel; it’s just trying to take it out for a joyride in Jake’s red Camaro with the top down and the stereo blasting a pop-rock anthem. It’s silly, soulful, and surprisingly sweet, like a box of Lucky Charms spiked with grown-up feelings.

So yes, 'same old story, same old end' but in a good way. We haven’t had this much fun in a theatre in a while. Freakier Friday blends just the right amount of nostalgia with new-gen flair, and despite its imperfections, it delivers a full-hearted sequel that doesn’t mess up what made the original so beloved.

Welcome back, Lindsay Lohan. We’ve missed you more than you know.

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