Film review: Freakier Friday is a good-natured knockabout
teenager Anna and Jamie Lee Curtis as her long-suffering mother Tess, both of whom learn wisdom and tolerance when they find themselves inhabiting the other's body.
Set 22 years on, Freakier Friday (PG) delivers a multi-generational twist: Anna is now set to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto), a prospect that horrifies Anna's daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and Eric's daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons).
When all four women attend Anna's bachelorette party and consult the mysterious psychic Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer), body-swap mayhem ensues.
Written by Elyse Hollander and Jordan Weiss, with Nisha Ganatra directing, Freakier Friday derives much of its comedy from age-inappropriate behaviour: Once they're over the initial shock, and having been through all this a couple of decades previously, Anna and Tess leap at the opportunities afforded by living in younger bodies, and particularly when it comes to eating the kinds of food that a calorie-burning constitution can handle.
Meanwhile, the younger pair are in a position to wreck Anna's relationship with Eric.
What follows is good, clean, knockabout fun as the four women push at the boundaries of their unexpected freedom, all the while trying to conceal the truth from their friends, associates, and work colleagues.
The basic conceit remains the same, but the filmmakers deserve credit for expanding on the original idea, and the likeable cast deliver handsomely on the premise.
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis appear to be revelling in one another's company once more, and Vanessa Bayer is good value as the multi-tasking medium who redefines the meaning of ditzy.
It fizzes more than it crackles, but Freakier Friday is an old-fashioned feel-good comedy.
Weapons
Weapons
★★★☆☆
Cinematic release
Set in the apparently ordinary American town of Maybrook, Weapons (16s) opens with an entire class of fifth-graders — all except young Alex (Cary Christopher) — disappearing from their homes overnight.
Suspicion immediately falls on their teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), but when the police make no headway, father Archer (Josh Brolin) instigates his own investigation.
Writer-director Zach Cregger delivered an intriguing take on the horror genre with Barbarian (2022), and Weapons similarly offers a variation on the old conventions, whilst also functioning as an homage to Stephen King tropes — scary clowns, supernatural goings-on in modern suburbia, a brief nod to The Shining.
Oddly, the story becomes less suspenseful as details are revealed via a number of perspectives, which include those of local cop Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) and school principal Andrew (Benedict Wong).
By the finale, the movie is something of a gruesome black comedy. It's ambitious, but too tonally uneven to fully convince.
Elias develops feelings for his new neighbour Alexander in Young Hearts
Young Hearts
★★★★☆
Cinematic release
Young Hearts (12A) stars Lou Goossens as Elias, a young teenage boy growing up in a small Belgian town.
His friendship with Valerie (Saar Rogiers) seems to be slowly deepening into a romantic attachment, but everything changes when Alexander (Marius De Saegar), recently arrived from Brussels, moves in.
At first, Alexander is just another pal. But when Alexander tells Elias that he is gay, Elias realises that he is falling in love with his new friend.
Confused by his feelings, Elias is terrified of revealing his new truth.
An autobiographical story from writer-director Anthony Schatteman, Young Hearts is at times overly simplistic (despite the small-town, Elias's friends and family are all tolerant).
Overall, it's a charming account of first love, with Lou Goossens superbly natural as the hugely likeable Elias, and Dirk van Dijck providing terrific emotional ballast as Elias's gruffly tender grandfather Fred.
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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Official Trailer 2
The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, with Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. Cregger directs from his own screenplay, and also produces alongside Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, with Michelle Morrissey and Josh Brolin executive producing. The filmmaker's creative team behind the camera includes director of photography Larkin Seiple, production designer Tom Hammock, editor Joe Murphy and costume designer Trish Summerville. The music is by Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay and Zach Cregger. New Line Cinema Presents A Subconscious/Vertigo Entertainment/BoulderLight Pictures Production, A Zach Cregger Film, Weapons. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in theaters and IMAX nationwide on August 8, 2025, and internationally beginning 6 August 2025.
