A Wedding-Focused Reaction to ‘Freakier Friday’

August 9, 2025

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A Lineup of Freaks (CREDIT: Disney/YouTube Screenshot)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Maiteryi Ramakrishnan, Vanessa Bayer, Jordan E. Cooper, Stephen Tobolowsky, Elaine Hendrix, Chloe Fineman, Rosalind Chao, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Running Time: 111 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: August 8, 2025 (Theaters)

I love weddings. And if 2003’s Freaky Friday and its sequel Freakier Friday have taught me anything, it’s that body swaps tend to happen in the leadup to a wedding. So do I have a little switcheroo to look forward to in my own matrimonial future? Perhaps. Does a new stepparent situation need to also be part of the mix? That’s what these movies seem to imply, but there are surely other valuable lessons that could be learned from changing perspectives like this. Anyway, body swapping right before a wedding might sound fun, but the reality is that I’d probably be too busy with last-minute wedding prep for the experience to be fully satisfying. (Even if I were just a passive observer and not one of the swappers!) But I’m glad that Freakier Friday has shown us another way that it might go down. Jamie Lee Curtis is still having the time of her life!

Grade: More Frothy Than Freaky, as Per Usual (But That’s Okay)

Movie Review: ‘Late Night’ Brings Some Diverse Casting, But Not Diverse Storytelling Ideas, to the Workplace Comedy Genre

June 6, 2019

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CREDIT: Emily Aragones/Amazon Studios

Starring: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow Denis O’Hare, Reid Scott, Hugh Dancy, Max Casella, Amy Ryan, Paul Walter Hauser, John Early, Ike Barinholtz

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Running Time: 102 Minutes

Rating: R for Comedy Writers Talking as They Do

Release Date: June 7, 2019 (Limited)/Expands Nationwide June 14, 2019

Late Night stars Mindy Kaling (who also penned the script) as Molly Patel, the new hire at a talk show’s previously all-male, all-white writers’ room. But the real kicker isn’t so much the push for a diversity hire as much as it is Molly’s professional background, or lack thereof. She previously worked as an efficiency expert at a chemical plant and made it into her new gig through the most contrived of circumstances. I could complain about how unlikely Molly’s journey is, but I actually don’t care about the unlikelihood. The most improbable version of this story possible is perfectly fine so long as it is also some combination of funny, unique, and insightful. Alas, it is not really any of those things.

CREDIT: Emily Aragones/Amazon Studios

The setup isn’t the problem. In addition to the Molly angle, there’s also the matter of this show being hosted by a woman, the legendary (i.e., relic) Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson). Late Night tries to say something meaningful about how even a woman can reinforce the good ol’ boy status quo. But Katherine’s mistreatment of her staff transcends gender and race. And ultimately the social commentary amounts to little more than a red herring. This is mainly the story of the odd couple friendship that develops between Katherine and Molly, which is nice enough, but it struggles to be resonant within a rather scattered, shallow approach.

Late Night is Recommended If You Like: Watching old middle-of-the-road late night talk show clips

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Monologue Jokes