MEAN GIRLS: This Is Not Your Mother’s MEAN GIRLS

Let’s get this out of the way early — Mean Girls is a musical. And while this may seem a bit odd, strangely, in an overall sense, it works. While not all the characters may act as they once did and you may find yourself missing some jokes from the past, this Mean Girls is a film for the present generation, with a heart big enough for even the most devoted fans. This isn’t to say the film doesn’t have its flaws and missteps, but the experience itself raises the film to the perfect form of young adult entertainment.

Hitting Both High And Low Notes

Heading into Mean Girls, there are two things to remember: This is a film for the TikTokers, for the trendy influencers, for the Broadway divas — for the girls who want to be more in the modern age. But this is also a film determined to remain true to its roots. Examining the audience, the diversity of ages is a strong note to the legacy of Mean Girls. The original film captured a young adult experience that resonated with a range of audiences when it was first released. The nostalgia of high school mixed with the modernity of the film’s depicted 2000s youth. Mean Girls was destined to make a lasting impression. And as one looks at the immersion of ages within the audience now, it appears the legacy is destined to continue.

source: Paramount Pictures

While the film opens up with a musical number giving context to the story about to unfold, the change of introduction mixed with the humorous nods to the original effectively unifies the audience both past present for this shared cinematic experience. While Tim Meadow‘s Mr. Duvall is still sporting his arm cast, that student still doesn’t go here, and she still isn’t a regular mom, the film’s musical numbers and snappy editing style updates Mean Girls for the modern age, capturing the modern teen within its recycled framework.

Though at times feeling contrived, Mean Girls works to update the original and reach beyond the limitations of comedy by introducing song. Inspired by the Broadway adaptation, Mean Girls hits both its biggest highs and lows within its musical numbers. “What Ifs” works to introduce Cady (Angourie Rice) and transition the film from Kenya to the high school setting, though it loses some of the steam introduced by Janice (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damien (Jaquel Spivey) in the film’s opening number, “A Cautionary Tale.” “Revenge Party” captures the plan to destroy Regina George (Reneé Rapp), ensuring Cady ends up with Aaron Matthews (Christopher Briney), and while the song itself remains catchy, it is brought to life through a colorful, circus-like display that fails to translate well from stage to screen. Additionally, “I See Stars” gives the ending its most contrived moment: Cady singing as she slowly breaks apart the plastic crown and acknowledging all the other women around her. As the moment is drawn out a note too long, the finality of the moment loses its impact, leaving the film scrounging to find the perfect way to close.

source: Paramount Pictures

Yet the film never remains on a low note for too long, and this remake marries the best parts of film and stage. One of Mean Girls‘ highest achievements is when it brings its performances to life through song and sharp editing. The best example is found during the film’s performance of “Sexy.” Utilizing social media video, Mean Girls crafts an intriguing and hypnotizing image on screen as well as a representation of today’s teens. And while “Sexy” is a stand-out moment, it is matched by the heart-pulsing number “Someone Gets Hurt,” the choreography and staging capturing the devious deceit of Regina George as she reclaims her title of the “Apex Predator” one last time. It is in these moments that Mean Girls feels most authentic to the original while also modernizing the material for present times, all while capturing the heart of the theater in its musical core.

Character Changes For Both Good And Bad

Mean Girls is not without its changes to the original. As much as it remembers its roots, it forgets it all the same along the way — for better and worse. Some of the omissions feel like the aftermath of a changed world: Coach Karr (Jon Hamm), for example, is no longer a predator who makes out with students. While still questionable, his inclusion in Mean Girls is limited and utilized only as a means of comedic relief and crafting the framework of high school. Additionally, while the depiction of unintelligence in the original film’s Karen (Amanda Seyfried) leaves her failing classes and detecting the weather using her boobs, this new rendition of Karen (Avantika) leans harder into her intellectual deficiency. Underdeveloped and underutilized beyond her scene-stealing number “Sexy,” Karen feels betrayed and let down as a character, her involvement in the plastics reduced to little humor and further struggles with intelligence. This is one of the biggest letdowns, reducing Regina’s “plastics” to side characters as hollow as the plastic shell of a child’s doll.

source: Paramount Pictures

Though as much as the film lets down Karen, it does so even more with Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood). Gretchen feels underdeveloped as a character, her entire being condensed mostly into a self-deprecating ballad. There is a psychological breakdown to the Gretchen Wieners of the original that is given a full journey. Here, she is broken from the beginning, with no happiness or redemption afforded to her later on. Even her mishaps in the talent show are removed, minimizing any breakdown or transference of allegiance from Regina to Cady. Having knowledge of the original film gives her breadth, but without it, her character feels like more of a supportive storytelling device than a working member of “the plastics.”

Yet not everyone is let down in Mean Girls. The film excels in further developing Janice and Damien than the original film does. They welcome the audience into this cautionary tale from the film’s opening number, working not only as the film’s participants but the film’s narrators. They introduce Regina, further developing her through song and experience. This is as much their story as it is Cady’s. Auli’i Cravalho delivers a strong, resilient performance as Janice, but it is Jaquel Spivey‘s Damien that steals the show every scene he is in, emulating the original while giving his own flare of originality.

Conclusion

Mean Girls retains the core heart of the original and manages to modernize itself for a new generation. And while it has both high and low notes, this remake proves to be an entertaining experience for all ages.

Mean Girls was released in theaters on Jan. 12, 2024.