Review: Mean Girls (2024)

The 2004 film first received a “grool” makeover when it was brought to The Great White Way with a musical adaptation from creator Tina Fey in 2018. Now, after the success of the Broadway show, the cult classic is returning to the big screen.

Mean Girls isn’t just a reimagining of the original film but also of the Broadway production. In a string of bad movie-musical marketing decisions, it seems like not a lot of people know that this is, in fact, a musical. I’m not sure why Hollywood is afraid to tell people these movies are musicals since films like La La Land and The Greatest Showman were both massive hits, but they must have their reasoning. On the other hand, not telling audiences that this is something new results in nasty comments with quotes like, “Another rehash of the same movie isn’t needed.” However, Paramount’s strongest decision with this particular film is casting a social media favorite and a former Broadway Regina, Reneé Rapp.

Unfortunately, Mean Girls doesn’t feel like a grand musical. It feels like a movie that has songs in it. Granted, the updated versions are fantastic. They have a pop quality, more likened to something you’d hear on Glee and not in musical theater. But there aren’t any stunning performances with huge dance numbers. Sure, there are a few because Reneé Rapp willed it to be with her sheer stage presence, but seeing as the blueprint for this movie had choreography by Casey Nicholaw, it’s disappointing not to see it on the big screen.

When Mean Girls first hit theaters in 2004, it became popular because it pushed boundaries. It said what every girl was thinking and feeling at that time while also being incredibly funny. Granted, most of the jokes haven’t aged well, but for those who grew up in that time, they bring a sense of nostalgia. Like any reimagining of a favorite, there are callbacks and references but also major changes. Most notable is the addition of social media and “Gen Z” speak in this latest adaptation.

Because of the time that we live in now, Mean Girls feels a bit filtered. No one is genuinely nasty in this film. No one is shown directly being two-faced or saying something unhinged. Sure, the plastics are supposed to be the stereotype of being unknowingly mean, but characters like Janice should have moments of wickedness. Instead, everyone just feels like a social media version of being mean. This is also shown in the jokes. A lot of famous lines were blatantly cut or changed. While some I understand, others felt like the studio was afraid to take a risk.

Coming off the heels of Barbie, which was an empowering statement about the daily struggle of being a woman, it seems as if the studio (not the creators) was being extra careful not to get canceled in today’s social climate. Mean Girls actually has that same statement… if you let it play out the way it needs to.

Mean Girls, at its core, is a story about girlhood. It’s about the good and the bad. As shown in its third act, whether or not it’s a conscious decision, we all, at some point, do something mean. It’s how you choose to move forward and treat people is what ultimately defines you. It’s just another lesson we learn as teens that prepares us for adulthood.

Mean Girls is still a fun comedy with a soundtrack full of absolute bangers. It brings new life to an old favorite that tells a story more in tune with today’s youth. Sadly, the outright meanness is missed and could have been saved by including a few cut songs and popular moments. It’s nice to have sunshine and smiles, but seeing pure cattiness is also fun. But you have hilarious performances from Avantika and Bebe Wood as Karen and Gretchen and Jaquel Spivey as Damian. Reneé Rapp is a cooler version of Regina, Angourie Rice is sweet as Cady, and Auli’i Cravalho gives a powerhouse performance as Janice.

With that being said, get in, losers. We’re going to the movies, and it’s going to be so fetch!