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 and Mean Girls. 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.
Lohan is returning to her Freaky Friday role for the sequel Freakier Friday, which reunites her with on-screen mom Jamie Lee Curtis. This guide will go over the best Lindsay Lohan movies and where to watch them on streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix.
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, 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.
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.
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 some dated Chinese stereotypes, Freaky Friday’s emphasis on cross-generational understanding and mother-daughter bonds remains moving to this day.
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, over 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 typical teenage mistakes, and Lohan’s performance makes what could be a frustrating character someone to root for.
Life-Size (2000)
Life-Size is the first of two made-for-TV movies Lindsay Lohan starred in during the early ‘00s. Here, Lohan plays a young girl who, while trying to resurrect her dead mother, accidentally brings a doll named Eve (Tyra Banks) to life. 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. 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.
Get a Clue (2002)
Lohan’s other made-for-TV movie from the era is 2003’s 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. It’s about as fun, colorful, and predictable as you’d expect from the average Disney Channel Original Movie, but it might be worth watching for the 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. Reviews for the film are pretty mixed, with most critics agreeing that Herbie: Fully Loaded is really only meant for young children.
Irish Wish (2024)
Of the three movies she’s made with Netflix so far, Irish Wish is the highlight. It might not be 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, it reminded viewers of Lohan’s star power and talents as a leading lady.
Where To Watch The Best Lindsay Lohan Movies Online
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