Manny Jacinto Is Wholesome Eye Candy In Freakier Friday, But I Think He Was Severely Underutilized

Spoiler alert! This story reveals plot points in Freakier Friday...Consider yourself warned.

Freakier Friday hits most of the right notes that a sequel should. It’s nostalgic, funny, and has a fresh take on a classic story. Freakier Friday is one of many sequels to hit the big screen, but it won't be the last sequel of the upcoming 2025 movies this year. At the heart of this film is comedy. That is why you cast Manny Jacinto, right?

When you are looking to add to an already stacked cast of comedic talent like Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, there is no reason to rely on Jacinto, but that is a mistake. The script does not allow for his comedic abilities to shine through, and most of the time he is on screen, he plays the albeit very attractive and mostly convincing Brit(ish) straightman.

Jacinto Is Hot, And There Were Flashes Of Funny, But It Felt Like Such A Tease

We first get a glimpse of how effortlessly charming and attractive Jacinto is when he and Lohan, who in her own right is a rom-com queen, have their meet-cute moment outside the school. Jacinto is swoon-worthy and, according to Slate, may be Hollywood’s next leading man. Although he may not be dubbed the fourth hottest man alive like Pedro Pascal, in my opinion, he is in the top ten. One of the things that makes Jacinto so attractive (besides his rippling pectorals) is how funny he is. However, we don’t really get to see this.

The funny often goes to other characters. There are two glaring instances where I feel the funny went to the wrong people, even though they crushed it. The first is in the teacher's classroom, and the second is in the marriage license appointment. Both times, the jokes go to the supporting cast. Whether it is them inserting themselves into a dinner date or reflecting on their own failed love life, the script took those comedic moments away from Jacinto.

The one shining moment for me was the surf scene. Right after Anna, or should I say Harper, gets done surfing, like a pro, we see Eric plunge headfirst into the ocean and immediately wipe out. The confidence and hubris mixed with physicality are a laugh-out-loud moment, but these are just too few and far between.

A Wedding Dance Rehearsal Is A No-Brainer, But The ‘Dirty Dancing’ Scene Isn’t Dirty Enough

This could have been great, but it was only good. Another reason you cast Jacinto is for his epic dance skills. From The Good Place, where he was a part of a 60-person dance crew, to The Acolyte, where his sexy Sith skills with a light-saber are balletic…we get a scene where most of the time he strikes some ‘tango poses’ before we get to the real meat.

Now, no one is as ‘dirty’ as Patrick Swayze, but I do think that Jacinto gives him a run for his money, and maybe even Hannah Waddingham might change her tune, but it takes too long to get there. When we get to Lohan’s ‘run to him’ and she runs out of the room, the payoff is great, but we have to wade through some dirty water to get it.

Overall, I loved Jacinto in this film. He is heartfelt, earnest, kind, sexy, and funny. But every time he was on screen, I yearned for more. Maybe if there is a Freakiest Friday, we could get a body swap for Jacinto's character, because that would utilize all of his skills that I believe were lacking here. In the words of Jason Medoza, I kept ‘waiting for the bass drop, and it never came.’ Freakier Friday is a sequel absolutely still worth watching, even if it is just to wholesomely gaze at Jacinto.