'Mean Girls (2024)’ REVIEW: More is more and meaner
‘Mean Girls (2024)’ REVIEW: More is more and meaner
The modern Plastics. From left to right—Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners, Reneé Rapp as Regina George, and Avantika as Karen Shetty. Photo taken from Paramount Pictures.
Here’s a tale of adaptations. Queen Bees and Wannabes is a book written back in 2002 by Rosalind Wiseman to help parents of teenage girls guide their growing daughters. This book inspired Tina Fey to write the screenplay for Mean Girls, the 2004 pop culture classic directed by Mark Waters. This was adapted for the Broadway stage in March 2018, which leads us to 2024’s musical film of the same name.
Everyone is asking the same question, “Why?” It’s been 20 years since Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams gave life to the legendary roles of Cady Heron and Regina George, and honestly, it’s a tough act to follow. Heck, even Cady and Regina’s sidekicks, as well as the handsome Aaron Samuels, are too iconic to be replaced. However, the success of the musical makes this new adaptation unsurprising.
Filling those big, pink stilettos of Cady and Regina are Angourie Rice and Reneé Rapp, respectively, with the latter being the only one from the Broadway musical cast reprising their role and, frankly, she’s the star of the show. Mean Girls follows the same story as the 2004 version, with the protagonist scheming a “revenge party” for the queen of the “Plastics,” Regina George.
The musical stars Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. Alongside her is Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis 'Imi'ike and Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard. Photo taken from Paramount Pictures.
As this is a musical, it’s obvious the new element it offers is its numbers. There were changes made that included the shortening of 14 songs, but it mostly stays true to the material. However, let me just say that the musical performances in the movie are lackluster compared to the Broadway adaptation, which I can just compare by listening to the soundtrack. The stark difference between this and the 2004 version is that this new adaptation was reworked for the TikTok generation, incorporating social media and technology into the story, making it more entertaining.
Seemingly, the musical’s hysterics trickle down to the film where everything is taken up a notch. First, it’s way funnier, and its comedy is not subtle at all. This is thanks to Jaquel Spivey (Damian Hubbard) and Avantika (Karen Shetty). Spivey makes it certain he’s the center of attention not only with his musical prowess but also with his comedic timing. In the Plastics, Avantika stands out as she commits to her so-pretty-it’s-stupid role, going for a more campy version than Amanda Seyfried’s Karen. Her facial expressions alone can make the whole audience burst into laughter.
The film is also, and I say this seriously, gayer. In fact, “It’s almost too gay to function.” It’s a wonderful time to be alive and queer with more and more films having proper representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, and Mean Girls does not disappoint. Janis’ character, played by Auliʻi Cravalho, gets justice as the film doesn’t just stop at portraying her as a freaky lesbian but gives her the ending she deserves. Spivey also breaks out of the gay sidekick stereotype and makes Damian bigger and better.
The cast is almost perfect—the Plastics are as “legally blonde” as they can be and Janis and Damien shine with all the colors of the rainbow. Unfortunately, Rice gets eclipsed by her co-actors, especially Rapp who steals the show every time she’s on the screen. Christopher Briney is also not convincing as the new Aaron. Even Jenna Fischer’s role as Cady’s mother seems a little forced.
Lastly, it’s more forward-looking. Not just in the sense that it consists of portrait shots that emulate Instagram stories, but the screenplay is refined to cater to the new Cady Herons who are struggling to find their place in the jungle that is high school. As Gen Z would put it, the film is “giving,” and how it translates the classic into a modern work of art is commendable.
And if you’re still wondering if you should go see the movie or just rewatch the 2004 version, I’m here to convince you to give this musical a chance. Yes, the original is miles and miles better than this retelling of the “cautionary tale.” But Mean Girls is not just a mere copy or another adaptation to avoid; it takes everything from the original and amplifies it all into a louder and more “fetch” movie with catchy tunes to boot.
Catch a screening of Mean Girls in select theaters nationwide on February 7, 2024.
