Reviews

We’re in the era of the legacy sequel, and after the likes of Hocus Pocus 2 and Disenchanted, it was only a matter of time before Disney turned its attention to Freaky Friday.

In the sequel, Freakier Friday, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return as Anna and Tess Coleman after 22 years. Anna is no longer a rebellious teen – she’s a music manager with a teenage daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), and a British fiancé, Eric (Manny Jacinto).

Eric’s daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons), does not get along with Harper, and their dispute isn’t helped by the fact that Anna and Eric intend to move from California to England once they’re married.

The 2003 film featured one body swap – Anna and Tess – so, of course, this sequel had to go bigger. This time around, Anna and her daughter Harper swap bodies, and Tess swaps with Lily.

They must overcome their differences and perform a selfless act to revert to their original selves.

It is very clear to see that Lohan and Curtis (who are friends in real life) had an absolute blast working together again and playing teenagers, and it’s impossible not to be charmed by their playful energy, hilarious physical comedy and interesting outfits.

Their fun performances are bolstered by Jordan Weiss’ script, which is filled with brilliant gags, comments on youth and ageing, and physical comedy setpieces. Although it’s current and set in the present day, the sense of humour feels squarely aimed at millennials.

While newcomers can still enjoy this film, you’ll have a better experience if you’ve seen the 2003 outing. You will appreciate all the callbacks and references, and Chad Michael Murray’s (very funny) storyline as Jake will make more sense.

There are some downsides, though. It’s quite confusing trying to keep track of who is who, so you just have to roll with it and embrace the chaos.

Also, the ‘waking up in a different body’ sequence isn’t as effective as the previous one, even though there’s double the swapping.

While it would have taken forever to resolve all four characters’ storylines in a proper, satisfying way, the conflicts are worked out a bit too quickly after the major dispute.

Fans of the original would have been disappointed if this sequel didn’t feature Anna’s former band, Pink Slip, and their awesome song Take Me Away, and director Nisha Ganatra is fully aware of this. However, she struggles to find a place for them, and they feel awkwardly shoehorned into the story. There must have been a better way!

Disney’s legacy sequels have often been a disappointment, but thankfully Freakier Friday is a fun, enjoyable, laugh-out-loud film that’ll leave fans of the original very happy indeed.

In cinemas from Friday 8th August.

By Hannah Wales.

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