‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical Is Fun and Catchy: Review
Bebe Wood plays Gretchen, Renee Rapp plays Regina and Avantika plays Karen in Mean Girls.
Jojo Whilden/ParamountIt is far too tempting to declare that this is the new thing Mean girls movie is so catchy. Except if high school toaster strudel heiress Gretchen Wieners can’t make the “fetching” happen, neither can a meager movie review.
So how about this: Mean girls – adapted from the 2018 Tony-nominated Broadway musical – is a delightful confection that builds on the original comedy with a modern POV and catchy songs. Think of it as a great remix of a cover song with a special guest Jon Hamm as a health teacher/coach.
Get in, loser, and enjoy the ride.
But first, send a thank you note to the screenwriter Tina Fey. Twenty years ago, she picked up a nonfiction book called Queen Bees and Wannabes and turned it into one of the best movies about high schoolers ever. This was a golden achievement at the time and is still a minor miracle considering most teen comedies at the turn of the millennium focused on the art of landing love interests. (No offence meant She is everything That et al.) This young heroine is not obsessed with romance; she just wants to fit in and ideally not have lunch in a bathroom stall. At least if she can stay true to herself.
Mean Girls is back – and more stylish than ever. Members of the OG cast, including Lindsay Lohan (who played Cady Heron in the original film) and Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), attended the premiere of the musical remake in New York City on Monday, January 8. They were joined by cast members from the novel […]
All these years later, that message still resonates to a painfully funny degree.
Fey hasn’t tampered with the timeless story in her 2.0 version. Cady Heron (Angourie Rice from the recent Spider-Man trilogy) – her first name is pronounced ‘Kaydee’ and not ‘Caddy’ – is an introverted math whiz who just moved with her mother (Jenna Fischer) from the Kenyan savannah to suburban Chicago. Despite her time in the wilderness, she is ill-prepared for the untamed behavior of her fellow students. Welcome to the jungle!
First Cady befriends snarky outsiders Janis (Moana actress Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Tony-nominated actor Jaquel Spivey). Then she is unexpectedly invited to sit at the table of popular girls called ‘The Plastics’. As Janis puts it, they’re all hard, fake, and shiny. Beeyotchy Regina George (Sex lives of college girls‘ Renee Rap) is the queen; insecure Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and dingbat Karen (Avantika Vandanapu) are her loyal princesses.
At Janis and Damian’s insistence, Cady stays with the group to shake things up from within.
The trouble starts when Cady falls in love with the handsome Aaron Samuels (The summer I became beautiful‘S Christopher Briney), who happens to be Regina’s ex. This development, along with Cady’s growing popularity, pits Cady against Regina. The strange appearance of a tell-all “Burn Book” finally illuminates the match.
The beloved 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls has received a DVD sequel, been adapted into a Broadway musical, and now has a new movie based on said musical – but fans are still waiting for a sequel with the OG cast. Lindsay Lohan, who starred in the original film as the innocent homeschooler turned Plastic Cady Heron, has been reunited […]
Much of the above dialogue and plot unfolds through original songs composed by Fey’s husband, Jeff Richmond. (Nel Benjamin supplied the text.) Visually, they are all cheerful, similar to the candy-colored appearances in Barbie. The numbers also help move the surprisingly tight story forward, rather than bog it down. (Um, that may or may not be a blow to Wonka.) If anyone deserves a dramatic entrance, it’s Regina with her rendition of “Meet the Plastics.” The main characters all get the chance to indulge in ‘Revenge Party’. A personal favorite: Apex Predator by Janis and Damian. Guess who describes that.
While it takes some time to adjust to relative newcomers in these iconic roles, little Rice bears little resemblance to L.indsay Lohan in the Cady role – they do deliver results. It certainly helps that Rapp is stepping into Regina’s designer clothes for the second time after playing the character on Broadway. When she realizes Cady has been feeding her high-calorie bars, she lets out a scream like someone trained to reach the nosebleed section of the theater. (One downside: this Regina is not as spiky as… Rachel mcadams‘ characterization.) Two originals also return, with Fey reprising her role as Mrs. Norbury Tim Meadows do the same as director Duval. He’s still sublime when he uncorks those dry one-liners. Let this poor man retire!
The cast of 2004’s Mean Girls happily supports the 2024 actors who took on their roles. Jaquel Spivey, who plays Damian Leigh in the Mean Girls film adaptation of the Broadway musical, was spotted hugging OG actor Daniel Franzese at the film’s premiere in New York City on Monday, January 8. […]
Perhaps the true beauty of the Mean girls franchise is that it brings the web of teenage emotions to life… only with, you know, snappier one-liners and more attractive people. Only the technology has changed since 2004. Truth: The original film was released at the time Mark Zuckerberg was still tinkering with his software at Harvard. Now all OMG moments generate rabid Instagram and TikTok views, amplifying the fear and cringe. Smart.
We are deep into January and Major Film Awards season. Maybe Mean girls should have been released on October 3 – the date Aaron asks Cady in class what day it is, obvs – but at least they all have a ray of sunshine amid the heavy winter grind. If that doesn’t fetch, it sure is fantastic.
Mean girls will be in cinemas from Friday 12 January.