Hi everyone,
Like many millennials, Mean Girls (2004) quotes have become part of my vernacular. The film has surpassed others to become almost legendary. So naturally there was a lot of trepidation about this remake. People complained that it was simply too soon to remake the film and that there was no new ground to cover, and while in certain degrees they were right, there was still a lot of fun to be had with this musical remake.
Similarly to the original, it follows a teenager Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) who goes to high school for the first time after being homeschooled by her mother in Kenya. While at North Shore High School, she befriends the popular girls, known as the Plastics, while working with the outsiders to take the Queen Bee, Regina George (Renee Rapp) down.
The changes to the film are minimal but the biggest addition is the fact that this version is a musical. The stage musical was based on the 2004 film and had a book by Tina Fey and music by Jeff Richmond. It received 12 Tony nominations. The fantastical and campy nature of the story makes it perfect for the musical treatment and the scenes where the characters break out into song and dance feel natural. However, it did feel as if the film could have done with more musical moments and the shifts from talking to singing could have been better. If you are going to do a musical, embrace it fully.
Another factor of the new version is that it is updated for the Gen Z audience and not in a way that feels cringey and out-of-touch. The wardrobe, while controversial when the trailer and images were released, feels somewhat right for the characters. It looks at how teenagers today dress, and while we might not like it, it suits the setting of the film. Instead of the scenes of the characters talking directly to the camera like in the original film, this one has social media clips seemingly taken off of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. I really enjoyed these sequences and it seems realistic to how teenagers in 2024 would react. We have seen similar versions of this in recent teen comedies like To All the Boys and Do Revenge. But seeing how whimsical this film is, the social media integration fits in well.
The new young cast does an amazing job. Angourie Rice is always a delight in all of her roles, and she does a good job as Cady. She retains the innocence and curiosity that Lindsay Lohan brought to the role in the original film, while still making it her own. However, the greatest star of the film is Renee Rapp as Regina George. Every time she is on the screen, she brings across strong energy and charisma. It is easy to see why the characters are charmed by her. The character of Regina is a difficult one that balances between being an absolute villain and being sympathetic so we care about her redemption. Although this version feels slightly tamer than the original (and more tame than Cruel Intentions and Do Revenge) she is still a character that I would define as iconic.
Watching the film, the songs are a lot of fun. I found myself bopping along with them and especially enjoying the dance sequences. But the only ones that stuck with me after the film were ‘Sexy’ which was performed by Karen (Avantika) at the Halloween party, and ‘World Burn’ which was performed by Regina. ‘World Burn’ in particular is a great song, which I think many fans will enjoy.
Tina Fey also wrote this version of the film, and what I enjoyed is that she punched up the original script. She updated a lot of the jokes, and the storyline felt slightly refreshed. She trimmed the edges and did not make it a carbon copy of the original film. There are also many meta references to the original film and other properties that make the film seem very self-aware. But it is still an adaptation of the same film, so there are not many surprises in the film if you have seen the original. So if you are going in expecting a different outcome or different story, you will be disappointed. This is more about enjoying the ride than getting to a new destination.
Despite the many narrative angles that are focused towards Gen Z, the film also very much banks upon the nostalgia of the audience. They know you watched the original, they know you enjoyed the original, so jokes that have now become iconic like ‘Four for you, Glen Coco’ and ‘She doesn’t even go here’ have prime billing in the film and they seemingly made sure to include it knowing you would laugh at it again. When watching it in the cinema I felt the utmost nostalgia and it gave the film a sense of familiarity and comfortability that one might not have with a new film.
So should you watch it? What I did enjoy about seeing this in cinemas was that it was a fun time. The film is funny, and campy and has many quotable moments which garnered a great response out of the audience. If you are looking for a night out and a guaranteed good time, this is the film for you. But if you are looking for something new and challenging, this will fall short. It can never compare to how groundbreaking the original was, and perhaps it is not trying to, maybe we should just enjoy it for what it is.
Mean Girls is currently available to watch at cinemas.
xoxo
Caryn
Recs:
TV Show: The Bear S2
It just won a ton of Golden Globes last weekend and it very much deserves it. If you haven’t started this excellent show yet, let this be your sign. It’s about Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) who takes over his brother’s restaurant in Chicago after his death. It’s a brilliant show, with a great cast and moments that stay with you long after the show is over. It’s available to watch on Disney+.
Film: Barbarian
I’m not one for watching scary movies, but I thought I’d give this one a shot. Honestly, I paused it many times when I got too scared BUT I will say it was extremely intriguing, not too scary and kept me guessing until the end. It is about a woman who goes to an Airbnb she booked only for it to be double-booked with someone else and what happens from there. It’s available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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