Extra.ie
12-08-2025
- Extra.ie
Five huge reunions that have happened in 2025
The Jonas Brothers ramped up the nostalgia meter over the weekend as they brought on their former Disney co-star Demi Lovato on stage for a Camp Rock reunion, leaving fans going wild. On Sunday, the three-piece band — comprising of brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick — kicked off their 20th anniversary tour, JONAS20, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The brothers were reminiscing about their 2008 Disney movie, Camp Rock, before star of the film Demi Lovato joined them on stage. The Jonas Brothers ramped up the nostalgia meter over the weekend as they brought on their former Disney co-star Demi Lovato on stage for a Camp Rock reunion, leaving fans going wild. Pic:for Live Nation It's been a nostalgic year of comebacks and reunions, so take a look at some of the best reunions of 2025 to date…. It was a moment many thought may never happen but Oasis are back, and the countdown for their Croker gigs is well and truly on. Following their split in 2009, last year brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher confirmed they were reuniting for a string of shows as part of Live 25. It was a moment many thought may never happen but Oasis are back, and the countdown for their Croker gigs is well and truly on. Pic: Samir Hussein/WireImage Initially, a UK and Ireland tour, high demand led the band to expand the tour worldwide with dates in Canada and the United States of America as well as Asia and Australia. The Mancunians kicked off the tour last month at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and it is almost Ireland's time with the brothers taking to the stage at Croke Park this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17. Tickets are like gold dust, but should you manage to nab some last minute tickets there is still accommodation available in the capital — but you gotta be 'rolling in it' to cover the costs. Freakier Friday hit cinemas on Friday with Lindsay reprising her role as Anna Coleman alongside Jamie-Lee Curtis who returned to the role as Anna's mom, Tess. Pic: Don Arnold/WireImage Lindsay Lohan is back on the silver screen and we couldn't be happier. The 29-year-old made her acting return in 2021 following a tumultuous few years and this year gave the people what they wanted: A Freaky Friday sequel. Freakier Friday hit cinemas on Friday with Lindsay reprising her role as Anna Coleman alongside Jamie-Lee Curtis who returned to the role as Anna's mom, Tess. The sequel, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, also saw original cast member Chad Michael Murray returning 22 years after the first movie was released. The Los Angeles premiere of the Disney movie also saw another reunion on the cards for Lindsay and die-hard fans as she reconnected with Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix, who were in The Parent Trap alongside Lindsay in 1998. The Los Angeles premiere of the Disney movie also saw another reunion on the cards for Lindsay and die-hard fans as she reconnected with Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix, who were in The Parent Trap alongside Lindsay in 1998. Pic: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Presenting an awards show like the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGS) will bring you face-to-face with an array of your former co-stars as Kristen Bell learned earlier this year when she shared the stage with Nobody Wants This' Adam Brody as well as her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester (who is also in Nobody Wants This). It was the mini-reunion with Ted Danson and William Jackson Harper in the audience during the show that had everyone screaming however, as the trio joked about having their own Challengers moment. @ #Challengers you will forever be iconic, as will #TheGoodPlace! #SAGAwards #KristenBell #TedDanson #WilliamJacksonHarper ♬ original sound – ELLE Australia The actors were the stars in Netflix' The Good Place, which ran for four seasons, concluding in 2020. 'This is not a challenge,' Kristen said, referencing Zendaya's tennis flick, Challengers. 'Yes, it is,' both Ted and William said before leaning in to kiss Kristen. @ Former Buffy costars and longtime besties #sethgreen and #sarahmichellegellar had a red carpet reunion at the Los Angeles premiere of #KnowWhatYouDidLastSummer 🖤🖤 #fypp #buffytok #buffyedit #icon #og ♬ More Than a Feeling – Boston Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar has reunited with a number of her former Buffy co-stars in recent months, which added fuel to speculation that a reboot could be on the cards. Seth Green, who Daniel Osbourne on the hit show, was among those at the Los Angeles premiere of I Know What You Did Last Summer, with fans going wild as the 51-year-old posed alongside long-time pal Sarah. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Michelle (@sarahmgellar) Elsewhere, Sarah reunited with Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow Rosenburg in the show, as they worked together on a campaign to raise awareness about meningitis. Hopefully, we'll be seeing a lot more Buffy reunions in the coming months following news that Hulu are currently developing a reboot of the iconic 90s show. Heavy metal band Black Sabbath reunited this year, on the request of lead singer Ozzy Osbourne. The band performed one final charity show at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5, titled Back to the Beginning. The gig was the band's first together in eight years, and also marked the first time in 20 years that the original line-up performed together. Just weeks after the performance, Ozzy died 'surrounded by love' following a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease. He is survived by his wife Sharon and children Kelly, Aimee, Jack, Jessica, Louis and Elliot.
