Mean Girls (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Cady Heron is a hit with the Plastics, an A-list girl clique at her new school when she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.

My Take – Upon release back in 2004, the Lindsay Lohan led teen comedy, Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters, written by Tina Fey, and based on Rosalind Wiseman‘s 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes, not only received rave reviews and found financial success, but with time turned into a pop culture phenomenon, and is often considered one of the most quotable films of all time.

Launching its stars, particularly Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried (in her film acting debut), and Lizzy Caplan, into mainstream, the film continues to be stitched in mind for being wickedly funny and smart. And continuing with the grand tradition of remaking/ rebooting everything successful, Paramount’s new take acts as a hybrid mash-up of both the original film and elements from the 2017 Broadway musical.

Provocatively marketed as “Not your mother’s Mean Girls”, the film was initially planned as a Paramount+ release before pivoting to theaters, a good decision I guess, considering the film has already made $101.8 million worldwide.

Mainly as despite seeming like a cash grab, it surprises by bringing in a fresh perspective to the narrative, although the plot remains faithful, with the musical twist particularly being well received by audience.

Sure, the film doesn’t reach the heights of the original, however, Co-directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. (in their feature directorial debuts) ensure that the comedy and solid delivery of musical numbers makes it a decent entertainer. It’s a solid 20th anniversary present to those of us who were fans of the original, and an abridged guide to navigating the pressures of high school for new fans.

The story follows Cady Heron (Angourie Rice), a Sixteen-year-old home-schooled teenager, who moves back to the United States from Kenya with her mother (Jenna Fischer) and joins North Shore High School.

Unfamiliar with the ways of the locals, Cady finds herself beholden to Janis (Auli’i Cravahalo) and Damien (Jaquel Spivey), the two outsider art nerds who elect to help out the new girl in hopes that they can keep her from certain destruction and introduce her to the cliques and social structure of the school.

Which is ruled over by the “Plastics”, the titular trio of mean girls made up of Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood), Karen Samuels (Avantika), and their fearsome alpha leader Regina George (Reneé Rapp). When the plastics offer Cady a chance to sit with them, Janis and Damian encourage her to infiltrate and do their dirty work by pretending to be the same brand of unfeeling robotess as Regina and her lackeys.

Also allowing her an opportunity to get close to her new crush, Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron (Christopher Briney) while learning valuable lessons about friendship, loyalty, and self-discovery.

All of this follows the 2004 film beat-by-beat, complete with largely the same dialogue and punchlines. Except, this time, there are songs sprinkled throughout! Tina Fey, the original screenwriter, has taken up the pen once again, crafting a script that combines memorable moments from the original film with new elements from the Broadway musical.

The familiar story is given a new soundtrack, with the characters breaking into song and dance, echoing the energy of the Broadway musical. Some of the songs were enjoyable and entertaining, albeit a bit silly. But that’s part of what makes them fun! I enjoyed the choreographing, and the visual aesthetics created for a couple of the songs were (dare I say it) quite fetch.

There were a few jokes here and there that didn’t hit, but for the most part I thought that the humor was also well done. Here, co-directors Jayne and Perez Jr. keep the action moving briskly. A key visual difference is technology. In the 2004 film, friends spoke to each other on the telephone, in split screens. Now, of course, gossip and bullying take place via social media. In some ways this makes it all seem more vicious.

When Regina takes an embarrassing tumble onstage at the Christmas performance, we witness a social media shaming that is much crueler than anything that happened in the 2004 version. And yet, it’s believable, of course. One comes away from this latest adaption thinking that in some ways things may have gotten better for high schoolers than they were in 2004, but things have only gotten meaner.

Performance wise, Reneé Rapp is the highlight of the film, playing Regina George less like a teen and more like a grown woman. Angourie Rice delivers a solid performance, though less compelling than Lindsay Lohan, while Christopher Briney holds his own. Avantika and Bebe Wood are also welcome new additions as Regina’s lackeys, the both of them adding their own little quirks that properly separate them from their 2004 counterparts.

Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey deliver breakout performances. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows delightfully reprise their roles from the original film. In smaller roles, Jenna Fischer, Busy Phillips, Ashley Park, Mahi Alam, Connor Ratliff, and Jon Hamm are likable. On the whole, ‘Mean Girls’ is a fun tribute that never reaches the heights of the original, but manages to bring a unique perspective to the well-known narrative.