‘Mean Girls’ Adaptation Trailer Draws Mixed Reactions

Paramount Pictures on Wednesday a trailer released for the film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls,” which was itself an adaptation of the beloved 2004 film about a girl trying to fit in with the popular crowd at her high school. The new film will be released in theaters on January 12.

In the trailer, large pink and white block letters tell viewers that “these aren’t your mom’s Mean Girls.” Although the film is positioned as “a new twist” on the original film, it still appears to contain certain key moments, including the “Jingle Bell Rock” dance scene and the infamous pink “Burn Book” full of college student rumors and gossip . the fictional North Shore High School.

The reactions to Wednesday’s trailer, that was posted on social media platforms were mixed.

It quickly became clear that the army of fans of the original film, who over the years have rewatched, memeified and created costumes in honor of “Mean Girls,” felt the adaptation had a lot to offer: one reply to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with more than 2,000 likes consisted of a gif from the 2004 film in which Regina George, the school’s queen bee, played by Rachel McAdams, and her posse look judgmentally at someone off-screen as the word “Ew” appears on the screen. ‘Praying this flops’ replied another fan. Other fans panicked that they were old enough to see a mainstay from their youth being remade: “Am I that old that they are remaking one of my FAVORITE MOVIES!!”

There was some confusion over the lack of musical performances in the trailer, as the film is positioned as an adaptation of a musical. One user on TikTok wrote in a comment: “Wait, so it’s based on the musical and there’s no music??? YES GIVE IT TO ME.”

At the same time young commentators on TikTok were happy to see the film focus on Gen Z culture: it stars actress Renée Rapp, who starred in the musical “Mean Girls” as well as the teen drama “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” and stars Olivia Rodrigo appears in the film. soundtrack. Some drew attention to Chris Olsen, an actor who rose to fame through TikTok. “I’m sorry @Chris Olsen WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AND I LOVE IT,” one user commented.

Before the trailer came out, a teaser for the film was shown to the audience during Taylor Swift’s concert film, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” Those who saw the teaser said on TikTok that it made it clearer than the trailer that the film was a musical.

The new movie was produced by Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels, who also adapted the 2004 film into the Broadway musical, which premiered in 2018. After 834 performances, Ms. Fey and Mr. Michaels decided not to reopen the show in 2021, citing the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The musical is now on national tour through May.

The 2004 film, based on the self-help book “Queen Bees and Wannabees” by Rosalind Wiseman, was an instant hit, earning $121 million at the worldwide box office. Ms. Wiseman co-wrote the screenplay with Ms. Fey, who also played a teacher in the film.

The plot follows Cady Heron, the daughter of zoologists who move back to the United States, and her interactions with and anthropological observations of the popular girls at her school. Initially, Cady is welcomed by them, but she makes the mistake of falling in love with Regina’s ex-boyfriend, putting her in Regina’s line of fire.

References from the film – including the lines “On Wednesdays we wear pink,” “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping,” and “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen” – have been widely cited and cited, in fact, for nearly 20 years later on.

Paramount Pictures helped the film maintain its staying power beyond its original viewership by posting the entire film in 23 segments on the company’s TikTok page last month so younger audiences could watch the film for free.

Last week Walmart came out a Black Friday commercial which nodded to the 2004 film, and featured three members of the original cast: Lindsay Lohan, who played Cady; Amanda Seyfried, who played Karen Smith; and Lacey Chabert, who played Gretchen Wieners. Walmart plans to release a “Mean Girls” themed commercial every Wednesday in the run-up to Black Fridayand the second was posted hours after the new trailer was released.

The new film stars Ms. Rapp as Regina and Angourie Rice as Cady. The other members of Regina’s clique, Gretchen and Karen, are played by Bebe Wood and Avantika Vandanapu.

Ms. Fey, who stars in the film, was unavailable for comment because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, her publicist, Cara Tripicchio, said in an email.