Mean Girls reviews: Critics praise 'downright funny' musical remake adapted for new Gen Z audiences, but insist 'the game has changed' now that Reneé Rapp film is out
rich: Brand new lines, subtle updates and evolutions are where the film shines
'Sharp, funny and strongest when standing on its own two perfectly manicured feet, this spirited musical successfully updates the original Mean Girls template for a new audience.
“One of the great things about the move to a musical format is that the songs give us direct insight into the characters' feelings and motivations, breaking the fourth wall in a way that would feel downright clunky without a tune to go with it.” was involved. '
The cover: Renee Rapp can't save this muddled musical remake
'The script, which Fey started writing again, is so thin that there is no story at all. Despite being 15 minutes longer than the original, there is no fat in sight and no real meat.
'It's a cleaned up Cliff's Notes version of the original with a few songs thrown in. It will be great for audiences to see Renee Rapp, if they don't already know her, but she isn't doing enough to help save the world. rest of the movie.
“This may not be your mom's 'Mean Girls,' but it's doubtful it will be anyone else's.”
Entertainment weekly: A great musical update of the teen classic
“Thankfully, the new version – complete with a new screenplay by Tina Fey (based on her Broadway book… based on her 2004 film script) – manages to make life with the Plastics pretty fantastic.”
'The real star of the film is Rapp, who turns queen bee Regina into a monstrosity of epic proportions.
'She shows it, Rapp's voice is as captured as her character. But it is her decision to strike a light-hearted, hyper-sexualized tone that echoes Marilyn Monroe and showcases the brilliance of her tongue-in-cheek performance.”
The guard: A 112-minute TikTok on a smartphone-shaped screen
'There are plenty of laughs and fun along the way, but the business that spotlights Mrs. Norbury as a drug dealer always feels tense and unconvincing, with not enough laughs to make it worthwhile, while the ultimate resolution and Cady's require life lessons . still to arrive.
“Some sugar rush musical numbers though, and the classic jokes are delivered effectively.”
Telegraph: Sharp and fun remake for Gen Z
'The film is a complete scream for three main reasons. First, the generational rewrite is deftly done, with enough timeliness woven in to make it feel freshly relevant, but all the jokes fans want to hear again are left respectfully intact.
'Second, the new cast is uniformly excellent, from the three energetically hilarious new Plastics, Rapp, Vandanapu and Bebe Wood, to Moana's Auli'i Cravalho and Jacquel Spivey as the contented outcasts who initially take in Rice's Cady before coaching her to infiltrate. the school's ultimate in-group.
“And third, the series of songs by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin, which amusingly draw on all kinds of '90s pop trends while also being delightful in their own right.”
Variety: 20 years later, a vibrant musical remake still has something to say
“Mean Girls has a kinetic aesthetic of an elevated Disney channel, made for streaming.”
'Ironically, if the film wanted to be a bit more stationary, it could have perhaps been more electric.
'The songs carry you away, with the transversal fireworks of 'Revenge Party' being a special highlight. And the story still crackles, especially when it culminates in the unveiling of the Burn Book.”