'Freakier Friday' Review: Double The Swaps, Quadruple The Chaos, And A Freakishly Delulu Heart

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Ready for “Freakier Friday”? Expect double the swaps, quadruple the madness — it’s delulu gone solulu. But don't fret! With swirling spells and psychic readings, it’s as glossy as it is gloriously unhinged.

While the 1976 “Freaky Friday” introduced the body-swap premise with playful charm, it was the 2003 remake, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, that turned it into a millennial classic. Now, “Freakier Friday,” directed by Nisha Ganatra, picks up years later, reuniting Curtis and Lohan as a mother-daughter duo in a legacy sequel that once again flips the script while honoring its roots.

Anna (Lohan), a single mom and music manager, is raising her teen daughter Harper (Julia Butters), while Tess (Curtis) — now a wellness podcaster — remains a steady, if occasionally exasperated, presence offering advice both on and off the mic.

When Anna announces her engagement to British restaurateur Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto), tensions flare between Harper and Eric’s daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons). Why? Because whip-smart Harper finds fashionista Lily insufferable — and the feeling is mutual.

Then comes the twist: during Anna’s bachelorette party, a mysterious psychic triggers a four-way body swap. This time, Anna becomes Harper, Harper becomes Tess, Tess becomes Lily, and Lily becomes Anna.

Cue the whirlwind: mismatched identities, hijinks, misunderstandings — and unexpected empathy.

Through it all, the cast delivers.

Curtis channels decades of wisdom through TikTok tantrums and podcast-worthy monologues, with razor-sharp timing and effortless emotion. From “Halloween” to her Oscar-winning turn in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” she’s mastered chaos with clarity — and here, she adds another layer to that legacy. Curtis keeps her American accent while playing Lily, a British teen — a missed comedic beat that could’ve dialed up the chaos.

Lohan steps back into Anna’s world with a renewed spark, effortlessly channeling the charisma that made her a star in the early aughts. It’s a performance that feels both nostalgic and freshly grounded. If this marks the beginning of a new chapter in her Hollywood career — one filled with roles worthy of her range — it’s a comeback well worth celebrating.

Butters, as Harper, anchors the film’s emotional core. Her portrayal of Tess is hilariously sharp and unexpectedly tender. Hammons adds both tension and comic relief as Lily, whose wide-eyed confusion while navigating adult anxieties is pure gold, even if her British accent occasionally leans theatrical. Jacinto brings a quiet sincerity to Eric, grounding the madness — even if his British accent wobbles, it’s oddly endearing.

And the soundtrack? It’s a genre-blending, era-hopping emotional rollercoaster. From Gen Z’s Olivia Rodrigo to Millennial icons like Paramore, and Gen X’s Liz Phair to boomer legend Stevie Nicks, the playlist zings and sings in perfect sync with the meltdowns and shenanigans.

Ganatra guides the madness with precision, turning Los Angeles into a vibrant mirror of the film’s emotional terrain. Her direction keeps the absurdity grounded in emotion, while Jordan Weiss’ screenplay delivers sharp generational insight, capturing the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship across generations.

However, the film occasionally buckles under its own ambition, feeling overwrought and convoluted as it tries to mimic — and outdo — the original. While aiming for bigger laughs and deeper meaning, it sometimes loses the breezy charm that made its predecessor a nostalgic gem.

Regardless of the misfires, Curtis and Lohan buoy the film with undeniable chemistry and seasoned charm. Their performances anchor the chaos, reminding us why this story — no matter how many times it’s flipped — is still worth telling.

Body-swapping? Sure. Soul-swapping? Never. “Delulu is solulu” — and this movie’s proof.

Freakier? Absolutely. Friday? Never felt so unhinged — and freakishly good.

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