^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

The films of the early 2000s have a certain level of fun and whimsy that is severely lacking for this generation of movie-going audiences. The studio comedy on the big screen has been phased out, but people are craving wholesome projects that will make them feel good. These films don’t have to be perfect by any means, but bring a wave of nostalgia to a simpler time.

The early 2000s were comprised of studio comedies that focused on romance, friendships, and family dynamics. In recent years, the themes have been geared towards dramas instead. The shift has been difficult because when studios take life seriously, the audience feels there aren’t many options in theatres. There used to be a variety of films to choose from, and, thankfully, the tide is shifting.

Almost 20 years after the Disney original film Freaky Friday, the sequel has made a comeback to the big screen. Freakier Friday is a current sequel that could have been dumped on a streaming platform, but the love of the original film warranted a worldwide release. Watching Lindsay Lohan grace the big screen in a leading role again felt so right. She has always had a glowing on-screen presence, and her charm captured our hearts again. Lilo made a comeback on Netflix with some cute romantic comedies, but a sequel like Freakier Friday will show her star power over the weekend.

The original film is a heartfelt family story between a mother and daughter who don’t understand each other. Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) did not see eye-to-eye until one fortune cookie made them walk in each other’s shoes.

In the sequel Freakier Friday, Anna gave up her rock career to become a producer and raise her child, Harper (Julia Butters). Anna gets a taste of her own medicine with her daughter, who is just as free-spirited as she was when she was a teenager. History does repeat itself, and there are new life lessons to be learned. With Anna doing everything on her own without a husband, her mother, Tess, swore to be there for her and help her co-parent. As a grandmother, Tess becomes overbearing because she is not as busy as she used to be with her patients.

She attempts to keep herself busy with pickleball and a new podcast to fill the void of not having the same busy schedule. The relationship between Tess and Anna isn’t as strained as there is a level of understanding between different parenting styles. They have more in common, and it was nice to see their relationship grow. The main conflict within the family is when Harper’s nemesis at school, Lily (Sophia Hammons), gets detention. Anna gets called in and meets her father, Eric (Manny Jacinto), sparks fly, and a cute montage of their relationship blooming into a marriage follows shortly after.

At Anna’s Bachelorette party with the first appearance of the Pink Slip ladies, a psychic named Jen (Vanessa Bayer) sees the stress among the family. Harper doesn’t want to move to London, and Lily wants nothing to do with the Colemans. The double switch happens because the teenage girls must learn to compromise with each other to make peace with their parents.

Fortunately for the audience, the comedic moments come from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, who had room to play with their characters. They both acted like teenagers in adult bodies extremely well, and the elderly jabs coming from Jamie Lee Curtis were hilarious. The sheer confusion of the teenage mind, with older people losing so much of their youth physically, made for great moments. Lohan and Curtis have great chemistry as the duo trying to tear apart the marriage and carry the first half of the film.

Unfortunately for Butters and Lily, the adults being trapped in teenage bodies didn’t give them much to do other than eat everything they could, ride scooters without getting hurt and have a fun day while the Spice Girls play in the background. The young actors did give underwhelming performances because the focus was on Lohan and Curtis. The teens lived through Anna and Tess and made their dreams come true for a short while.

The emotional weight of the family fighting to stay together comes in towards the end of the film, and it felt rushed. There were small moments with Jacinto that affected everyone differently, but it all came at once. The obstacles felt forced, and they tried to pack too many moments at the end.

Freakier Friday had great callbacks to the original that worked well, even if moments like “Make good choices” seemed corny. Director Nisha Gantra and co-writers Jordan Weiss and Elyse Hollander created a perfectly nostalgic and modern comedy with an early 2000s whimsy that has been dearly missed by audiences.

As someone who grew up with the original, it’s refreshing to see Disney have the confidence to release a sequel like this in theatres. The dynamic duo of Lohan and Curtis should have families heading to the theatre to enjoy a classic comedy.