“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues…”– “What It’s Like” by Everlast (1998)
The stories we tell ourselves are all predicated on perspective. It’s natural to persistently center oneself when making choices because, no matter what, where we go, there we are. Because we can’t see things from someone else’s perspective, we are left to either generate a story that makes sense based on what we know *or* communicate openly with each other to get straight to it. The former is far easier than the latter, resulting in frequent miscommunication (at best) and/or conflict (at worst). Narratively, this makes for fertile ground as miscommunication serves as the most reliable source of comedy or drama, regardless of genre or subgenre. Couple that with a fantastical whammy to switch things up and you’ve got yourself a real opportunity to explore the necessity for being open to a perspective switch. Back in 2003, Lindsey Lohan (Mean Girls) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Knives Out) starred in the Mark Waters-directed Freaky Friday, a twist on the Mary Rodgers novel, and, in 2025, the duo return to their characters in a reprise intended to showcase how communication never goes out of fashion in the Nisha Ganatra-directed Freakier Friday. Now out on home video, fans of the film and/or series can explore the making of the sequel and how this film hopes to speak to generations to come just like its predecessor.
L-R: Manny Jacinto as Eric Davies and Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman in Disney’s FREAKIER FRIDAY. Photo by Glen Wilson. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In the time since they switched places and back again, mother Tess (Curtis) and daughter Anna (Lohan) are once more in a position of transition as now-single mother Anna is about to marry Chef Eric (Manny Jacinto). Instead of the two struggling with the change, it’s Anna’s daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and Eric’s daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons) who aren’t looking forward to blending their families, especially because it means that they will either move to London (upsetting Harper) or permanently staying in Los Angeles (upsetting Lily). When a conversation with a medium (Vanessa Bayer) at Anna’s bachelorette party results in an ominous message, the four women find themselves swapped into the body of another — Tess into Lily and Anna into Harper, and vice versa. Can they switch back in time for the nuptials or is this the opportunity the younger girls needed to take control of their futures by disrupting the present?
The following home release review is based on a digital edition provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
Just a heads up that the following is based solely on having watched this tale and with zero experience with Freaky Friday. Having grown up with films such as Like Father Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988), all of which follow the same general premise within a different situation, a tradition Freakier maintains, one can confirm that there’s no real need to have seen the first in order to understand the second, though there are elements that will undoubtedly hit harder if one has an established relationship with this narrative world.
L-R: Julia Butters as Harper/Anna Coleman, Lindsay Lohan as Anna/Harper Coleman, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess Coleman/Lily Davies, and Sophia Hammons as Lily Davies/Tess Coleman in Disney’s FREAKIER FRIDAY. Photo by Glen Wilson. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
That said, if you’re coming to this film without any knowledge of either the narrative setup or these characters, head to the bonus features first and watch the three-minute “Flashback Friday” which will walk you through the major points and characters of the first film and help draw out parallels to Freakier. You will have a few things spoiled for you, but it will help create a foundation from which the film is just a tad easier to follow. The other two special features — “Making Things Freakier” and “Where Were You When…” — are fairly standard behind-the-scenes featurettes that walk the line between marketing promos and revealers of the process to make the film. One thing that’s abundantly clear is that there’s a lot of love between Curtis and Lohan, both of whom also hold the original film in quite high esteem and are instrumental (though Curtis more so) in Freakier being constructed. Neither feature is particularly long (“Freakier” is seven and “Where Were You” is two), but their energy is certainly infectious.
