FREAKY FRIDAY

Here's the short version: this is a genuinely enjoyable comedy, carried by two performances that are clearly having fun, and it lands on a message Scripture would approve of — a curse broken not by magic but by selfless love. That's worth something.

Here's the catch: the mechanism that gets a mother and daughter into each other's bodies is a magic fortune cookie, and the whole premise leans on the idea that a soul can switch bodies, which Christian theology doesn't support. There's also some light language throughout, and one scene where a character advises people to simply "let go" of their feelings — a philosophy that sounds nice but could cause real harm if taken seriously.

None of it is heavy-handed, and the redemptive ending does real work to balance the occult gimmick. For families with older kids who can talk through the fantasy premise, this is worth the trip.

Fifteen-year-old Anna and her mother, Tess, a psychologist about to remarry, are not getting along. Anna wants her mother to support her band; Tess is drowning in wedding plans and a new book. Their tension boils over at a family dinner the night before Tess's rehearsal dinner, when a stranger at a Chinese restaurant hands them two odd fortune cookies. The next morning, mother and daughter wake up in each other's bodies — with a wedding, a detention, and a band audition all colliding by Saturday.

Three stars means this comedy earns its laughs mostly on the strength of its cast. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan both seem to relish the swap, especially once the mother is stuck navigating teenage life in her daughter's body, and their spirited performances are the main reason the movie works as well as it does. The two original songs are a pleasant surprise — catchy, well-sung, better than most movies in this genre manage — and both actresses get a couple of nicely done guitar-solo moments. The film doesn't always land every joke, but it moves with enough energy and warmth to entertain most audiences who aren't already tired of the concept.

The premise itself rests on shaky theological ground: a soul switching bodies is a notion Christian theology simply doesn't allow, and the mechanism here is explicitly occult — a cursed fortune cookie handed over by a mysterious stranger. That's a real concern, and it's why this review carries a caution rather than a clean bill.

But the film doesn't stop at the curse. The only way Tess and Anna break it is through an act of selfless love — not a spell, not a trick, but genuine sacrifice for each other. The script backs that up with several touching, morally serious scenes between mother, daughter, Tess's fiancé, and Anna's brother. There's also a smaller worldview wrinkle worth naming: one character advises people to simply let go of their feelings, a romantic philosophy that sounds freeing but, followed in real life, can lead people away from responsibility rather than toward it.

Underneath the fantasy gimmick, the film stumbles onto something true: we understand each other best when we're forced to walk in each other's shoes. Scripture asks for that same posture, minus the magic cookie — "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).

Freaky Friday is a warm, well-acted comedy with a genuinely redemptive ending — and an occult premise and some light language that parents of older kids should know about going in. Talk through the fantasy elements with your family, and you've got a fun watch. Our verdict stands: worth the trip — older children and up.