‘Freakier Friday’ Gives Major Déjà vu in Fun FREAKquel
In case you haven’t heard, many popular films from the 90’s and 2000s are getting sequels and reboots, a trend that’s currently taking over today’s cinema landscape. From the action-packed “Tron: Ares” and “Karate Kid: Legends” to upcoming romcoms and comedy dramas “My Best Friend's Wedding” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” we’re seeing some of our favorite actors return to the big screen, reprising roles we loved and admired growing up.
One of which is Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” the sequel to the 2003 family classic “Freaky Friday.” Ever since Lindsay Lohan made an amazing comeback to Hollywood with a string of Netflix movies, we just knew that there was no way Disney wasn’t going to tap her for a project. After all, the actress made her feature film debut in the 1998 classic, “The Parent Trap.” Little did we know that the House of Mouse had something much freakier in store. And we’re so not complaining!
Directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Jordan Weiss, this comedy FREAKquel brings back Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as mother-daughter Tess and Anna Coleman. This time around, they’re joined by Harper (Julia Butters), who plays Anna’s 15-year-old daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons), her soon-to-be stepdaughter, and Manny Jacinto, who plays her fiancé, Eric Davies. Some of the cast from the first film are also making a comeback, including Mark Harmon as Ryan and heartthrob Chad Michael Murray as Jake.
The story follows Anna, now 36, who is co-parenting her daughter with Tess, and meets a dashing single dad with whom she falls in love. They decided to get married after six months, which caused some issues with their daughters, who hate each other. At Anna’s bachelorette’s party, the four leading ladies met with a psychic and, in “Freaky Friday” tradition, she gave them an ominous message that turned their worlds upside down.
The Beat Manila got to attend a special advanced screening of the film last Aug. 5 at the SM Mall of Asia, which was preceded by an exciting fan event with Manny Jacinto.
Heads up! Spoilers ahead.
Safe to say the movie did the first film justice, and was brimming with comedy gold, heartfelt family moments, and great acting. We have to admit that we were a little skeptical about the four-way body swap, as we had hoped for Anna and Tess to switch again, but woven together with the storyline, it made sense.
It gave the film a fresh take and managed to be relevant to the times, having kept up with Gen Z trends that made millennials, Gen X, and other generations in between and beyond, laugh out loud.
Relatable, heartfelt, and sprinkled with the Disney comedy magic, we’re here to tell you five moments in the film that gave us déjà vu, and sure, we’ll throw in a recap of Manny’s Manila homecoming, too.
Do you get Déjà vu? Five Movie Moments that Got Us ROFL
Four Bodies…and a Wedding?
What’s a “Freaky Friday” without a little body swapping action, right? In this film, things get freakier when Anna and Tess switch places with Harper and Lily. Imagine Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis playing 15-year-olds while Julia and Sophia step into the shoes of much older women. As seen in the trailer, the girls also did a jolt, similar to what Anna and Tess did in the first film and had to go out and pretend to be each other for a day.
The result- comedy gold! We especially enjoyed that morning scene when Lily (now in Tess’ body) faced the mirror and screamed, “I’m bloody decomposing!” or the montage of Anna and Tess (now in Harper and Lily’s bodies) stuffing their faces with fast food because who needs to worry about calories when you’re young? We believe this particular aspect of the film—the generation gaps and inside jokes—was what made it so funny and relatable.
One other similarity is how the story revolved around an upcoming wedding. In “Freaky Friday," Tess was about to marry Ryan, and now Anna is walking in her shoes as she prepares to wed Eric—with whom, by the way, she shares extremely cute chemistry—all the while navigating the strain of having to relocate, as Eric and Lily are from England, and doing what’s best for the family.
Makeover Madness
Nobody can forget the iconic Tess makeover in the first film, and how Anna gave her mom a new look with a spunky new haircut, some piercings, and a wardrobe’s worth of sexy and cool outfits. The good news is we also get that in this film, with Harper and Sophie calling a temporary truce to execute their plan of breaking their parents up. Talk about “The Parent Trap” but reversed!
They find out about Jake, Anna’s first love, and intend to make him get back together with her. Luckily, he’s in town and the two girls get their plan in motion, starting with a fabulous makeover, which gifted us a fun photoshoot montage.
