Lindsay Lohan is an icon, particularly to millennial audiences who grew up watching her shine as a child and teen actor in movies like The Parent Trap (1998) and Mean Girls (2004). Following years of personal struggles, Lohan is finally making her long-awaited comeback. In 2021, she signed a deal with Netflix to star in several films on the platform, starting with Falling for Christmas (2022).
Now, Lohan is back in Freakier Friday (2025), the sequel to Freaky Friday (1998), which reunites her with on-screen mom Jamie Lee Curtis. For anyone looking to celebrate her big screen return by revisiting her past work, here are the best Lindsay Lohan movies and where to find them on Disney+, Peacock, and more.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Undoubtedly one of the best performances by a young performer, Lindsay Lohan was so good in The Parent Trap that many viewers assumed Hallie and Annie were played by real identical twins rather than a single actor. In this iconic remake of the 1961 film, Lohan plays twins separated as infants who, upon discovering that they are sisters, hatch a plan to reunite their parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson.
It’s a charming story and an impressive feature film debut for Lohan, who was just 11 years old during filming. On top of being an impressive showing from a young performer, The Parent Trap is simply a movie that the entire family can enjoy together.
Mean Girls (2004)
After The Parent Trap, Mean Girls is Lohan’s most memorable film performance. She plays Cady Heron, a teenage girl who must adjust to a typical American high school after spending most of her life being homeschooled in Africa. Cady quickly learns her school is dominated by popular clique the Plastics, led by Regina George (Rachel McAdams), but her efforts to take down the queen bee cause her to lose sight of herself.
The movie has since received a remake, with Mean Girls (2024) adapting the Broadway musical based on the film. It even features appearances from some of the original cast, including a cameo by Lohan herself. Still, with its endlessly quotable script, relatable story, and memorable performances from Lohan, McAdams, and the rest of the cast, the original Mean Girls more than holds up. It remains one of the best movies ever made about high school alongside the likes of The Breakfast Club (1985) and Clueless (1995).
Freaky Friday (2003)
Lindsay Lohan stars in another family friendly remake: 2003’s Freaky Friday. In it, she and Jamie Lee Curtis play a bickering mother and daughter who switch bodies and must live in the other one’s shoes until they can reverse the magic. Both Lohan and Curtis deliver impressive performances as a teenage girl and a middle aged woman—not to mention a teenage girl pretending to be a middle aged woman and vice versa.
Though it has been rightly criticized for employing dated Chinese stereotypes, Freaky Friday’s emphasis on cross-generational understanding and mother-daughter bonds remains moving to this day. Like The Parent Trap, this is another Lohan film that’s perfect for a family movie night.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is perhaps Lindsay Lohan’s most underrated movie. In it, she plays Lola, a theatrical teenager who is frustrated by her family’s move from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. Lola’s many lies and obsession with the superficial made her incredibly unlikable in the eyes of critics at the time. However, 20 years later, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is worth another look for its depiction of the rich, complex, and imaginative inner lives of young girls.
Lola may be selfish and dramatic, but she’s also a teenager responding to big changes in her life and making normal teenage mistakes, and Lohan’s performance makes what could be a frustrating character someone to root for. In an age where authentic stories like Eighth Grade (2018) and Booksmart (2019) depict teens as multifaceted, not always likable, but still worth rooting for are celebrated, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen deserves to be revisited.
Life-Size (2000)
Life-Size is the first of two made-for-TV movies Lindsay Lohan starred in during the early ‘00s, and one that played at many a sleepover I attended as a child. In it, Lohan plays a young girl who, while trying to resurrect her dead mother, accidentally brings a doll named Eve (Tyra Banks) to life. A sequel, Life-Size 2, was released in 2018, though Lohan was unable to appear in it due to scheduling conflicts. Fortunately for fans, Banks has revealed plans to make another sequel, with Lohan possibly returning for Life-Size 3.
Since its release, Life-Size has been praised for its handling of grief, celebration of girlhood, and the significance of Banks, a Black woman, playing the lead. This was the Barbie movie decades before Barbie (2023), capturing similar fun, magic, and feminist themes. If you enjoyed Greta Gerwig’s film, Life Size makes for a perfect follow-up, especially if you’re planning to watch with young girls who can learn from its positive messages.
Get a Clue (2002)
Lohan’s other made-for-TV movie from the era is Get a Clue, which also stars Amanda Plummer and Brenda Song. The story follows Lexy, a teen journalist with an advice column in her high school newspaper, as she investigates the disappearance of a teacher.
Get a Clue is about as fun, colorful, and predictable as you’d expect from the average Disney Channel Original Movie, so it probably won’t have much appeal to anyone who didn’t grow up with it. Still, it might be worth watching for the early ‘00s fashion choices alone, which are, to put it lightly, bold.
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
Herbie: Fully Loaded marks the end of an era for Lohan, who was transitioning away from family movie roles at the time. The movie remains the latest installment in the Herbie franchise, which started with 1968’s The Love Bug. In it, Lohan plays Maggie Peyton, the youngest member of a racing dynasty who teams up with a sentient car to carry on the family legacy.
Reviews for the film are pretty mixed, with most critics agreeing that Herbie: Fully Loaded is really only meant for young children. Still, it’s a fun time for anyone who doesn’t mind a heavy side of corn with their family movie.
Irish Wish (2024)
Of the three movies Lindsay Lohan made with Netflix so far, the romantic comedy Irish Wish is the highlight. It might be far from her best or most beloved film; audiences and critics generally panned it for its predictable writing and weak Irish accents. Still, the movie represents a new era for Lohan, whose performance and chemistry with co-star Ed Speleers were seen as Irish Wish’s bright spots.
Even if reactions to Irish Wish weren’t the most positive, the movie reminded viewers of Lohan’s star power and talents as a leading lady. If you enjoy rom-coms with a fantasy bent, you’ll likely find the story cute, if shallow, but it’s impossible to not be moved by the stunning natural beauty of Ireland. Between Irish Wish and Freakier Friday, it’s clear Lindsay Lohan is finally back, much to the delight of those of us who grew up on The Parent Trap and Mean Girls.
