When Walt Disney Pictures released Freakier Friday in theaters on August 8, 2025, fans expected a nostalgic reboot — a fun, chaotic body-swap comedy with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reprising their iconic roles. What no one predicted was how deeply audiences would connect with the grandmother.
The Double Swap That Changed Everything
Freakier Friday isn’t just a sequel — it’s a generational mirror. Directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Jordan Weiss, the film introduces a quadruple body-swap: Anna Coleman (Lohan), now 38 and a music producer preparing to marry Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto), swaps bodies with her 15-year-old daughter, Harper Coleman (Julia Butters). Simultaneously, Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis), Anna’s mother and now a grandmother, switches with Lily Reyes (Sophia Hammons), Eric’s daughter and Harper’s classmate.The trigger? A palm reading by psychic Madame Jen during Anna’s bachelorette party — followed by an earthquake only the four women feel. It’s absurd, yes. But beneath the slapstick, the film quietly asks: What happens when you live inside someone else’s skin — especially if that skin is older than yours?
Why Tess Coleman Became the Unexpected Hero
When Jamie Lee Curtis returned to the role, she was 66. The script didn’t shy away from that. There are jokes about pill organizers, dairy intolerance, and forgetting where you put your glasses. But here’s the twist: those aren’t just punchlines. They’re quiet declarations of dignity.
That’s what struck the anonymous author of the November 22, 2025, Deseret News opinion piece. Watching the film with her own children, she found herself not rooting for Anna or Harper — but for Tess. "I admired the way she held her own with her headstrong daughter and sometimes selfish granddaughter," she wrote. "She wasn’t perfect. But she was steady. And that’s what I needed to see."
It’s a shift many viewers in their 30s and 40s are experiencing. The original Freaky Friday (2003) was a teen fantasy — a daughter trapped in her mom’s body, learning empathy. Now, the audience is the mom. And the mom is the grandma.
Age Isn’t a Plot Device — It’s the Point
Curtis didn’t just reprise her role — she helped make the sequel possible. "It really comes down to Father Time," she told ABC7 News in 2024. "Math! Lindsay had to be old enough to be the mother of a 15-year-old. That’s just the truth."
And Lohan, now a mother herself, didn’t just slip back into Anna’s skin — she slipped into her skin’s history. "Slipping back into the role of Anna felt very comfortable," she said. "I’ve aged with Anna. Being a mom now? That’s the real magic."
The film doesn’t romanticize aging. It normalizes it. Tess doesn’t magically become "cool" in Harper’s body. She struggles with TikTok dances. She accidentally sends a text to her dentist. She buys a sweater that’s "too tight in the shoulders." But she doesn’t apologize for it. She laughs. And that’s the breakthrough.
The Ripple Effect: A New Kind of Family Film
With $153.2 million grossed worldwide, Freakier Friday isn’t just a hit — it’s a cultural signal. It’s the first major Disney comedy in years where the grandmother isn’t a background figure, a comic relief sidekick, or a foil to be outwitted. She’s the emotional anchor.
Compare this to the 2003 version. Back then, the message was: "Your mom doesn’t get you." Now, it’s: "You don’t get how much she’s carried."
Even the soundtrack reflects this. The original film’s punk-pop anthem "My Own Worst Enemy" is replaced with a haunting, acoustic cover of "I Will Survive" — sung by Tess, in Harper’s body, during a school talent show. It’s not ironic. It’s earned.
What Comes Next? The Next Generation Is Watching
The Deseret News author ends with a quiet prophecy: "Maybe one day, my daughters will watch Freakiest Friday — and laugh at the jokes they never would have understood 20 years ago, while their daughters ask, ‘What’s so funny?’"
That’s the real genius of this film. It doesn’t just reflect its audience — it anticipates their future. The children who watched the 2003 version are now the parents. The ones watching now? They’re the ones who’ll be Tess in 20 years.
Behind the Scenes: The Cast That Made It Real
The film’s emotional weight comes from its cast’s lived experience. Julia Butters, at 15, brought a raw, unfiltered teenage frustration that felt authentic — not performative. Sophia Hammons, as Lily, described the role as "the ultimate empathy exercise." "You’re not just pretending to be someone else," she said. "You’re pretending to be someone who’s lived a life you haven’t even started yet."
Returning veterans like Chad Michael Murray as Jake and Mark Harmon as Anna’s father added layers of quiet continuity — reminders that time doesn’t just pass, it accumulates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jamie Lee Curtis push for this sequel?
Curtis reportedly initiated the sequel after realizing Lindsay Lohan had aged into the perfect role of a mother — not just a daughter. She emphasized the importance of showing aging as a natural, dignified phase, not a punchline. "There’s no way to make this movie if she’s not old enough to be a mom," she told ABC7 News, highlighting how the film’s logic is grounded in real-time aging, not fantasy.
How does this film differ from the original Freaky Friday?
The 2003 version focused on a daughter learning to appreciate her mother. Freakier Friday flips the script: it’s about mothers seeing their own mothers for the first time, and teenagers confronting the reality that their elders have full, complex lives. The double swap forces empathy in both directions — not just from child to parent, but from parent to grandparent.
What’s the significance of the earthquake in the plot?
The earthquake isn’t just a magical trigger — it’s symbolic. Only the four women feel it, suggesting a generational shift only they can perceive. It mirrors real-life moments when families suddenly realize how much time has passed — a quiet, seismic shift in perspective that outsiders don’t notice. The earth moved, but only those who’ve lived long enough to notice change felt it.
Is there going to be a third movie, Freakiest Friday?
While Disney hasn’t officially announced a third film, the Deseret News article references "Freakiest Friday" as a hypothetical future sequel — one that today’s viewers’ daughters might watch in their 30s. The film’s ending, with Tess ordering pill organizers and Harper texting her mom "u r the best," implies this story is cyclical. The next generation is already being written.
Why did audiences respond so strongly to Tess’s character?
Tess represents a rarely seen archetype: the grandmother who’s not wise because she’s saintly, but because she’s tired — and still showing up. Audiences, particularly women in their 30s to 50s, saw their own mothers, or themselves, in her: juggling family expectations, medical routines, and quiet loneliness — all while making sure everyone else’s cake is baked. Her strength isn’t loud. It’s in the small, stubborn acts of care.
How does the film handle aging without stereotyping?
Instead of using hearing aids or forgetfulness as gags, the film shows Tess’s age as part of her identity — not her limitation. She forgets where she put her glasses, yes, but she also remembers the exact day her daughter learned to ride a bike. She avoids dairy, but she still dances badly at weddings. Aging isn’t the punchline; the *contrast* between her experience and the teens’ chaos is.
