As the highly anticipated sequel to Disney’s 2003 body-swap comedy, Freakier Friday, prepares to hit Indian theatres on August 8, it’s time to reminisce about the original. Mark Waters’ Freaky Friday, a modern version of a classic Disney film that successfully blended magical elements with slapstick comedy and familial drama, featured cast members Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan at their best.
Classic tale of role reversal
Freaky Friday is based on a novel by Mary Rodgers and follows the tumultuous relationship between widowed psychiatrist Dr. Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her 15-year-old daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan). While mourning the loss of her father, Anna, a defiant teenager, feels that her workaholic and apparently strict mother does not understand her. Meanwhile, Tess is getting ready to tie the knot with her fiancé Ryan (Mark Harmon) and is continually irritated by Anna’s conduct and lack of self-control. A pair of cursed fortune cookies causes them to mysteriously switch bodies one night at a Chinese restaurant, putting an end to their endless fighting.
As the plot unfolds, we witness Tess and Anna put themselves in each other’s shoes. Tess must attend high school as Anna, dealing with her bandmates, academic pressures, and bullies. While her mother is busy with work, therapy, interviews, and a wedding rehearsal dinner, Anna is trying to seem grown-up and handle all of her responsibilities.
Finding empathy through chaos
As a result of these tumultuous events, our protagonists begin to sympathise with one another. While Tess starts to understand the challenges of adolescence, particularly when dealing with loss, Anna recognises the mental and emotional burdens her mother bears. Their journey towards empathy drives the film’s emotional arc, and the body swap serves as a narrative device to foster progress.
The film did well at the box office and among critics. The performance by Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated for a Golden Globe, and Lohan’s turn as both an angsty teen and a mother trapped in a teenager’s body was widely appreciated. Harold Gould played Tess’ father, and Chad Michael Murray played Jake, Anna’s crush.
Teen comedy that stood test of time
As one of the most memorable teen comedies of the early 2000s, Freaky Friday has garnered a devoted fan following throughout the years. Teenagers and their parents could relate to the touching and amusing depiction of generational miscommunication.
Reunited in their legendary roles, Curtis and Lohan return to Freakier Friday over two decades later. The sequel, directed by Nisha Ganatra, will cover a fresh phase of the mother-daughter relationship, with Tess being older and Anna having grown up.
“Freakier Friday” sees a major reunion, with several original cast members reprising their roles. Joining the lead cast are Mark Harmon as Tess’ husband Ryan, Chad Michael Murray as Anna’s former boyfriend Jake, Rosalind Chao as Pei-Pei, Ryan Malgarini as Anna’s younger brother Harry, Christina Vidal Mitchell as Anna’s bandmate Maddie, Haley Hudson as her friend Peg, Stephen Tobolowsky as Principal Bates, and Lucille Soong as the fortune cookie shop owner.
The reunion of the original leads has excited fans who grew up with the film, although Disney has kept plot elements mostly under wraps.
Where to watch before sequel arrives
Now would be a wonderful time to see Freaky Friday again on JioHotstar (OTTplay Premium), since the sequel will be released in India on August 8, 2025.