That energy is fairly palatable throughout the film, as well. Written by Jordan Weiss (Sweethearts) from a story by Weiss and Elyse Hollander (Murder on the Dance Floor), there’s a perpetual exuberance through the film. It’s youthful and silly without coming off as pandering. I can’t say if this is true of the original outing, but, here, there’s a sense of something for everyone, with the “everyone” designated as the parents watching the film with their kids in a generational hand-me-down. Like Lohan herself, much of the original 2003 audience is old enough now to have at least one child which means that they’ll come to this story, similar as the plot may be to the 2003 edition, continuing to align with Anna’s POV while their children might see where Lily and Harper are coming from. This creates an additional poignancy beyond the usual generational conflict depicted on-screen. Adding to this, the central cast are quite game for the generational-specific jokes and other physical comedy antics that a film like Freakier utilizes in order to craft tension. The “Freakier” featurette points out that Curtis doesn’t see herself as a comedian, but her performance here certainly is a great argument against this, her verbal and physical timing as she embodies Hammons’s Lily is a gift that keeps giving. Lohan has her moments, as well, but it’s Curtis who is the scene-stealer of the picture when this duo is together. Hammons (The Social Dilemma) and Butters (Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood) are particularly hilarious, whether it’s playing their characters in a typical classmate rival-turned-step-sibling conflict or as the body swapped Tess and Anna who get to do all the things they haven’t been able to do for years — the actors convey an earnestness necessary to believe they’re teens or teens reborn.
L-R: Julia Butters as Harper/Anna Coleman and Sophia Hammons as Lily Davies/Tess Coleman in Disney’s FREAKIER FRIDAY. Photo by Glen Wilson. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Unfortunately, where the film falls apart, if one even wants to call it that, is that it’s entirely safe. It plays the body swap convention to a tee, leaving absolutely no surprises but the ones made in the moment. Meaning, we already know the outcome so there’s no sense in getting caught up in the emotions of the narrative so one finds themselves leaning on the comedic bits to carry one through to the conclusion. This doesn’t just mean whether or not the four will land back in their own bodies, that’s basically a given of the subgenre, but the secrets that are revealed in the process are so obvious that anyone not inside this struggle can see where it’s going to go. Perhaps it’s less foreseeable if one has already bought into this world via being a fan of the original film or if one just gives themselves to the story, but these films want the audience to engage with them; this one particularly as it taps into the nostalgia of both the actors’ and audiences’ youth with the return of Pink Slip, the in-universe band Lohan’s Anna was part of and no longer is, despite still working in the music industry. Ganatra has proven with films Late Night (2019) and The High Note (2020) that she can navigate complex relationships with an ensemble well and that is demonstrated here. It’s just a shame that it’s so tethered to convention that it can’t jostle us from the nostalgia it seeks to tap into.
Honestly, though, it really doesn’t matter. The film is sweet and kind, choosing a great deal of empathy that breaks through even the more repetitive generational-anchored jokes, leaving behind a warmth that we can all use right now. The physical act of walking in someone’s shoes, in trying to maintain the illusion that you are them, creates an opportunity to see the world differently; sometimes to even acknowledge it’s not the world you know. Plus, more specifically, this one isn’t for general cinema goers or body swap appreciators — this one’s for the fans of the original and only them. It’s why Curtis first pitched Lohan and got the ball rolling. If that describes you, too, all the better.
Freakier Friday Blu-ray & Digital Special Features*:
- Making Things Freakier – More than two decades later, the band is back together! Go behind the scenes as returning cast members talk about reprising their roles. Learn about the stunts, taking on each other’s mannerisms – and how this film is a love letter to Los Angeles. (7:30)
- Where Were You When… – Join the original cast as they reflect on the fun and magic of the 2003 production and learn where new cast members were in 2003. Writer Jordan Weiss shares a great anecdote that reveals the fandom and staying power of the earlier classic. (2:52)
- Flashback Friday – This playful, narrated piece reveals the hidden nods to 2003’s Freaky Friday along with some “freakier” fun facts about the sequel. (3:49)
- “Baby” Lyric Music Video – Catch this heartfelt lyric video that combines clips from the movie with behind-the-scenes production footage. (3:16)
- Ten (10) Deleted Scenes – Check out the scenes that didn’t make the final cut. (11:49)
*Bonus features may vary by product and retailer
Available on digital October 7th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD November 11th, 2025.
Available on Disney+ November 12th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Walt Disney Studios Freakier Friday webpage.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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