Two decades after Anna and Tess’s freaky day, things are about to become even freakier, as Anna’s daughter and close enemy are all about to live a new, even crazier day.
22 years after the original that became a favourite in the glossy high school teen films of the early noughties, comes Freakier Friday… another remake featuring Disney’s child star, Lindsay Lohan. Famously the star of the brilliantly adapted (and my daughter’s favourite) Parent Trap, comes another dive into ‘remake town’ only this time the freaky Friday throws not two, but four people’s lives into panic and disarray. Based on a book written in 1982 by Mary Rodgers and published in 1972 which in turn was based on another book called Vice-Versa.
Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy, as an even more grown up Tess… we dive back into the zany colourful world which only Disney could truly create. Of course with remakes we require a new twist, and this is where we include two new teenagers to ramp up the energy. No longer can we say ‘introducing’ for young American actors as Julia Butters (American Housewife) as Anna’s daughter, has already been in the industry for over 6 years. Alongside her we have Sophia Hammons as Lily Reyes, Harper’s British nemesis at college who also has a string of successful casting behind her.
Having survived their first body swap ordeal, righting some wrongs and now mostly happily progressing with their independent lives, not only do Anna and her mother unwittingly undertake palm readings together with supposed psychic Madame Jen (Vaneesa Beyer) but also Harper and ‘class mate’ Lily soon afterwards. And this is where of course the fun really begins with a virtual earthquake signalling the change. What worked so well in 2003 was not only the adapted script but the main actors who bring this fun ride of a story to life. There have been various attempts at small screen versions with lesser writers but it is the power of the main actors who bring this big screen version to life. Freakier Friday adheres to this joyous rule rather than the awful exception.
Lindsay and Jamie Lee are once again front and centre and are clearly having a lot of fun. The film also brings back some names back from the 2003 original, like Chad Michael Murray as Jake Austin, Anna’s sweetheart now record shop owner with an extremely funny use of 12″ record covers. And Mark Harmon as Ryan, who is now going steady with Tess. One of the big draws here is the band “Pink Slip” who went down extremely well bringing the rock vibe of the first successful film back for the sequel. With music mixing becoming far more controlled in these later films we sit within the audience of the concert rather than away with the flattened music only locked to the screen from the past. Although Lindsay’s playing was dubbed on the first film she now has become more proficient and actually plays in the updated version. As Anna is now a record producer in Freakier Friday I would have liked to have seen more of the band as the music is a big part of this film series.
Freakier Friday is a silly, but fun ride… and in a world of high brow dramas, over the top action films and historic adaptations, then ‘All work and no play would indeed make Jack a dull boy’. To provide the depth with thought provoking facts of the other films we need the excitement and colour of ‘teen movies’ to balance out the darkness.
Freakier Friday warrants more than one viewing and Jamie Lee looked like she had an absolute blast making this alongside her co-stars. We could even see a return with Lindsay as the grandparent in another 22 years time but for now we will hold on to the fact that she seems to blissfully never age. Lindsay Lohan will hopefully give us another 39 years on our big screens as one of the Peter Pan’s of our age. Long live Lindsay Lohan.
Author: Piers, Maidstone Store
