Mean Girls has been an iconic teen movie since it came out. But how does the 2024 version fare? Does the modernization of Mean Girls live up to the 2000s aesthetic and glamor of the original? Do movie musicals ever live up to their Broadway counterparts? Get in loser, we’re reviewing Mean Girls!
Mean Girls uses comedy and exaggeration to convey the truth that most people avoid at all costs. Many of us can relate to the characters in Mean Girls and no one can deny that they’ve sometimes acted in ways they aren’t proud of. Mean Girls considers the idea that “girlhood” does not always mean friendship bracelets, glitter, and love. It can also mean resentment and sometimes even cruelty. Mean Girls 2024, similar to the original, does a decent job of having characters be slightly relatable while still using enough over-exaggeration to keep things light. The tropes and storylines are a dramatization of something that many people have been involved in. Irony also plays a part in making things funny rather than awkward. The quick humor and one-liners helped in how much we enjoyed the movie.
Everyone knows the beloved era of 2000s movies. Flip phones, velvet tracksuits, dresses with jeans underneath, storylines that gave everyone unrealistic expectations of their teenage life, etc. The nostalgia is strong for a lot of people, leaving many skeptical that the modern version of Mean Girls could live up to its predecessor.
The movie uses a lot of branding, which is not seen in the original. It seems to get increasingly more obvious as the movie progresses, from a small nod to a company here and there to labels that can’t be ignored. While this is a change from before, it doesn’t necessarily take away from the plot. It simply reminds people what time they’re watching, which is not something enjoyable for everyone. Some took to social media to express their views on the movie, and it faced backlash on everything from its music to its costumes. Art and film are subjective, and there will always be a range of opinions.
Furthermore, the movie uses many aspects of social media within it. Karen’s video goes viral, which starts her song. I thought this was a creative way to adapt from the Broadway musical intro. For a movie, there’s obviously no stage and nothing is live, which means that the beginning of songs can be abrupt. This was more of a gradual transition, which was a nice change from some other moments. Several other instances of videos going viral throughout the movie, which very quickly got information out to students and often started conflict. It helped move the plot along, and it was done creatively. However, this did take a huge step towards modernizing the movie. One thing that can be noted is that if you’re expecting an exact replica of either the 2004 original or an adaptation that follows the musical show completely, that is not what you will find. The movie combines both and adds its own spin as well.
The cast for this movie was fantastic. The actors did a good job of making the characters their own while also preserving the core aspects of their on-screen counterparts that helped make Mean Girls the success that it was. Furthermore, Reneé Rapp, aka Regina George also played her character on Broadway in 2019 and 2020. She already knew about playing Regina and the vocals that went into her role. This gave her a huge advantage which showed throughout the movie. Also, this cast was much more diverse and included more representation, which definitely cannot be said for the 2004 original. The movie included several more POC characters and also gave Janis and Damien their own background romances.
Some have expressed disdain that the movie’s music was not as good as the Broadway version. There are certainly times throughout the movie when the background tracks could be better at supporting the actors. However, the singing and choreography mostly make up for the lapse in backing tracks. While there are times that the backing tracks leave something to be desired, the actors sound great. Something else to be noted is that Broadway is Broadway, and movie musicals (or anything not live) cannot compete with live music and performances right in front of your eyes.
Whether you love or hate this movie, you can’t look away! I would urge everyone to watch this movie with a group, as I had more fun in the theatre with my friends than I would have had watching alone. Give Mean Girls a watch! If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll find it as “fetch” as Gretchen does.
