Nostalgia-driven sequels are generally a hit or miss and rarely ever anything in between. More often than not, they’re unnecessary. But surprisingly, everything about Freakier Friday and its relatively universal message about the complex relationships between mothers and daughters works.
Enough time has passed that those of us who were once angsty teenagers alongside Anna Coleman have our own kids. The world itself has drastically changed since 2003, so everything about the sequel feels incredibly familiar and simultaneously refreshing. It feels…right. The jokes are funny, the emotions hold gravitas, and the entire cast brings their A-game to deliver an incredible theatrical experience.
I can’t for the life of me remember if I watched the original movie in theatres or not, but I do remember dragging my now late father to the local video rental store to get the VHS the second it dropped. I remember replaying it over and over that weekend until we had to return it, then the owner, being so familiar with us, told my dad we could buy it from them. I proceeded to then once more play it over and over again. It’s been a while since I watched the original as an adult, so I’d forgotten how prominent grief was back then because I wasn’t grieving as I am today. I still had my dad, ready to get me the next new VHS that later turned into DVDs. It’s now that I can see how, in many ways, both Freaky Friday and Freakier Friday are stories about grief. It’s about mothers and daughters, yes, but it’s also about the losses that shape us and the places we go afterward. Being a teenager is hard enough without the added trauma from grief, but far too many people experience it in their lives. I did. Anna did. Lily did.
So, while very few sequels work as they utilize every bit of nostalgia as bait for the audience, Freakier Friday works because the story is just as vital today as it was twenty-two years ago. It isn’t here to cash in on the nostalgia check, but rather because everything about it feels earned. The timing is right, the story is right, and the cast is right. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis still make an extraordinary team, but the addition of Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan are brilliant bonuses that, dare I say, make the sequel even better. They make it more poignant, profound, and far more romantic than the original. In addition, playing on the idea of sisterhood feels like a sweet nod to The Parent Trap that comes off organically. It isn’t something that’s forced because even the guest appearance feels right.
Freakier Friday delivers on all fronts, marrying the Gen-X, Millennial, and Gen-Z traits in a way that has yet to work so seamlessly together, allowing the humor and heart to co-exist in an exciting manner. Yet, at the same time, it’s a real tear-jerker, and that’s what’s ultimately so shocking about it. Nostalgia isn’t a funny thing—sometimes, I have it while other times I don’t, and I’m willing to let parts of the past stay where they belong. But the second Pink Slip starts performing “Take Me Away,” I lost it. I’m talking ugly, snotty tears, and I couldn’t even tell you why. Nostalgia, I suppose. A reality check because life is just not at all how many of us thought it would be? I’m not quite sure. What I am sure of is that in order for a sequel to work, it needs to honor the original while being able to stand on its own two feet, and from beginning to end, Freakier Friday does this.
It’s clear as day that the cast and crew are having a blast throughout the making of it, which translates onto the characters and allows every emotion to stick the landing. There are some questionable matters like Chad Michael Murray’s Jake, but eh, I’m willing to let it slide for how great the rest of it is in showcasing character agency, the importance of communication, and the need for community.
Freakier Friday is now playing in theaters.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Disney