If you’re like me, Lindsay Lohan pretty much defined your childhood. The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday aired as constant reruns on what used to be ABC Family. Mean Girls was a sleepover staple, or, when you were too young to hear the words “fugly slut,” Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Heck, I even remember watching Get a Clue on Disney Channel.

Lohan was the A-list star of my generation, until she wasn’t. Personal issues that, in the kindest terms, could only be described as tabloid fodder made her less of an icon, and more of a cautionary tale. At this point, though, I’m far less interested in looking at Lohan’s rough years. She’s moved beyond them, and we all can too.

Starting with 2022’s Falling for Christmas, Lohan began her eagerly anticipated acting comeback. The narrative quickly shifted from wondering where she went to heralding her return, with the common refrain among many being, “Oh, it’s so good to have her back.” (I fully wrote this in my review for Irish Wish, for the record.)

Now, she finally moves beyond streaming and returns to the big screen with Disney’s Freakier Friday, and it’s the best homecoming she could’ve asked for. It’s the best her fans could’ve asked for too; as I leaned back in my seat at the AMC Lincoln Square watching Freakier Friday, I found myself overjoyed with the knowledge that, at long last, Lindsay Lohan is a movie star again.

Freakier Friday Is The Ultimate Celebration Of Lindsay Lohan As A 2000s Icon

On the surface, it’s already very apparent that Freakier Friday is a huge step forward for Lohan. Aside from her cameo in 2024’s Mean Girls musical, she hasn’t appeared on the big screen since 2013, and one could claim her last significant theatrical role was actually in 2010 with Robert Rodriguez’s Machete.

With Freakier Friday, Lohan returns to one of her most memorable roles alongside a co-star who is herself Hollywood royalty, Jamie Lee Curtis. She gets her biggest platform in years and ample opportunity to show off her comedic and dramatic talents. All of this is exciting and notable for her career.

But from the perspective of someone who grew up watching her movies, this film represents so much more. It sneakily honors two other iconic roles of hers, and ends with a beautiful full-circle moment. It might be cheesy to say, but I came out of his movie just so, so happy for her.

Firstly, Lohan reunites with one of her Parent Trap co-stars, Elaine Hendrix. In the 1998 Nancy Meyers movie, Hendrix played Meredith Blake, the conniving fiancée to Dennis Quaid’s Nick Parker and would-be stepmother to Lohan’s twins. She makes a quick cameo in Freakier Friday as Blake Kale, the magazine editor overseeing a pH๏τoshoot with one of Anna’s (Lohan) clients.

For fans of The Parent Trap, Hendrix will be instantly recognizable, offering a clear connection to Lohan’s very first movie. Hendrix’s character has little impact on the plot and, arguably, didn’t need to exist at all, so it’s clear she was always intended to be a little nod to the ’90s classic.

Freakier Friday‘s other connection to Lohan’s 2000s career is subtler, but will still immediately stand out. Early on, it’s revealed that Anna’s wedding has been set for October 3. If that date sounds at all familiar to you, then you’ve probably seen Mean Girls; the date has become the movie’s unofficial holiday because of the scene where Lohan’s character Cady tells her crush what day it is.

Interestingly, Lohan told Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff that she believes this was an unintentional reference, but that somehow makes it even more striking. Even without trying, Freakier Friday highlights the impact Lohan has had on pop culture. I also couldn’t help but think of Cady when Lohan, as Anna’s daughter Harper, declares it’s time for “major sabotage” in an attempt to cancel the wedding.

Lindsay Lohan Comes Full Circle In Freakier Friday—And Signals A New Beginning