The new Mean Girls seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Originally a direct-to-streaming adaptation of the hit Broadway – and soon to be West End – musical, the film announced a theatrical release in September 2024. It hit cinemas on January 17.
The story – based on the 2004 film – needs no introduction, but this adaptation can’t help but feel like a lesser version of that film. It isn’t so much a reimagining as a remake – however, many fan favourite scenes, such as a phone call exchange between the Plastic’s have been cut, and lines like “on Wednesday’s we wear pink” aren’t delivered as enthusiastically as they were before.
As for the musical numbers, they occasionally shine (‘Apex Predator,’ and ‘World Burn’) but ‘Stupid With Love’ & ‘Revenge Party’ make some peculiar decisions in their stage-to-screen translations. From bizarre camera choices and some painfully flat singing from Angourie Rice, some of the musical numbers become rather dull.
And as a whole, the film seems to be having an identity crisis – much like its lead character Cady Heron (Rice). It seems to not want to be a musical, with advertisements appearing to want to hide the fact it is, and a lot of songs from the stage have met the chopping board. It feels like a remake most of the time, while stating that“this isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls”. A rather odd tactic considering the original is only 20 years old and remains ingrained in pop culture.
Attempts to Gen Z-ify the material come across misguided, with peculiar choices. The line “you can’t join the Mathletes, that’s social suicide” is now “socially ruinous” (because that’s how teenagers speak), and anything involving social media is a no go.
Not all is sour in this new adaptation, however. Renee Rapp glimmers as Regina George and her presence steals every scene she is in – you can tell she played the part on Broadway in her confident musical moments. And some meta jokes provided the odd chuckle. Tina Fey & Tim Meadows are as funny and reliable as always, even if treading familiar ground, and Jaquel Spivey is sassy and “almost too gay to function,” as a good Damian should be.
Mean Girls is at times misguided, and certainly not as “fetch” as the original, but it makes for a mostly enjoyable ride if you’re a fan of the source material. Just don’t expect much else.
Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
He/Him
Arts Editor 24/25
Press email: arts@brignews.com