Irish Examiner
12-08-2025
- Irish Examiner
‘Now is the perfect time for the sequel': Lindsay Lohan on reprising her role in Freakier Friday
For millennials, there are a few hallmark films that have helped shape a generation, Freaky Friday being one of them. The 2003 family classic, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, tells the iconic story of a mother and her teenage daughter who swap bodies for one chaotic, event-filled weekday. Now, 22 years later, the cast has reunited for a sequel titled Freakier Friday, revisiting the film's themes from a very different stage in life. The story picks up with Lohan's character, Anna, now a mother to a teenage daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepmother. In the sequel, Anna's daughter Harper, played by Julia Butters and her soon-to-be stepdaughter Lily Davies, portrayed by Sophia Hammons, join Anna and her mother Tess in a wild, quadruple body swap. 'I think now is the perfect time for the sequel because it's believable that Anna could be a young mom,' says Lohan, 39. 'It makes sense. We've had time to give space for Anna and allow this relationship to evolve in different ways.' Lohan, who was 16 when she first starred in Freaky Friday, is now a mother herself. She says her real-life experience of parenthood has helped her connect more deeply with her character. 'Now I'm a mom, so I can relate to Anna more in the life that she's living.' Lohan, who rose to fame in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap and later starred in Mean Girls, says she was thrilled to reunite with Curtis on set. 'It's fantastic working with her. She brings such a light and energy that just radiates, it's fantastic to be around,' she says. 'Every moment has been a memory I'll cherish, especially with Jamie. We've grown not only as co-stars, but as friends, which is very special to me.' Oscar-winner Curtis echoes Lohan's enthusiasm. 'I got to celebrate her having a baby and all of the beautiful things that go along with her being a mom,' says Curtis. 'I've been able to participate in that, but I hadn't physically seen her, held her, or hugged her in quite a long time. It was really fun to be reminded of that lovely relationship we have.' Curtis, who won an Academy Award for Everything Everywhere All At Once, says the sequel is rooted in themes of empathy and connection. 'It's about mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters,' she says. 'It's about love, understanding, compassion, and empathy, realising through a body switch how hard life is for other people.' 'It's the universal story of seeing the world through somebody else's eyes. Life is hard for people, and we often take it for granted because, for many of us, life is pretty smooth and easy.' Other returning cast members include One Tree Hill's Chad Michael Murray, reprising his role as Anna's former love interest Jake, and NCIS actor Mark Harmon, returning as Tess's husband Ryan. Chad Michael Murray as Jake in Disney's Freakier Friday. When asked about stepping back into Jake's shoes, Murray says they had to figure out how his character would realistically fit into the updated story. 'It's a house of cards, you move one piece and the whole thing kind of crashes down with four people switching bodies. So we had to be really careful and deliberate with the choices we made,' says the 43-year-old actor. 'I went straight into analytics mode. We had to flesh out who Jake has been over the last 22 years. What's he been up to? Where's he gone? What's the funniest choice here? And that's where we went. Then it just became exciting from there.' Joining the cast for the sequel is The Good Place star Manny Jacinto, who plays Eric Reyes, Anna's fiancé and Lily's father. As a newcomer to the cast, the 37-year-old actor says he welcomed Lohan's experience and natural ease in the role. 'You can tell that she knows this world really well and this character really well,' he says. 'Once the cameras start rolling, she's Anna. I really appreciated that about her. She's super professional, fun to be with, and caring. She's a pro.' When asked about building a bond with Hammons, who plays his on-screen daughter, Jacinto shares how the team worked to establish their connection. 'We had a rehearsal process beforehand to get together and figure out a relationship, what happened to her mom, my previous wife. All credit to Nisha Ganatra (the director) for bringing us together to create that bond.' 'But also,' he adds, 'it's not hard to care for Sophia, because she's such a lovely human being.' Also joining the cast are Butters, who rose to fame in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Up Here star Hammons, who portray the teenage daughters at the centre of the film's multi-generational body swap. 'Harper's relationship with her mom is definitely one that I think almost every teenager can relate to,' says Butters, 16. 'You can have your misunderstandings, but at the end of the day, you're family.' Though their characters start off as rivals, Butters and Hammons formed an instant kinship on set. 'Instantly, we were just laughing,' says Hammons, 18. 'Nisha told us she could hear us from across the hall. It's so refreshing to meet people you click with, and she's one of those people.' Despite the adversarial nature of their characters, the actors say their real-life friendship made the experience fun. 'It's OK to jab at each other because we know we don't actually hate each other,' Hammons says. 'It's nice knowing that.' 'This movie is about family and change,' adds Lohan. 'We always experience changes in life. You never really know how that's going to go but at the end of the day, it's always going to be about your family. As long as your family is there for you, you can get through any change.' Freakier Fridayis in cinemas now.
