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Freakier Friday – Review
Freakier Friday – Budget of $42 million – 1 hour and 51 minutes
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Talent manager Anna bangs on her daughter’s door before school. She doesn’t enter to maintain her daughter’s privacy. However, Harper won’t open the door. Anna’s mother, Tess, calls to offer Harper a ride to school. She considers herself a co-grandparent for Anna. She supported Anna’s choice to be a single mother. And now offers assistance constantly. Anna wants to give Harper a ride and tells Tess to relax. Therapist Tess hangs up, finishes her podcast, and kisses her husband, Ryan, goodbye. Finally, Anna opens the door and finds Harper’s note. Harper started her morning with surfing. Anna walks to the front porch and sees Tess in the driveway. Harper bikes up the pathway and says she’s ready for school.
In the car, Harper groans about her chemistry partner, Lily. Lily reminds everyone that she’s British and brags about her French boyfriend. Harper thinks Lily is obnoxious. Tess and Anna advise Harper to keep an open mind before dropping Harper off at school. That treaty is non-existent. Lily and Harper argue during chemistry class, causing a foam explosion. The principal calls Anna and Lily’s dad, Chef Eric, into school. They run into each other in the halls and fall in love. Six months later, they are engaged and considering a move to London. Lily can’t wait to leave, but Harper begs to stay.
Lily and Harper disagree during a school bake sale, triggering a school-wide food fight. The tension in the home is rising between Harper and Lily. Also, Anna and Tess have issues. Tess privately agreed to let Harper live with her if Anna relocates to London after the wedding. Anna believes her mother is undermining her authority. Anna refuses to relent. She tells them that they will attend her bachelorette party and get along.
At the bachelorette party, a multi-hyphenate psychic, Madame Jen, offers to give Anna and Tess a reading. She can see that they have walked a mile in each other’s shoes. Jen’s insights freak them out, so they leave. Lily and Harper argue in the corner, and Madame Jen interrupts them. She can see the discord between them and offers guidance. Madame Jen tells them, ‘Change the hearts you know are wrong, so that you may find where you belong.’ Harper thinks she belongs in LA and Lily London. The four feel an earthquake. Tess and Anna try to ignore it.
Harper, Tess, Lily, and Anna return to Tess’s home. They make Lily and Harper sleep in the living room to force them to be friendly. They sleep through the night. When Harper wakes up, her face and hands feel dry. She looks in the mirror and sees Anna’s face staring at her. She screams. Tess hears her daughter’s yell and wakes on the couch. She notices her bones feel better. She’s in Lily’s body. Tess and Lily switched, like Anna and Harper. Anna and Tess inform Harper and Lily about their past. Lily rages. She never wanted to be a part of the family; now she has their curse. Tess and Anna try connecting again, but it doesn’t work. They ask Harper and Lily if Madame June said anything to break the curse. They lie and say no. Lily and Harper will use the swap to break up their parents’ wedding. A wedding that happens in a few days. Will they succeed and figure out a way to swap back?
Sound the alarm! This sequel respects the original while being a multigenerational, heartfelt, funny film (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). Tess and Anna aren’t perfect after their swap. They still have issues, but respect each other’s boundaries. Like the first movie, the script features a wedding on the line, with a new husband, but changes by adding a relocation and Lily’s deceased mother. For the die-hard fans, everyone returns. The Pink Slips, Harry, and Mama P make a satisfying comeback for the fans. The writers hide easter eggs with the soundtrack, decor, jokes, and food. Fans should keep their eyes open for Braveheart, Dirty Dancing, and Chumbawamba easter eggs. Freakier Friday is a comedy with great timing and physicality. It celebrates complicated family dynamics without muting anyone’s perspectives or feelings. You will leave this movie as you did the first, feeling seen and seeing. This film is a sequel that’s worth seeing in theaters and is worth the wait. It’s up to you to decide which is better.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
What? It’s lip plumper – Lily
Prepare to be triggered – Anna
Because we’re not 15 anymore – Maddie
I’m still cool – Peg
Please drive away like you don’t know me – Harper
4 hours for cookies? – Eric
I was a teenager too, twice – Tess
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Caught Stealing – Review
Caught Stealing – Budget of $40 million – 1 hour and 47 minutes
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Bartender Hank closes the bar and meets his lady friend, Yvonne. They make out in his hallway when a neighbor, Mrs. Kitty, asks them to get a room. Hank runs into his neighbor, Russ. Russ learned that his father had a stroke, and now he has to fly to London to be at his bedside. He asks Hank to care for his cat, Buddy. Hank wants to say no, but Yvonne encourages him to say yes. Later, Yvonne gathers the litter box and brings it into Hank’s bathroom. They spend the night together.
After closing the bar, Hank comes home to see two men, Aleksei and Pavel, knocking on Russ’s door. They ask Hank for Russ’s location, but he refuses to give it to them. So, they beat him. Hank wakes with Yvonne at his side. They ruptured his kidney, so a doctor had to remove it. Hank doesn’t want a large hospital bill, so he removes his IVs and demands to leave. Paramedic Yvonne warns Hank that he can’t drink again. Curious, Hank enters Russ’s apartment to search it. He escapes when the mobsters return. Hank sneaks out the window, uses the fire escape to enter his apartment, and watches the men from his peephole. Hank calls the police.
Detective Elise Roman interviews Hank about the intruders. She informs Hank that Russ is a drug dealer, working for some hardcore criminals. Elise says the Russians are dangerous, but Hasidic gangsters, Lipa and Shmully, are monsters. She gives him a number in case Hank sees the mobster and gangsters again. Also, Elise wants to know if he remembers anything else. Hank takes the information, and Elise leaves. Hank enters his bathroom and notices something strange in the litter box. One poop is fake and hides a key. Hank calls Roman but fears for his safety when he sees Lipa and Shmully at Russ’s door through the peephole. Hank runs to his job with the key in hand. His boss, Paul, convinces Hank to drink. Hank gets drunk and returns home. He pukes on the exterior door, takes off his clothes, and enters his apartment.
Inside, Aleksei and Pavel are waiting for him with mobster Colorado. They want the key and torture Hank for it. Hank tells them it’s in the litter box, but it’s missing. Hank remembers he took it to the bar. They demand that he obtain the key and not call the cops. If Hank doesn’t find the key, they vow to kill him and everyone he loves.
Based on Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston, this film is action-packed and surprisingly witty (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). However, it’s not mindless killing. The storytelling is interconnected and intelligent. Every object, character, and monologue has a deeper meaning and merges into the conclusion. The director didn’t choose fancy angles to narrate the story. Instead, they used New York and baseball as the backdrop. The natural light and languages make the tale feel authentic. The audience must remember this is 1998, so ring cameras and other modern technology weren’t available. Although you briefly meet the characters, you feel like you know them. This familiarity is a mark of a well-written script. This film is for you if you enjoy crime comedies with an enigma.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
You never know what will pop loose – Elise
We’re here to talk to the guy – Colorado
That’s not good – Hank
Do it after – Yvonne
Is that why they kicked you out of Hollywood – Russ
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Categories: Austin Butler, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Carol Kane, Caught Stealing, Freakier Friday, Griffin Dunne, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julia Butters, liev schreiber, Lindsay Lohan, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Matt Smith, movie, Must Buy, Regina King, review, Sophia Hammons, Vincent D'Onofrio, zoe kravitz
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