Latest news with #bodySwap
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan Reprise Iconic Mother-Daughter Characters in ‘Freakier Friday'
Fast-forward 22 years from the last time Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) traded bodies with her then-teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan, who looks back in top form) in Freaky Friday. Now all grown up, Anna is a bride-to-be with a daughter of her own, Harper (Julia Butters), and an about-to-be stepdaughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons). Then, oops, it happens again, but this time it's a four-way swap — Anna switches with Harper and Tess finds herself in the teenage body of Lily, who's horrified to find she's now a grandmother. Tess decides the only way to reverse the spell is for Harper (in Anna's body) to go back and meet Anna's first love Jake (the still-dreamy Chad Michael Murray). As expected, things go hilariously wrong. Freakier Friday is fun for the whole family, whether you're seeing it out of nostalgia for the 2003 original or are new to the palpable comedic chemistry of Curtis and Lohan. | In theaters Friday, Aug. 8 PG Solve the daily Crossword
National Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Freakier Friday's Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan on reuniting for sequel
It's time to get freaky all over again! Decades after they first swapped lives in a fun adventure, the cast of Freaky Friday is back after two decades for more laughs and love in Freakier Friday, which is in theaters Friday. The reunion is more than just a trip down memory lane; it's a hilarious peek into what happens when a beloved cast grows up, becomes parents and gets ready to tackle the chaotic fun of a sequel, which Jamie Lee Curtis now calls 'frequel,' demanding the Disney marketing rep get a raise. Article content Article content Article content From Curtis's infectious 'weirdo' energy to Lindsay Lohan's new-mom perspective, the stars of this long-awaited film are dishing on everything from perfecting each other's mannerisms to the on-set pranks that prove some things — like a good laugh — never change. Article content Article content The film picks up decades after Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna's (Lindsay Lohan) initial body-swapping adventure. Anna is now a single mom preparing for her wedding to a new man (Manny Jaincto), and Tess is a supportive grandmother. When their families clash, a mysterious four-way body swap occurs. Anna ends up in her rebellious daughter Harper's (Julia Butters) body, while Harper is in Anna's body. Tess finds herself in her soon-to-be step-granddaughter Lily's (Sophia Hammons) body and Lily is in Tess's. This forces them all to literally walk in each other's shoes, while they race to reverse the spell before Anna's wedding. Article content Article content Article content We sat down with Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Chad Michael Murray, Manny Jacinto, Vanessa Bayer and Nisha Ganatra in Los Angeles, where the sequel was filmed, to discuss why the original movie's magic has endured and what it means to return to a story that has touched so many. Article content The conversation dives deep into the evolution of their characters — like how Tess has become a more supportive mom and how Anna has matured into a mother herself — and the challenges of playing a body-swapped version of a person they know so well. The cast opens up about the playful atmosphere on set, revealing how ad-libbing and physical comedy were essential to bringing the new film to life and proving that the genuine camaraderie between them is just as strong as ever. Article content Vancouver-born director Nisha Ganatra describes Curtis as a brilliant physical comedian. 'She surprised me the most when she jumped full on to the hood of a car and slid down and did that maybe five times in a row. Just her sheer joy and energy — Jamie is somebody who always has advice on how to do things that you are dying to hear. She is just a fountain of wisdom. She is a joyful person and she leads with her heart,' said Ganatra.
