Directed by: Samantha Jayne & Arturo Perez Jr.
Written by: Tina Fey
Starring: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood
Rating: [3.5/5]
Trying to recapture lightning in a bottle often becomes a fool’s errand in the hopes to recreate something that had such incalculable resonance within the culture. Attempting to do that with the beloved and often-quoted Mean Girls through the film adaptation of the stage adaptation of the 2004 film presented quite an interesting opportunity and while it certainly has its flaws, it provides something not only entertaining but worth this whole experiment standing on its own.
After growing up most of her life in Africa, Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) and her family move to the United States, and she begins at North Shore High School. Not particularly well-versed in the cultural norms of this country, she learns plenty, which includes the hierarchy involved and the girl who runs it all, Regina George (Reneé Rapp).
As someone who has seen the 2004 original Mean Girls countless times but never, this stage adaptation taking this story back to the big screen presented mixed feelings. It’s always great to see musicals on the big screen, but it made me wonder what this film could bring that presented something fresh. For the most part, the story has the same beats as the original film meaning this adaptation needed to stand out in its style and, of course, the musical numbers judging by its genre. With this serving as the standard, the film certainly succeeds in injecting this new energy into the material in quite a fun way.
The original film certainly had its moments where reality breaks in the visions Cady sees in the way she would describe how the hierarchy of high schoolers compared to those of animals, but now we break away from the action on multiple occasions to break into song with most of them having not only relevance but some real juice to them. The one that certainly left the biggest impression was Karen’s (Avantika) performance of “Sexy” where she lays out the American cultural phenomenon of dressing in a sexy way for Halloween. It essentially replaces the voice-over Cady provided in the original film describing it with a song through the performance by one of the Plastics themselves, which does provide something new to the story. Each of these songs adds that particular element to the narrative to receive more from the perspective of the other characters, as opposed to mostly seeing everything run through Cady.
This decision comes with some drawbacks on the other end, where we receive so much more from the supporting characters like Janis (Auliʻi Cravalho) and especially Regina that Cady feels completely forgotten about for many large stretches in the film. Lohan’s Cady certainly served as the straight person compared to the ridiculousness happening around her, but everything gets so heightened in this musical version that it completely swallows up Angourie Rice, and it makes her feel so much blander as a result. It certainly does not help when these supporting actors do quite the splendid job, especially the aforementioned Auliʻi Cravalho and Reneé Rapp, who not only do well in displaying their acting chops but also their undoubtable vocal talent that stands out immensely compares to everyone else around them.
With this operating in the 2020s, the decision by the creative team does add the dimension of this film being trapped within this particular generation. Perhaps some may disagree, but the original film while released in 2004 felt quite timeless as it could take place in a particular era of high school life. Through the use of TikTok and several other references to modern day pigeonholes this to a very Gen-Z story and attitude. I certainly do not see this as a negative, but it does make me wonder how well the film will continue to age.
While certainly attracting plenty of opinions far and wide about its value as an adaptation, I had plenty of fun with Mean Girls. It presented songs worth remembering and while it follows the same story beats of the original film it adds just enough to the great supporting characters that make it something worth revisiting in the future just for the stylish musical sequences. Many can have qualms with the lack of sharpness in what the team behind the film strategically removed from what we see in the original film, but this film serves its purpose and did it well.
Films with Josh 
