Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Vanessa Bayer, Stephen Tobolowsky, Maitreyi Ramakrkrishnnan, Christina Vidal, Haley Hudson, June Diane Raphael

Written By: Jordan Weiss, Elyse Hollander, based on characters created by Leslie Dixon and Heather Hach, and a book by Mary Roger’s

Directed By: Nisha Ganatra

Original Score By: Amy Daugherty

Studio: Disney

Release Year: 2025

*Note: Special shoutout to Regal, without whom I would not have been able to view this film without audio description. Your consistency for broken audio description equipment is unmatched. If Disney would like me to review this film with audio description, they can send it to me. the good folk at Waterford Lakes are great at giving me passes, but lack the training to make the equipment work. Maybe talk to AMC? get some tips?*

What Is it? A legacy sequel to the 2003 fan favorite that sees everyone in a new generation, as Anna (Lohan) is now a mother, and in the position of getting married to a really nice guy, Eric (Jacinto), which would merge their families. However, their daughters, Harper (Butters) and Lily (Hammons) hate each other. Plus, there’s the possibility of moving or not moving. Lily wants to return to the UK, but Harper can’t leave Southern California. Naturally all this fighting triggers another body swap curse, this time given by a palm reader, and roping in Grams (Curtis). So, Harper and Anna swap, while Lily swaps with her soon to be Grandma-In-Law. The girls are hellbent on stopping the wedding, while the more experienced are trying to reverse the curse.

What Works: Jamie Lee Curtis is right. people like this film. The funny thing is, as one critic snarkily pointed out “who asked for this?”, my answer is that I did. When the possibility of Lindsay Lohan making movies again was a reality, I figured the best way to get her back on the big screen was a sequel to one of her three big hits. The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, or mean Girls. one got a musical, and she did technically appear. then, I got what I wanted. And, we got the best case scenario too. People forget that this could have been buried on Disney Plus like Hocus Pocus 2 or Disenchanted. No. Disney went and planned a theatrical sequel, pulling out all the stops. it shows.

they brought back as many cast members as they could, and put this film mostly on the shoulders of the original two stars. Curtis and Lohan are a terrific comedy duo, and still play well off each other. Curtis in particular is such a star, once again playing up her age like she’s near death. The kind of reaction a 9th grader would have waking up in her body.She has a lot of physical comedy she goes for, and has this vibrance like she’s never wanted to do any film more than this one.

the new girls are fine. Really most of the new cast is solid, though Lohan’s given a talent she manages that takes up way too much screentime. It is not as good as the original, but it is a perfectly fine follow-up. I would and will watch this again.

What Doesn’t Work: Chad Michael Murray just seems unnecessarily lost. And I do mean unnecessary, because he and Anna broke up a long time ago. He’s not even Harper’s father. They never mention her father. We don’t know if he’s dead, alive, sperm donor, one night stand, or something else. They just don’t have the time. they also pretend like Harry, Anna’s brother, doesn’t exist. His cameo must have required audio description, because I missed it. Plus, Tess’s whole thing is that her husband (Harmon) thinks if her family moves to the UK she’ll be all alone. Except for that other kid she has?

I would say, in general, the balance is off. They can’t quite figure out how to perfectly fit everything in the same way. It is very much a legacy sequel, packed with as many returning actors as possible, but they have a hard time figuring out how much screentime everyone gets.

Other than Murray seeming lost, which was easily solvable, there isn’t a bad performance. It’s just time management. there’s so much about this that does work. It’s a little like assembling a puzzle to find out that the box you bought is actually missing a few pieces. So, you spent all that time, and got so close to nailing it just right, but fell a little short.

Added Note: since I normally talk about audio description here, but can’t, because my theater did not have working equipment, I do want to mention, in case you don’t know, there are a few locations used in this film, which was shot on location in Los Angeles, that no longer exist because they were lost to the wildfires. The court that Curtis and Harmon play Pickleball at, for example. It’s a reminder of what was.

Why you Might Like it: You aren’t a critic for time magazine, and like me, you actually wanted this to happen. Either that, or you’ve been noticing that Jamie Lee Curtis has been doing some of the best work of her career the last five or six years, with roles in Knives Out, Everything Everywhere All At once, and The Last Showgirl.

Why you Might Not Like It: you are a critic for Time magazine, or you’re someone who thinks the world doesn’t need legacy sequels. It’s a fair point. Not every legacy sequel works.

Final thoughts: While it doesn’t match or surpass the original, I’m not sure how many actually expected it to. Most were just hoping for a solid continuation and reuniting of fan favorite characters and their actresses. This is charming and sweet enough to be a legacy sequel worth keeping around.

fresh: Final Grade: 8.1/10