It’s hard to believe that when I first saw Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday , we were both teenagers — and now, with Freakier Friday coming out this summer, we’re both moms. It’s so surreal! The “oh my God, it’s happening” feeling hit me hard as I watched the new Freakier Friday trailer today. Lohan’s character Anna is now a successful musician, and Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Tess, her therapist mom, in the sequel to a family favorite that I share with my own mom.
I used to sing along to Pink Slip’s (Anna’s band) songs, and when I rewatched the movie, I was surprised to realize that I still know all the words to “Take Me Away.” So seeing the body-swapping shenanigans happen at the band’s party (I recognized the logo immediately) makes me even more excited to see how it all plays out.
This time around, the “craziest” part of Friday is that four characters are involved: Anna and Tess swap bodies with Anna’s teenage daughter and her future stepdaughter. The mother-daughter lesson is passed on to Anna and her daughter, which makes me feel old. Weirdly, Tess and her stepdaughter also swap, which is weird, but hopefully they can make it work because she’s an exception. It makes sense that this would happen with Anna and her daughter, because last time around, Anna was super rebellious and difficult, at least according to Tess, who “just didn’t get her.” It’s a timeless cliché, as many of us have been there, and it feels like yesterday. I swear I had the same Hot Topic fishnet sleeves made from cut-off leggings, worn under a T-shirt with that same studded belt and hoop bracelets that Lohan wore in the first movie. Even more unbelievable is how you can walk into a Hot Topic today and find all of these items, how fashion has come full circle.
I hope we see Anna’s daughter mirror her mother’s behavior as a teenager, but it’s pretty unclear based on the trailer. We don’t see much of the mother-daughter dynamic here, but it will be interesting to see how their relationships evolve in this quadrupled Freaky Friday situation . The opening sequence shows Anna and Tess being informed that their lifelines have crossed and warned that the lesson may repeat itself. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, the fortune cookie mom from the first film, who owns the Chinese restaurant, appears alongside the DJ (who appears to be her granddaughter) — so we’re left wondering if she’s behind the mystical shenanigans once again. Having lived through generational lessons with my own mother, who loves to meddle in the lives of the people she loves, I’m really excited to watch this with her.
While this trailer goes for a nostalgic tone, introducing returning characters — like the band, the mean teacher, and of course, the hottie Jake from school (Chad Michael Murray reprises his role) — there’s not much we know about the story yet. It’s also unclear whether Jake is the father of Anna’s teenage daughter’s baby, but we do know that Manny Jacinto is in the cast, and he’s rumored to be playing Anna’s current boyfriend. And yes, we’re blessed with his muscular appearance. We’re so grateful for that biceps scene, which makes the movie seem even more geared toward millennial moms. I can’t believe I’m one now — I used to kick my annoying little brother out of my room when I pretended to be in Pink Slip, and now he’s an uncle who towers over me in height. Seriously, freaky .
