Spoilers for Freakier Friday are ahead!
Freakier Friday has finally made its debut on the 2025 movie schedule, and as someone who recently rewatched Freaky Fridayfor the first time in a long time, I couldn’t wait to watch. It didn’t disappoint either. As our Freakier Friday review states, it’s the best time. Plus, it’s full of fun callbacks to the original that are irresistible. However, while I adored those moments, there were two callbacks related to two other Lindsay Lohan films that I loved even more.
The Girls Screaming Into The Mirror And Running Into Each Other
When I think about Freaky Friday, I picture Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis screaming while looking in the mirror after they realize they’ve switched bodies. So, I loved that they did that again in Freakier Friday. However, I was also a fan of how they put a new spin on it. Instead of Anna in Tess’s body yelling, “Oh, I’m like the crypt keeper!” Lily in Tess’s body yells about feeling like she’s “bloody decomposing.”
Along with that callback, Harper and Lily also try to run into each other’s bodies, much like Anna and Tess did the first time. And it’s cute too, because Anna and Tess are quick to tell the teens that that didn’t work the first time.
The Original Women Who Caused Freaky Friday’s Switch Showed Up
As I’m sure you remember, in Freaky Friday, the body swap is initiated by Pei-Pei (Rosalind Chao) and Pei-Pei’s mom (Lucille Soong) while Anna, Tess, Ryan and Harry are out for dinner.
In Freakier Friday, the switch happens after Anna, Tess, Harper and Lily all interact with Vanessa Bayer’s Madame Jen. So, Pei-Pei and her mom don’t have anything to do with it this time. However, they are present when it happens, because they’re guests at the party where this whole thing went down.
So, hilariously, when Anna and Tess realize what might happen, they immediately try to blame the women who caused it the first time. However, this time around, they truly had absolutely no involvement in the shenanigans.
The Use Of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ In The Record Store
Arguably, one of the funniest scenes in Freaky Friday is when Chad Michael Murray’s Jake sings “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears at the top of his lungs outside Anna and Tess’s house. He sings it incredibly off-key and makes quite a fool of himself. It’s hilarious.
Then, in Freakier Friday, when Harper (who’s in Anna’s body) and Lily (who’s in Tess’s body) go to woo Jake at his record store, the scene is scored by the same Britney Spears song. However, instead of Jake making a fool of himself, the roles are reversed as Harper attempts (and fails) to flirt with him as Anna in an effort to break up her mom and Eric.
Anna’s Little Brother Showed Up To Give A Toast
As an older sister with a younger brother, I always got a kick out of Anna’s relationship with her younger bro, Harry, in Freaky Friday. So, I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled when Ryan Malgarini showed up in the sequel all grown up.
While he wasn’t a major part of the movie, he did show up for some of his sister’s wedding festivities and gave a toast. So, it was a nice little nod to the siblings’ relationship in the first movie.
Two Of Pink Slip’s Classic Songs Were Prominently Featured
Obviously, this wouldn’t be Freaky Friday without some Pink Slip. While I’m glad they played a new, emotional song, I’m even happier they brought back some of the classics from the original.
During the final concert, Anna and co. played “Take Me Away” and absolutely rocked the house. Then, during the credits, the track “Ultimate,” which is also played at Tess’s wedding during the credits of Freaky Friday, was featured.
I was dancing in my seat at the theater when both these throwbacks played; I couldn’t help it.
October 3rd Is Not Only Anna’s Wedding Day, But Mean Girls Day
Did you clock the wedding date for Anna and Eric? I certainly did. It was hard not to, as a huge fan of one of the best movies of the 2000s, Mean Girls. That’s right, Lindsay Lohan’s character got married in Freakier Friday on the same day that Aaron Samuels asked her character Cady what day it was in the 2004 comedy. Talk about serendipity.
And it really was that, too. During an interview with Perri Nemiroff, Lohan admitted that the date was a total coincidence, explaining:
I genuinely don’t think anyone realized it until it was printed on the cards the day of, in the kitchen scene, because it was one of the first days of shooting. And I was like, ‘Does anyone realize this is October 3rd? That’s Mean Girls day.’
She went on to say that “no one did anything about it,” so she just accepted it as an Easter egg. The film’s director, Nisha Ganatra, apparently didn’t want to do Easter eggs when she learned about this; however, at that point, this one was unavoidable.
So, not only is October 3rd Cady’s favorite day, it’s now probably one of Anna’s favorite days too, which I love for Lindsay Lohan, who plays both of them.
Elaine Hendrix, AKA Meredith Blake From The Parent Trap, Made A Cameo
While there are plenty of cameos from Freaky Friday that we’ve already discussed, my favorite one actually involved a member of The Parent Trap cast.
Yep, Elaine Hendrix, who played the almost-evil stepmother Meredith Blake in The Parent Trap, showed up in Freakier Friday. She played Blake Kale in the movie, a woman who worked for the magazine that Anna’s client, Ella, was doing a photoshoot for.
However, that’s not where The Parent Trap fun ends. At the premiere for the movie, Hendrix brought along Lisa Ann Walter, who played Chessy in the comedy. They took a photo with Lohan, too.
So, all around, both on and off screen, there was an iconic Parent Trap reunion happening thanks to Freakier Friday.
Well, as you can see, Freakier Friday is full of callbacks to both the original 2003 film and some of Lindsay Lohan’s other fantastic flicks, which makes it all the more fun. However, it’s also such a fresh take on this classic tale, making for a great time at the movies.
To see it for yourself, you can catch Freakier Friday in theaters right now, and to draw all the parallels, you can stream Freaky Friday with a Disney+ subscription.
