“Freakier Friday,” in theaters this weekend, marks a triumphant big-screen comeback for Lindsay Lohan, the irrepressible star of “Mean Girls” and more, who endured her fair share of tabloid scrutiny and infamy. Her charming and spunky screen presence made her a child and teenage star, but stumbled through a rocky patch in her 20s with misguided life and career choices. But with “Freakier Friday” in theaters, it’s the perfect time to trace her career through her filmography, including all the ups and downs.

Audiences first fell in love with Lohan in Nancy Meyers' 1998 film “The Parent Trap,” playing long-lost twins Annie and Hallie, who meet at summer camp and swap places to get their parents back together. The film is a remake of the 1961 original starring Hayley Mills. Stream it on Disney+ or rent it elsewhere.

Lohan went on to huge success in another Disney movie, “Freaky Friday” (2003) another remake (of the 1976 film), opposite Jamie Lee Curtis (streaming on Disney+). This film, coupled with the 2004 film “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” (streaming on Disney+) set the stage for her mainstream breakout performance in “Mean Girls,” written by Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters (who also directed “Freaky Friday”). It’s hard to overstate what a cultural phenomenon “Mean Girls” was at the time — and remains so — but it was the apex of monoculture at the time, and launched Lohan to super-stardom, along with co-stars Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried. Stream “Mean Girls” on Paramount+, Kanopy or Peacock.

A tabloid mainstay by this time, the first inklings of Lohan’s behavioral issues cropped up during the filming of “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” when she was often late or absent. Based on the “Herbie” film series that originated in the 1960s, about a sentient car, this was the last “Herbie” film (for now), and co-stars Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton. Stream “Herbie: Fully Loaded” on Disney+.

Lohan squeezed in a few films with iconic directors, including Robert Altman with “A Prairie Home Companion” in 2006 (streaming on Kanopy or Tubi), and with Garry Marshall in “Georgia Rule” (2007), opposite Jane Fonda (Prime Video, Hulu, Kanopy, Tubi).

But 2007 began the start of her questionable film choices, with the horror film “I Know Who Killed Me,” in which Lohan plays the victim of a serial killer, whose hand and leg are amputated. But she’s also got a dual personality, as both aspiring pianist/writer Aubrey, and down-on-her-luck stripper Dakota. Directed by Chris Sivertson, “I Know Who Killed Me” is a camp curio legendary on the Lohan filmography. Rent it on all digital platforms.

In 2012, she made the TV movie “Liz & Dick” about the marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Lohan starred as Taylor opposite Grant Bowler’s Burton. Stream it on Kanopy. A year later, she starred in the bizarre Paul Schrader film “The Canyons,” written by Bret Easton Ellis, and co-starring adult film actor James Deen. Another film that can only be described as a “camp curio.” Stream it on Kanopy, Mubi or AMC+.

After several years off (during which she operated a nightclub in Mykonos (depicted on the reality show “Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club,” streaming on Paramount+), she launched a comeback on the small (streaming) screen, starring in several Netflix original seasonal romance films. In 2022, she starred in “Falling for Christmas” opposite Chord Overstreet, playing, obviously, an heiress who suffers from amnesia after a skiing accident. “Irish Wish” from 2024 sees Lohan starring as a bridesmaid who travels to her best friend’s wedding in Ireland (the best friend is marrying her former flame), and in “Our Little Secret” (2024), she plays a woman who finds out that her new boyfriend’s sister’s new boyfriend is her ex (catch that). Stream them all on Netflix.

Finally, Lohan’s iconic “Mean Girls,” which was made into a Broadway musical and then back into a movie again, gave her the opportunity to make a cameo in the remake of the film that made her a star, some 20 years ago.

So take a trip down memory lane with Lindsay Lohan before “Freakier Friday” hits theaters this weekend.

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