'Freakier Friday' delivers heartfelt story beyond the nostalgia

Movie Review

- BY JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

In a hamster wheel of reboots and legacy sequels, the 2025 followup to 2003's "Freaky Friday" could have easily been pure nostalgia bait with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returning as the Coleman mother-daughter duo. However, "Freakier Friday" justifies its existence as a sequel with a story that elevates the themes the first film explored.

It's been 22 years since Anna (Lohan) and Tess (Curtis) switched bodies in one freaky weekend. Anna is no longer a rebellious teenager and a member of the Pink Slip band; she is now a single mother to Harper (Julia Butters) and works behind the scenes as a producer for artists such as Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). Meanwhile, Tess remains a respected psychologist and has expanded her expertise into podcasting.

With Tess now a laid-back grandmother, Anna finds herself in her mom's shoes, raising a daughter as rebellious as she once was. Her relationship with Harper takes a nosedive when Tess meets Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto) during a parent-teacher meeting. The two quickly fall in love and become engaged a few months later.

Harper is far from thrilled that her soon-to-be stepsister is her school rival, Lily (Sophia Hammons), who often complains about being unhappy in Los Angeles after relocating from London.