Official poster for “Freakier Friday”. Courtesy of Disney Studios.

It’s early in the morning and you’re getting ready. You’re going about your normal routine, until you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and see not your face, but your mother’s. This is the plot of the iconic 2000s movie, “Freaky Friday.”

     Over the course of several decades, producers, writers and directors have continued to rehash the idea of the ‘character swap’ in movies. This exchange typically involves a complete personality swap from one character to another.  

      1976 marked the original “Freaky Friday” release and the beginning of this trend. “Like Father Like Son” (1987), “Vice Versa” (1988), “18 Again!” (1988), BIG (1988), “Freaky Friday” (2003) and Freakier Friday (2025) have followed.

     “Freakier Friday,” now in theaters, is a sequel to “Freaky Friday.” The film follows Anna Coleman, portrayed by Lindsay Lohan, in her journey of motherhood, encountering various hardships involving her daughter Harper and her new stepdaughter. The film also stars Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons and Jaimie Lee Curtis, who’s returning from the 2003 hit alongside Lohan.

     The film has received mixed reviews. “Freaky Friday” received an 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Freakier Friday” received a 74 percent. Although “Freaky Friday” is a well-liked film, the sequel does not seem to garner the same kind of affection.

     “They thought, ‘Why not just bring back this cool classic and then just kind of revamp it for another generation and see what happens?’” freshman Tatiana Miller said. 

     In correlation to “Freaky Friday,” “Freakier Friday” reuses classic elements that were well-received in the previous film, such as the classic mother-daughter body swap.

     “It was a very odd and confusing movie. It felt like just a normal teen drama movie until the weird switch,” superfan and freshman Sachin Nayegandhi said.