What a wasted opportunity. Absolute waste. Now, I know. I know. I know. I know. You’re going to say, “Jim, this isn’t that kind of film.” And you’re right. It isn’t. But ALL art, no matter how small, is a reflection of the time it is presented in. And this film had a golden opportunity to point out the stupidity of political situation we find ourselves in, what with unqualified fakers as the heads of literally every single executive post in the United States right now, and it failed miserably to call any attention whatsoever.
What am I talking about?
Well, Freakier Friday is a standard body swap story. The comedy lies entirely in putting minds in different bodies and judging results. It’s a science experiment in fictional film form. The comedy in a film like this lies almost entirely in the “fish out of water” scenario: daughter doesn’t understand what it is to have a job; mom doesn’t understand what it is to be in high school. Yes, all very amusing.
However, does this not reflect where exactly we are politically? Look at how many unqualified people have important jobs in 2025 America: Pete Hegseth, Robert Kennedy Jr., Kristi Noem, Linda McMahon, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, every member of DOGE, President Trump himself … NONE of these people understands their responsibilities or the job they hold (or even how to act the part, tbh). NONE. And THEY ALL HOLD IMPORTANT JOBS.
It would take almost nothing. All you’d have to do is have Lindsay Lohan send a group text instead of a personal text while acting in a capacity her body occupant doesn’t understand and then say, “Well, gosh, it’s a good thing I’m not (Secretary of Defense). That would be embarrassing.”
This isn’t that film. In fact, Freakier Friday seems to think jobs and roles and bodies are pretty interchangeable. It’s kinda sad how well adjusted these folks are for people who aren’t real good at being themselves.
In the last version of Freaky Friday, teenaged Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) switches bodies with her superstar psychologist mother, Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis). This time around, adult Anna, a talent manager, falls in love with Eric (Manny Jacinto) and as their nuptials approach, she ends up switching bodies with her own
daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), while in a bizarre and completely unnecessary mystical indulgence, grandma Tess switches bodies with Eric’s daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), her granddaughter-in-law to be (?) Lily is also Harper’s rival if that means anything.
It doesn’t.
I didn’t mind the half-assed acting in this film. Eric and Lily are English. If Lily switches bodies with Tess, Jamie Lee Curtis should speak with an English accent. Fine. Be that way. But the fact that she doesn’t speak with an English accent tells me you’re not really trying to sell this. Well, this whole film is half-assed: there isn’t a compelling reason for any of these people to live lives from a different perspective. So we’re just kind of humoring this whole process while three mildly talented actresses (and Jamie Lee Curtis, half-assing it) attempt comedy. Sadly, the best bits in the movie belonged to responses from characters we found in the original: Jake (Chad Michael Murray) as Anna’s former boyfriend and Mr. Bates (Stephen Tobolowsky), Anna’s former teacher.
Don’t get me wrong, these guys weren’t any better than the gals; I just enjoyed the script a little more when they showed up.
I didn’t hate Freakier Friday, but I sure didn’t like it. And this comes from someone who as a child used to fall asleep soothed by the audio to the Jodie Foster version of this tale. Thank you, film, for invoking that memory. No thanks for, literally, everything else.
Four females all from SoCal
Swap bodies without rationale
Did I believe for a sec
Let’s say “yes,” what the heck
Now I’ll lighten the mood with root canal
Rated PG, 110 Minutes
Director: Nisha Ganatra
Writer: Jordan Weiss, Elyse Hollander, Mary Rogers
Genre: Feminism? Frustration
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Forgiving Females
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Frumpy Fellows