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Freakier Friday' Barely Scrapes By on Its Nostalgic Charms
Freaky Friday is back after over two decades since we last saw Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan swap bodies thanks to a suitably freaky family curse. However, Disney's new follow-up, in theaters this week, leaning heavily on the charms of a stellar ensemble, is a sequel constantly threatening to fall apart under the weight of uneven execution. In Freaky Friday, it was just mother Tess Coleman (Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lohan) who swapped bodies, a kooky way for mother and child to better understand each other and come to terms with their respective journeys in life. In Freakier, directed by Nisha Ganatra, Ana is now all grown up herself with a teen daughter (Harper, played by Julia Butters) and ready to marry the father of said daughter's high school nemesis (Eric and Lily, played by Manny Jacinto and Sophia Hammons, respectively). While Tess attempts to help glue the new family dynamic together, there are plenty of interesting cracks forming among all the different relationships among them as they prepare to adapt to this new normal. Which is where, of course, the Coleman family curse triggers, hitting Anna, Tess, Harper, and Lily. With more body swaps this time around, things get convoluted quickly. Lohan is now playing Harper in Anna's Body, while Curtis plays step-sister Lily, and the duo seamlessly falls back in step with one another as they did 22 years ago. They really shine through some of the film's silliest hijinks, even if the setup to those slapstick moments feels nonsensical, even for a comedy. When Lohan and Curtis get to play, however, they give some much-needed depth and heart to the core of the film. Lohan likewise gets to lean into her romantic comedy sensibilities opposite Jacinto, and they make for a sizzling pairing, both in the comedic moments and in the more touching family relationship drama—it's just a shame that there isn't enough of them together in the film to mine that chemistry for all its worth. It takes Freakier far too long to really let us get to know the newcomers in Eric and Lily, their arrival undercut by needlessly overcomplicating Anna's backstory, covering the time between the two films with former high school drama. And that's kind of Freakier's big problem: it feels overstuffed in a lot of ways. Many gags go on for just a bit too long, even before the film digs into body-switching shenanigans, and a lot of the comedy, especially between the two teens, feels more like adults trying to write Gen Z kids rather than feeling particularly contemporary. Butters and Hammons are definitely underserved, having to play Tess and Anna in their teen bodies compared to the other half of the body-swapping drama—Freakier just wastes them until the final act, but it comes too suddenly and too late in the game to have any impact. That overstuffing definitely hits hardest in Anna's arc in the film, having to balance solo-parenting her daughter with her career managing an upcoming music artist, Ella (the scene-stealing Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). There's just too much going on that the film never does justice to, especially when it comes to why Anna left behind her own musical career with Pinkslip. For a comedy that also happens to run nearly two hours long, Freakier feels like it has too many characters in the mix, leaving so many of them (and the film's gags) getting short-changed trying to balance it all. What is most frustrating is that Freakier's smart updates to the body-swapping 'lore,' combined with the ensemble cast's chemistry selling it all in the first place, really work, only for the film itself to buckle under stereotypical constraints of the comedy genre. It's a movie that feels like someone kept interfering to add more jokes, throwing off the vibe of the film (alongside some questionable soundtrack choices, including not one, but two Chappell Roan needle drops that really just make it feel like someone realized she was having her moment last year, and was needed to make the film feel contemporary). The sheer force of Lohan and Curtis' dynamic getting to return to these characters brings some appeal to Freakier Friday (as do Manny Jacinto's charms and arms), but it's only barely enough to make up for the film's messy, overstuffed feeling, making this long-awaited return more of a Forgettable Friday than a particularly Freaky one. Freakier Friday hits theaters August 8. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Arab News
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘Freakier Friday': Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis talk ‘more mature' sequel
DUBAI: More than 20 years after their beloved body-swap comedy 'Freaky Friday' first hit the cinemas, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back — and this time, they are switching roles with the next generation. In 'Freakier Friday,' the highly anticipated sequel, the duo returns as mother and daughter, but with a new twist: A four-way body swap involving two younger characters, played by Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons. Lindsay Lohan — a resident of the UAE for the last decade — returns as Anna Coleman in the film. (AFP) When asked what it takes to convincingly pull off a body swap, the actors both agree — it is all about the details. 'Mannerisms, the physicality, is a big part of it,' Curtis explained in an interview with Arab News. 