Freakier Friday: A Sequel With More Than Familiar Faces

Freakier Friday is much better than a lukewarm repeat of the 2003 film. Lindsay Lohan's Anna is now a mother herself, with teenage daughter Harper and a prospective blended family involving Eric and his daughter Lily. Another body-swap disaster expands the original premise across more relationships. The extra confusion is cleverly arranged rather than simply added for noise.

What I like most is the use of different perspectives. The joke is not merely that someone behaves embarrassingly in somebody else's body. Understanding grows when these people have to live each other's difficulties. The generational dynamics give the comedy an emotional purpose, and several moments are surprisingly touching.

Julia Butters has enough presence as Harper to hold her own with Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. She is much more than a supporting child caught in the adults' story. Sophia Hammons gives Lily a useful mixture of reserve and sarcasm. Together, the younger performers make the sequel feel fresher.

Curtis remains excellent at combining Tess's determination to prevent chaos with genuine maternal affection. Lohan lets Anna develop rather than simply reproducing the old character. Her position between mother and daughter is particularly effective: she now has responsibilities on both sides, and the film finds feeling in that tension.

Nisha Ganatra balances nostalgia with a contemporary family story. References to the original do not become the whole attraction. The comic timing works, and the humour manages to be silly without losing sincerity. The film understands that a family comedy can have genuine feeling without stopping every few minutes to announce it.

Some swap situations are formulaic, and the ending resolves things rather quickly. Less predictable turns would have helped. Still, I had a very good time. I give Freakier Friday 4 out of 5 points: a funny, warm sequel about closeness and change that respects the original without getting stuck inside it.