In 2004, the trajectory of the world as we know it was shifted when the iconic film Mean Girls was released starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. The film has since earned status as a cult classic and its many iconic one-liners are still relevant today. In 2018, a Broadway adaptation of the film premiered. The musical became critically acclaimed and became a Broadway hit. Fast forward to 2024, 20 years after the original film was released, and the film adaptation of the Broadway musical has been released in theaters. The musical movie stars Angourie Rice as Cady and Renee Rapp as the infamous queen, Regina George. It features some of the songs from the Broadway musical, but due to the runtime, some songs had to be cut. Many people were critical of the remake, as some believed that it would be just a cheap copy. However, after seeing the movie’s musical version, I feel differently.
The movie holds the same plot as the original, however, it’s been updated to fit the current days’ references. It opens up with Janice and Damien singing the Broadway version of “Cautionary Tale”. It was first shown as them singing on a TikTok-esk video. Though I understand the updated reference, I think that this will eventually date the movie, aging it poorly. The same online references were continued throughout the film, eliciting a slight cringe from me. However, I believe that the amazing performances made up for it.
Each song in the film helped carry on the plot amazingly. At no time did a song feel like a filler track. Rapp delivers an amazing performance throughout the film most notably in “World Burn”. Every song included a very exciting production. In “Revenge Party”, the production and set design perfectly encapsulates what I always pictured when listening to the Broadway Cast Recording. The standout musical number for me was Karen Smith’s Halloween number, “Sexy”, performed by Avantika. It included a fun dance number and overall showed an amazing display of talent from Avantika and the dancers. However, I was dismayed to see that one of my favorite songs from the Broadway adaptation was cut short. In “Meet The Plastics”, Karen and Gretchen’s verses were cut which was disappointing to see. Their additions to the song were vital to the plot. To me, it made no sense to call it “Meet The Plastics” if they only introduced one of three.
Another downfall in the movie for me was the costuming. The plastics are supposed to be the ‘it’ girls of the school, starting their trends and curating the style. However, their outfits in the movie appeared cheap and too trendy. Instead of looking like trendsetters, they seemed to follow the trends of 2020. This will also poorly age the film, as it will be seen as a true time capsule of its time.
In addition, I was also slightly disappointed by the way Regina George was portrayed. Please note that this is no fault of Rapp. However, her character didn’t have enough one-liners in my opinion. Her entire character arc is to be ruthlessly mean. In this adaptation, she only seemed like a petty pretty girl. Much of the original one-liners were cut due to a new awareness of cultural sensitivities. While I understand the push for inclusion and acceptance, I think that they still could’ve written funny insults for Regina and the rest of the plastics to spew.
Overall, I thought that this new adaptation was a fun twist on the old classic. Of course, there was no way to outdo the 2004 version. Many of the critics of the film were disappointed with this, seeing it as a cash grab. However, I think that people take movies too seriously. Of course, it won’t go on to win “Best Picture” at the Oscars, but it wasn’t made to! This new edition to the legacy will surely transcend into the new generation. It was a fun watch and I still have these songs stuck in my head.
