Jamie Lee Curtis calls out film critic's 'harsh' review of 'Freakier Friday'
After Time magazine posted an Instagram caption with its film critic Stephanie Zacharek's take on the beloved 2003 film's sequel (in theaters now), the Oscar winner slammed the reviewer's opinion.
The Aug. 8 caption said Zacharek wrote that "no one, as far as we know, actually asked Disney for a sequel to 2003's buoyant, surprisingly unsyrupy generation-gap comedy 'Freaky Friday.'" In response, Curtis commented that the review "SEEMS a TAD HARSH. SOME people LOVE it. Me being one."
Fashion designer Brandon Maxwell defended the film in the comments, writing "I really loved this movie ❤️" while online travel agency Expedia joked that Zacharek's review "sounds like someone needs a vacation 👀 May we suggest a digital detox to Nantucket spending your day taking in charming streets and peaceful beaches?"
'Parent Trap' reunion! Lindsay Lohan explains Elaine Hendrix's 'Freakier Friday' cameo
The new film picks up over two decades after angsty high school student Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) swapped bodies with her mom, psychologist Tess Coleman (Curtis).
This time, Anna is mom to a teenage daughter of her own, Harper Coleman (Julia Butters). And Tess is now a podcast host and overbearing grandmother. Chad Michael Murray reprises his role as Jake, a motorcycle riding heartthrob. In her review, Zacharek also wrote that the sequel "is a movie that manages to humiliate everybody."
"And it appears to exist largely for one reason: to grift off the fondness many adults have for the original, even though the sequel has none of that picture's breezy, observant charm," she added.
In a recent interview with USA TODAY, the 66-year-old Curtis opened up about returning to her matriarchal character over 20 years later.
"There was no possible way we could have done a sequel to 'Freaky Friday' until Lindsay (who is 39) was old enough chronologically to be the mother of a 15-year-old," Curtis said. "So this just needed a time to cook."
Curtis realized Lohan had finally aged into the role during the release of "Halloween Ends" in 2022. "I counted on my fingers, and I was like, 'How old is she?'" Curtis said. "I think she was 35 at the time. I was like: 'Oh, wait a minute! She could've had a baby at 20!' "
"I picked up the phone and called (Disney CEO) Bob Iger and said, 'I'm just letting you know I've been around the world and the only thing people want to know is when is there a "Freaky Friday" (sequel) and Lindsay is old enough to have a 15-year-old,'" Curtis revealed.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman
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