Double swapped is more entertaining? - "Freakier Friday" is the sequel to the magical comedy hit

Mary Rodgers' fantasy novel "Freaky Friday," published in 1972, caught Hollywood's attention early on. Just four years later, a film adaptation of the story, "One Very Freaky Friday," followed. The novelist herself wrote the screenplay, and the then 13-year-old Jodie Foster played one of the leading roles.

The 2003 body-swap comedy "Freaky Friday," starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as the mother-daughter duo, was not the first film adaptation of Rodgers' book. Now, the two actresses are reunited in their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman. In the intervening 22 years, they have moved up a generational ladder. Anna is now the mother of a 15-year-old daughter herself—making Tess a grandmother.

As such, the psychotherapist, who is about to publish a book, spends more time with her granddaughter Harper (Julia Butters) than single mother Anna would like. But that's not the only thing causing strain in Anna and Harper's relationship. The teenager is threatened with a move from Los Angeles to London because her mother wants to marry British restaurant owner Eric (Manny Jacinto).

He's drawn back home because his snobby daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), with whom Harper had already clashed at school, is suffering from severe homesickness. The only thing the mischievous stepsisters-to-be agree on is that they want to stop the wedding.

Then, after a visit to a psychic fortune teller, a spell causes Harper to switch bodies with her mother, Anna, and Lily with Tess. This not only has chaotic consequences, but also offers the two teenagers in adult bodies new opportunities to sabotage the wedding.

The title of the sequel promises to be crazier than its predecessor. At least it ups the ante when it comes to body swapping. This time, four people are literally put in someone else's shoes. As in "Freaky Friday," this doesn't just have comical and awkward consequences. The change of perspective also contributes to mutual understanding—which is, after all, the magic's purpose.

Is double-twisters more entertaining? All four actresses manage the transition between teen and adult souls well, with Jamie Lee Curtis in particular once again being up for any gag.

Overall, however, "Freakier Friday" hits the heart a little more precisely than the diaphragm. When the finale celebrates the (patchwork) family happiness with pop-music oomph thanks to the singer Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), managed by Anna, it's truly incredibly captivating.

“Freakier Friday”, directed by Nisha Ganatra, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, 111 minutes, FSK 0