Freakier Friday fixed what the original got so wrong.

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In the era of remakes and unoriginal stories, there aren't many sequels that can get me genuinely excited. But Freakier Friday? Absolutely one of them.

And let me tell you, this sequel did not disappoint. 

The humour. The silliness. The costumes. The soundtrack. The NOSTALGIA. What a beautiful trip down memory lane that had me ugly-crying and cackling in the cinema like I was a teenager again.

In Freakier Friday, we catch up with Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) who is all grown up now and a mum herself, juggling a blended family when things take a seriously freaky turn once again.

Watch the trailer for Freakier Friday. Article continues after video.

And this time, the body swap doesn't just involve Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), but also Anna's daughter, Harper (Julie Butters), and her fiancé Eric's (Manny Jacinto) daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons).

A four-way body swap? What a concept. And I loved every single second of it.

But aside from all that glorious chaos in the film, there's one addition that absolutely made this movie for me. And that is Manny Jacinto. 

Yes, because he's an absolute heartthrob who deserves to be far more famous than he already is. But mostly because of what this moment means for the film industry as a whole.

Image: Getty

Here we have an Asian male lead who isn't stereotypical or defined by his race. Who is portrayed as an actual hunk. Who has scenes written specifically to showcase him as a romantic interest. Who you genuinely root for. Believe me, it's a big deal.

Let me remind you that this is the same man whose dialogue was completely cut from Top Gun: Maverick just three years ago — a decision that speaks volumes about how the industry still operates. I mean, even Jacinto himself has spoken openly about the lack of diverse storytelling in the industry.

"It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise," Jacinto told GQ in 2024.

"It's up to us — Asian Americans, people of colour — to be that. We can't wait for somebody else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to make them for ourselves."

Many of us already know and love Jacinto from The Good Place and other projects, but it's so refreshing to see him getting the level of respect he deserves in such a mainstream film with such a huge built-in audience now.

This is a leading man! It's about time Hollywood recognised that.

And while Jacinto slots in perfectly into this new film, there's a very distinct reason as to why they made this decision. Let's take it all the way back to 2003.

@mtvuk

Chad Michael Murray is the best hype man 🫶 #filmtok Watch the #FreakierFriday cast play So True Bestie on MTV UK's YouTube now 💜 The movie is out in UK cinemas today! #MannyJacinto #ChadMichaelMurray #Disney #freakyfriday #mtvmovies #SoTrueBestie

♬ original sound - mtvuk - mtvuk

Now, don't get me wrong — the original movie was iconic. One of my favourites that I still re-watch whenever I need a comfort film. But that doesn't mean it was without its flaws.

In fact, there were certain scenes that were problematic.

The depiction of Asian people in the first film was genuinely offensive. In the original, when Anna and Tess are constantly at odds, Chinese restaurant owner Pei-Pei (Rosalind Chao) and her mother (Lucille Soong) try to help by serving them a magic fortune cookie that swaps their souls.

The portrayal of these Chinese women — and their overall role as mystical and allusive — played right into the 'orientalism' that Hollywood was so guilty of during that era. "Othering" Asian cultures, seeing them as exotic or foreign. It contributed to the marginalisation of Asian people in a way that feels deeply uncomfortable watching back now.

This wasn't just about two characters in a Disney film — it was part of a broader pattern where Asian people were consistently portrayed as either mystical wise figures dispensing ancient wisdom, or as completely invisible altogether.

Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

There was rarely any middle ground where Asian characters got to be… well, just regular people with regular problems and regular romantic storylines. We were always relegated to living in the extremes. 

Thankfully, the director of Freakier Friday recognised this issue. 

"There were some stereotypes that were hurtful," director Nisha Ganatra told Entertainment Weekly. "I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation... It was something I brought up right away when I had my first meetings with the producers. I had a moment of the presentation that was like, 'problematic Asian representation!'" 

"It was a different time and wasn't done intentionally [in the 2003 film], but it's a real thing," Ganatra said. "It's something I, being Asian, was super conscious of [in making the sequel]." 

The filmmakers were incredibly aware of this going into the second film and felt they "owed audiences to make it right on this one," and you can feel it at the centre of this beautiful story about family.

Chao and Soong both reprise their roles in the sequel, but this time they have nothing to do with the magical body swap. Instead, they're just... normal people. Revolutionary, I know.

But the real correction comes in the form of meaningful Asian representation throughout the story. We get an Asian family woven into the narrative in a way that feels natural and authentic, not tokenistic.

And then there's Manny, of course, who gets to be the romantic lead without his Asian identity being the punchline or the plot device. He's just a gorgeous, charming man who happens to be Asian — and the film treats him exactly as he deserves to be treated.

Image: Getty

It feels like they genuinely set out to make it right. And you know what? It works beautifully.

Freakier Friday manages to honour the original while correcting its mistakes, giving us the nostalgia hit we crave alongside the representation we deserve. Plus, we get to watch Manny Jacinto do an entire dance routine. It's win-win, really.

Sometimes sequels get it right. Sometimes they fix what was broken the first time around. And honestly, this is how it's done. No lengthy apologies or defensive explanations. Just thoughtful action. And when they got another chance to tell this story again, they made it right.

Sometimes the best redemption isn't in words — it's in doing better when you know better.

Feature Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.