'You have to mirror each other. It's not like you're doing the mirror exercise, but in a way, you are.' Lohan — a resident of the UAE for the last decade — picked up on subtle changes too, saying: 'Harper (Coleman) was slouching more, and she had a slower way of responding to things. She would kind of be more to herself and in her head. Anna would stay up straight more. Those were two of the things I would do.' But no matter how much prep you do, Curtis says, the real test comes on set. She said: 'You can work with the director and vocal coaches and all the rest of it, until that director says action — and the four of you have swapped, and you're looking in the mirror — you just can't know if it's going to work. And I will tell you, when we shot the scene in the mirror, which is why it's in the end credits, we knew it was working. The crew knew, the director knew, the producers knew, the studio knew — and then we relaxed.' Both Lohan and Curtis also took on the role of executive producers for the film, a first for Lohan and a return to producing for Curtis. Stepping behind the scenes gave them more creative control and a deeper sense of ownership over the story. 'It feels so nice,' Lohan said. 'Especially because women in Hollywood have come such a long way … it feels so encouraging to be executive producing with someone like Jamie and having more of a say in how things go in the movie. Just seeing it from the ground up feels so, what's the word I'm looking for? Empowering.' Fans of the original film will be thrilled by the return of Pink Slip, the fictional band fronted by Lohan's character Anna. For Lohan, slipping back into Anna's combat boots was as nostalgic as it was exhilarating. 'It was really fun,' she said. 'I haven't really been singing that much, and I haven't been playing guitar in my daily life as much. So, it was nice to relearn guitar again and brush up on that and then sing and just be there, back with the band. We had so much fun. It was a really, really good time.' While 'Freakier Friday' is packed with physical comedy and music, both actors agree the film's heart lies in its message of empathy. 'There's a beautiful message in it,' Lohan said. 'Walk a mile in my shoes. Get to know me before you assume things about me. Really know who I am first. And I think that's a message we should all take with us every day, everywhere in the world — especially now.' Curtis is in agreement. 'It's basically everything she just said. The first movie was funny and moving; this one is funnier, more moving … and therefore, it's freakier. But the same themes are there: compassion, understanding, conflict, conflict resolution, physical comedy. It just feels richer, fuller, more mature.'
The Sun
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Russia hands its own dead soldiers to Ukraine in sick move during body swap as Vlad's best pal frees prisoners for Trump
RUSSIA handed over 20 bodies it claimed were Ukrainian defenders - but they were actually its own dead troops, says Zelensky. It comes as Russian ally Belarus freed its top jailed opposition leader and other political prisoners - after Trump's envoy met the ex-Soviet state's iron-fisted leader. 7 7 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed Russia's grim body-swap blunder on Saturday, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. He said: "They (Russia) told us these were only Ukrainians and only service members. "But that's a lie, now documented. In some cases, these bodies even have Russian passports on them. "They can't even check who they're sending. We certainly want all of our warriors and the bodies of our heroes back. "But we definitely do not want Russians being handed over simply for the sake of quantity." Russia and Ukraine exchanged at least 1,200 prisoners of war over a week ago after the second round of direct talks in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a prominent Belarusian opposition leader, was freed from jail along with 13 other political prisoners on Saturday. His release came after US special envoy Keith Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the country's capital, Minsk. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya - Tikhanovsky's wife and also a Belarusian opposition politician - publicly thanked Donald Trump, Kellogg and "all European allies" for securing her husband's release. Lukashenko's press secretary said the prisoners were freed at Trump's request. Vladimir Putin rages 'all of Ukraine is ours' as he threatens to seize key city while Kyiv slams tyrant as 'deranged' Tikhanovskaya wrote on X: "My husband … is free! It's hard to describe the joy in my heart." She added: "We're not done. 1150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released." Five Belarusian nationals, along with Japanese, Polish and Swedish citizens, were also released, according to Tikhanovskaya's office. The Lithuanian foreign minister said on X that the 14 political prisoners were receiving care in Lithuania. Tikhanovsky was jailed for 18 years in 2021. 7 7 7 His wife ran in his place and claimed victory - but fled into exile with their kids the day after. Many Belarusians believe the 2020 election was rigged by Lukashenko's regime to keep him in power - a position he's held since 1994. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have fled their homeland since the brutal crackdown on opposition protests in 2020. Belarus has faced heavy Western sanctions for its brutal crackdown and backing Russia's war - including allowing Russian troops to use its land and hosting tactical nukes. Tens of thousands have been arrested in Belarus for political reasons over the past five years, says rights group Viasna. It comes as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko signed a security agreement in December, finalising the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear arms in Belarus. The signing followed an amendment in Russia's nuclear doctrine, which for the first time placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella. It effectively gives Lukashenko control over the potential use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus in response to aggression. Putin said in a televised remark: "I'm sure that the treaty will ensure the security of Russia and Belarus." After the two leaders signed the pact, Lukashenko asked Putin to deploy the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that Russia used for the first time last month against Ukraine. 7
