Twenty years ago, we were transported to a mini-skirt-clad world where pink was worn on Wednesdays and everyone had been personally victimized by Regina George. In 2004, comedian and writer Tina Fey brought the world of the Plastics to life in Mean Girls.
Defined by catty comebacks and irreverent humor, the mean girls in Fey’s world weren’t as dark as the ones at Westerburg High, nor did they cover up a murder-by-jawbreaker. Instead, they skillfully mastered a new level of manipulation and backstabbing, leaving behind a cult classic.
The 2004 movie holds a special place in pop culture, and now inspires a whiff of millennial nostalgia. Attempts were made to make fetch happen again with the made-for-TV film Mean Girls 2, but it paled in comparison to the original. Fey went back to high school for Mean Girls: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2018 and ran until Covid shut New York’s theaters down in March 2020.
The Broadway play ushered in a new generation of fans, but the original fan base was still around and kicking, which means that when the trailer for the film adaptation of the musical adaptation was released with the tagline “Not your mother’s Mean Girls,” it was going to alienate somebody.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about. The 2024 adaptation of Mean Girls: The Musical serves as a nice entry point to the fandom for newer audiences, while embracing the elements that contributed to the phenomenon.
Staying faithful to the Broadway source material, the film opens with narration by Janis Imi’ike (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey), who preface the story with the song “A Cautionary Tale” delivered in the portrait style of a vlog, which will become a recurring visual element of the film.
Similar to a Broadway stage change, we’re whisked to Kenya where Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) sits alone pondering if there is more to life than current circumstances (“What Ifs”). Her mother (Jenna Fischer) informs her that they will be moving from Africa to Illinois, thus presenting an opportunity for Cady, who had always been homeschooled, to find her footing.
Principal Duvall (reprised by Tim Meadows) introduces Cady (or Caddy) to the less-than-welcoming Northshore community, including her homeroom teacher Ms. Norbury (reprised by Tina Fey). The hothouse world of high school throws Cady for a loop, and the infamous cafeteria scene only adds to her disorientation.
As she settles into her canonical bathroom stall for lunch, Janis and Damian bring Cady under their wings to help her find her ideal clique. But first, Damian and Janis warn Cady, beware of The Plastics—notorious gossiper Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood), ditzy Karen Shetty (Avantika), and the queen bee, Regina George (Reneé Rapp reprising her acclaimed role in the 2019 Broadway production).
The chokehold that Regina has on the student body is displayed in the song “Meet The Plastics,” and it’s evident that Cady secretly yearns to be accepted by Regina and her friends. After being invited to sit with the Plastics for the remainder of the week, Cady goes to math class, where she meets Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney).
Cady falls hard for Aaron, and sings “Stupid With Love,” but she’s warned by Gretchen to not pursue him any further, as Aaron is Regina’s ex. Oblivious to the deep politics of the situation, Aaron invites Cady to his Halloween party. Regina, who is now aware of Cady’s crush, plots to spite Cady by getting back together with Aaron, setting Cady on a path to revenge with a scheme to ruin Regina’s life with guidance from Janis and Damian.
The film is filled with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references to the original movie, and fun cameos. Lindsay Lohan, who rode the original film to superstardom in 2004, plays the math competition moderator. But as is always the case with Broadway adaptations, some elements that made the original film so iconic are either toned down, or get lost in the theatrics.
Take, for instance, “Revenge Party,” which introduces Janis, Damian, and Cady’s plan to ruin Regina’s life. While it’s a fun number which translates to the screen beautifully, it sacrifices the cold-blooded sabotage our anti-heroic trio originally displayed. Sure, it’s a colorful sequence, accompanied by a skillful montage. But it lacks the queasy emotional impact of Regina’s fall from grace and Cady’s meteoritic, Machiavellian rise to popularity.
Still, the Plastics are back with a fresh set of faces to invite audiences to “write it all down.” They may have lost a bit of their edge, but gained some catchy songs, and a new generation of fans.
Mean Girls
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