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Freakier Friday: what to think about Lindsay Lohan’s comeback?
American actress and Y2K revival icon Lindsay Lohan, 39, is making a major comeback in Freakier Friday. Awarded of the Vanguard Award at the CinemaCon convention last April, the actress seems to be finally emerging from a long dry period. Will her new projects help erase the memory of her scandals and earn her redemption in Hollywood?
By Violaine Schütz.
Published on 5 August 2025. Updated on 6 August 2025.
In the 2000s, everyone either wanted to be Lindsay Lohan or to have a girlfriend or BFF who looked like her. The American actress and singer was behind an epidemic of botched red hair dye jobs and compulsive purchases of checked mini skirts, pink cardigans, studded belts, and khaki cargo pants. It took just a handful of films for her to become a generational phenomenon. Among them is the irresistible Freaky Friday (2003), in which the protagonist swaps bodies with her mother, played by Jamie Lee Curtis.
Lindsay Lohan, the mean girl of the 2000s
Then came the cult movie Mean Girls (2004), which follows the daily life of a teenage girl who has moved several times and now must find her place in a California high school that feels like a jungle filled with predators wearing crop-tops. These two comedies were critical and commercial successes, and far less sugar-coated than they appeared at first glance. Some of the dialogues are hilarious, even biting, and have gone down in pop culture history. Just like the protagonists’ outfits, which are still flooding TikTok and Instagram feeds today. A new musical adaptation of the film was also released in 2024.
In 2004, Lindsay Lohan was just 18. She was the embodiment of effortless charm and coolness. Young people around the world were captivated by her. She was both rock’n’roll and innocent, beautiful, yet relatable. The classic “girl next door”, ideal best friend and America’s dream fiancée all at once. Alongside Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, she was part of Hollywood’s new guard. Following in the footsteps of Alicia Silverstone and Drew Barrymore, these teen idols shone with their dazzling freshness and, just beneath the surface, their subversive potential.
Are Disney stars cursed?
Like many other stars who came up through Disney – Britney Spears being the best example – Lindsay Lohan started her acting career at a young age in Walt Disney Pictures productions, such as the hit family comedy The Parent Trap (1998). But that was before she experienced the darker side of fame. In the mid-2000s, her credibility as an actress was undermined by substance use issues (drugs and alcohol) and a string of incidents, often covered with a sexist take by the tabloids. She even became a regular at the Razzie Awards, which honors the worst performances of the year. In 2010, the star even served jail time after violating her probation, following several DUIs since 2007.
In recent years, Lindsay Lohan has made several attempts to win back her audience and the notoriously unforgiving Hollywood producers. After having a diva moment, when she asked for a selfie with Putin before appearing on a Russian talk show in 2016, a rehab stint, and a reality TV show, she appeared in the thriller The Canyons in 2013. Written by cult American author Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Paul Schrader – the screenwriter of Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980) – the film is about toxic love and the dark side of the entertainment industry. It could have marked a turning point for the star, but her performance was flat and her once-magnetic screen presence felt ghostlike.
Irish Wish and Our Little Secret: last-chance Netflix romcoms
A final attempt at a comeback? The former darling of America, once affectionately nicknamed Lilo, is now trying to leave her mark on Netflix. In 2022, she starred in the new Netflix holiday movie Falling for Christmas. She plays a spoiled hotel heiress, engaged to a social media influencer, who loses her memory after a skiing accident.
Naturally, she ends up being rescued by a (handsome) lodge owner just a few days before Christmas. Despite their initial mutual dislike, the two inevitably warm up to each other. We all know the formula… Those sugar-coated, yet endearing holiday TV movies that reappear every November, alongside Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit All I Want for Christmas Is You.
Truth be told, that kitschy film is not really funny and is far from the best of its kind. Some holiday TV movies broadcast on French channels are actually better. Even worse, the once-radiant redhead stands as a shadow of her former self, stripped of both her charm and innocence. Her performance leans more toward soap opera than that of a charismatic, talented Hollywood star.
Fortunately, the actress already has several other projects lined up, in particular with Netflix. She stars in the romantic comedy Irish Wish, set in Ireland and released on the platform on March 15th, 2024. The enticing premise? “When the love of Maddie’s life gets engaged to her best friend, she puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland. But after making a spontaneous wish to find true love, she wakes up to discover she’s the bride-to-be.” Ayesha Curry, Ed Speleers, and Alexander Vlahos also appear in supporting roles.
Then, on November 27th, 2024, the star returned to the streaming platform in another romcom, titled Our Little Secret. The plot follows two estranged former lovers forced to spend Christmas together because their new partners are brother and sister.
A Mean Girls revival
Another shot at redemption? In early November 2023, actresses Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert, stars of the cult classic Mean Girls, caused a stir. She all appeared in a commercial for the American retail giant Walmart. Though Rachel McAdams, the fourth member of the group, was not in the Black Friday-themed ad, the video reminded us just how timeless the Mean Girls universe remains. Soon after, Lindsay Lohan appeared at the top of her game in the recent musical adaptation of Mean Girls.
A charming sequel to Freaky Friday
Freakier Friday, the sequel to Freaky Friday (2003), has just been released on August 6th, 2025. It stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in their iconic original roles. More than 20 years after the original film, in which a mother and daughter swapped bodies, Freakier Friday returns to delight the many fans of the first instalment. Alongside the two original actresses are actors Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) and Mark Harmon (NCIS). But also new faces, such as Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, The Acolyte), Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood), and Sophia Hammons (Under Wraps).
Directed by Nisha Ganatra (The High Note, Chutney Popcorn), the feature once again explores a multigenerational body-swap scenario. This time, it’s about a double switch since Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and her daughter swap bodies at the same time as Anna’s mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter-in-law switch places. The plot may seem a bit convoluted, but Freakier Friday offers many heartfelt, nostalgic moments for fans of the original film. Ultimately, the story delivers a new life lesson centered on the theme of family bonds, as the plot revolves around a blended family.
The actress’s fashion renaissance
This film marks Lindsay Lohan’s true comeback. In April 2025, the actress was finally back in the spotlight when she received the Vanguard Award at CinemaCon, the prestigious American film industry convention held in Las Vegas. On stage at the event, she shared: “There’s nothing like the magic of cinema. I first saw myself on the big screen when I was very young in The Parent Trap (1998) with Disney. It was so surreal and I felt right at home.” A full-circle moment for the actress, who returns to the Disney fold nearly thirty years after her debut.
To promote the film, the star is having fun revisiting her most iconic past looks, as nods to her filmography. She’s seen wearing a custom lavender dress by Ludovic de Saint Sernin paired with a small guitar-shaped handbag. She also dons a yellow checked suit by Balmain and a Vietnamese-inspired dress by Roberto Cavalli. For the occasion, Andrew Mukamal was her stylist. The latter has previously worked with Margot Robbie on the Barbie press tour. In short, Lilo clearly has not yet said her last word…
Freakier Friday, directed by Nisha Ganatra, coming out on August 6th, 2025.
