By Kaia Costa and Penny Nunes
Who doesn’t love to see a good movie with their best friend? Well, we wouldn’t miss it for the world. As fans of Freaky Friday, we were excited to see how the sequel, Freakier Friday, would compare — but it’s safe to say we were both disappointed.
DISCLAIMER: SPOILERS!
Penny’s Insight:
Rating: 5.5/10
Freaky Friday is such a good classic, one my mom showed me growing up. What’s not to love? Such a unique storyline that keeps you intrigued and makes you laugh. When I first heard there was a second movie coming out, I was ecstatic. One thing did cross my mind, how were they going to top the first? Spoiler alert! They didn’t. The new movie was not as intriguing and one might argue that it was more confusing. The switching of Tess and Lily did not make sense until the final 30 minutes, which made some of the plot hard to follow. They did not even know each other, so why would they switch? I understand having a mom and daughter switch, but I feel like it could have been done much cleaner. The young girls, Harper and Lily, could have swapped, and Tess and Anna could have swapped, to bring back the original a bit more. All this aside, my biggest complaint was how much they tried to make it Gen Z. With slang and attitudes, along with outfits–stuff that makes no sense. I love the idea of a second Freaky Friday, but maybe this was not the best way to go. However, with all this being said, there had to be a reason for the 5 points. It had a sweet ending that summed up the story well. I would watch it again, and I’ve seen worse movies, but it still does not beat the original. Would I recommend this? If you have seen the first one I think this one is worth the watch to compare the two, but without seeing the first one, this is a skip!
Kaia’s Insight:
Rating: 4.5/10
If Penny’s insight wasn’t enough to steer you away from this movie, maybe mine will. I wish I could sit here and write a jolly review about the sequel to the 2003 Disney comedy Freaky Friday, but that would just be untruthful. Not to be harsh, but this film went nowhere near reaching its full potential. One may argue that the long wait for this sequel or the original’s nostalgic legacy set it up for failure, but I believe the problems went much deeper than that. As Penny previously mentioned, I found the desperate attempt at humor—clearly trying to appeal to everyone—extremely painful. The Gen Z jokes and weak attempts to portray generational differences made this family movie less appealing to teen audiences, who are likely the primary viewers. My main complaint however, would have to be the plot. I mean, going into the theater I wondered, “How are they going to differentiate the plot from the original, but keep it interesting?”. Let’s just say I left the theater wondering the exact same thing. I believe expanding Anna’s (Lindsay Lohan) family and introducing more characters was a wholesome idea, but it wasn’t handled properly. The storyline felt rushed, leaving little time for the audience to connect with the new characters or see their true development. In my opinion, the original Freaky Friday featured a well-thought-out storyline and carefully curated characters, while the sequel lacked both. However, I must give credit where credit is due. So what made this movie worth a whopping 4.5 points? I must say, despite the chaos throughout the movie, the ending was touching and helped tie the confusing plot together. I noticed many families in the theater—especially moms with their daughters—which was a wholesome sight that reminded me of watching Freaky Friday with my own mom. All together, I would not recommend spending 20 dollars on a ticket to go see this mediocre movie. However, if you’re a true Freaky Friday fan like Penny and I, maybe wait until the sequel comes out on Netflix so you can develop your own opinion.