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)

Is ‘Sacramento’ a Treat?

April 18, 2025

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The Sacramento boys (CREDIT: Vertical)

Starring: Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Maya Erskine, Kristen Stewart, AJ Mendez, Iman Karram, Rosalind Chao

Director: Michael Angarano

Running Time: 84 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: April 11, 2025 (Theaters)

Whenever I think about the capital of California, my mind inevitably goes to that episode of Full House when Joey is a substitute teacher for Michelle’s class, and during a geography lesson, he says, “starts with Sac and ends with ramento.” So now you know where my head was at while I was watching a movie called Sacramento directed by Michael Angarano and also starring Angarano and other people now in their 30s who have been entertaining us since they were kids.

So now the question of course is: would I ever like to visit Sacramento? It’s an especially pressing matter, considering that the hook of this movie is that Angarano plays a guy who tricks an old friend (Michael Cera) into a road trip to Sac-Town. He says he’s going there to spread his dad’s ashes, but really he’s working up the courage to visit an old hookup (played by Angarano’s real-life wife Maya Erskine) for the first time since she gave birth to their kid. As far as I can tell from the evidence provided, there’s nothing particularly flashy about the titular city, especially compared to its in-state competition. But it does appear to provide decent space for chillaxing and coming to grips with your hangups, so this was a worthwhile trip in that regard.

Grade: 3 Babies out of 5 Daddies

‘Together Together’ Review Review

May 4, 2021

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Together Together (CREDIT: Bleecker Street/YouTube Screenshot)

Starring: Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Julio Torres, Rosalind Chao, Tig Notaro, Sufe Bradshaw, Fred Melamed, Nora Dunn, Anna Konkle, Evan Jonigkeit, Jo Firestone

Director: Nikole Beckwith

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: April 23, 2021

Now that I’ve seen Together Together, I’ve got to wonder, can I now call it “Together Together … Together“? Do Ed Helms and Patti Harrison have room for a third. And would that third be anybody (and everybody) in the audience to see their little film? That might sound like an awkward arrangement, but it surely fits with the vibe of a fortysomething single dad-to-be forging a tight platonic bond with his twentysomething surrogate. But anyway, what I’d really like to focus on is Anna Konkle, who shows up for one scene as a New Age-y birthing coach. Excuse me while I fan myself. Also, Nora Dunn and Fred Melamed are on duty as Ed Helms’ parents, which is significant because I’ve also seen both of them in other parental roles recently (Dunn on the new ABC sitcom Home Economics and Melamed in the sensational Shiva Baby).

Grade: Julio-Torres-as-One-Man-Greek-Chorus Energy