Crazy Car Rides
We have to admit that we were excited when we saw that car scene in the trailer, and safe to say it didn’t disappoint! We got to see Jamie and Lindsay, with the latter now riding shotgun as they cruised—well, more like raced—through the streets of L.A. Definitely funnier and crazier than the first time!
Alexa, play “…Baby One More Time!”
Who can forget Chad Michael Murray singing this Britney Spears classic at the top of his lungs outside the Coleman’s house?
Well, we get to hear this song again, but what’s iconic about it in this sequel is that we get to see Jake gushing over Tess, proving that he never really got over his little crush. And yes, it’s a delight to see him reprising this role. There’s almost an impossible amount of good-looking people in this film, it’s insane! And to think more than half of them were in the 2003 film!
Speaking of songs, one of the things that made "Freaky Friday" a huge hit is the music. We got some pretty good musical numbers in this, including a stage reunion everyone has been waiting for. We’ll keep it zipped for now and let you enjoy it once you watch the movie.
Family Drama x 2
Unlike in the first film, which focused more on Tess and Anna’s relationship, we felt that this movie expanded the spotlight to its other characters, giving them just enough backstory and motivations that made the story fuller and more relatable.
We loved how it didn’t just tackle parent-child tensions but also generational misunderstandings, the emotional strain surrounding weddings and relocation, as well as stepfamily issues.
Although the story was predictable and felt more like a nostalgic revisit than an original feature, it was equally entertaining and heartfelt as the first. We might even say that was the original intention—to not create an entirely new story, but to ride on the charm of the old one, tweak it to fit the times, and hopefully connect generations. We believe the film did well in that aspect. As fans of the 2003 movie, we enjoyed the predictability, the laughs it pulled out from us, and the return of its familiar characters. 10/10 would recommend watching with the whole family.
Manny in Manila: The “Freakier Friday” Fan Event
Prior to the screening , the Walt Disney Company and SM Malls gave fans a treat by flying in one of the stars of the film. Manny Jacinto caused quite a stir at the SM Mall of Asia atrium, stealing hearts with his beautiful face (throwing it back to him!) and charming personality.
Hosted by Sam Oh, the program included a fun trivia game where they gave away some “Freakier Friday” merch, a thrilling dance-off to the movie’s main theme song “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan, and even a special song number by The Voice Kids Season 5 Grand Champion Shane Bernabe, who rocked the house down with her rendition of “Take Me Away” by Pink Slip, a.k.a. Anna’s band from the movie!
But the highlight of the night was the arrival of Manny, who was surprised by the overflowing love and support from his Filipino fans.
“Maraming, maraming salamat. Sobrang excited to be here (Thank you very much! I’m so excited to be here)!” He said, showcasing his Tagalog-speaking skills. “This is so much love. It really means the world! Thank you for waiting and for hopefully getting to watch.”
Sam then asked the actor how it felt when he found out that he would become part of a massive global franchise.
“I called my parents and let them know,” he chuckled. “It was unbelievable. I was going to play a father for the first time. I would have an anak—a little kid of my own for the first time. I didn’t know how to react at first. I just drew upon the experiences of my parents and kind of drew upon those memories. And now, here we are!”
The Filipino-born Canadian actor known for his roles in “The Good Place” and the Star Wars series “The Acolyte” also participated in a couple of rounds of “Pinoy Henyo” (Filipino word guessing game), took some photos with fans, and even gave free hugs. It was truly a memorable moment for the fans and moviegoers alike.
“Sana panoorin ninyo ang ‘Freakier Friday’ (I hope you guys will watch ‘Freakier Friday’). It’s a fun one, so please watch. Thank you for having me. It’s a dream to be here right now. Thank you so much! Mahal kita (I love you)!”
And the surprises didn’t end there. Manny also dropped by the theater just before the movie started. When asked how it felt to walk into a room full of people about to watch him on the screen, he adorably replied, “It’s cool walking into a theater where people look like me *laughs* Everyone’s so pretty and beautiful! I am so excited. Sana mag enjoy kayo (I hope you enjoy yourselves)!”
Let this movie take you away for a couple of hours. “Freakier Friday” is now showing in a cinema near you!
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