Mean Girls (2024) (Review)
Mean Girls has made its way back to the big screen just in time to celebrate 2004's twentieth anniversary. Do some of you feel old yet? I sure do. This time, screenwriter Tina Fey brings a fresh twist to her script by adding, you guessed it...MUSIC. Because this movie is a musical. But it's not only a musical with a twist, it's a film that fits right in with this day and age. It's hip and feels right. It's...FETCH! Just how fetch is this new movie? Lets dive in and find out.
In the film, new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) gets welcomed into the top of the social food chain by an elite group of popular girls called "the Plastics," ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs.
To start - the film is fantastic. It's got all the modern cliques you would expect to see with a movie like this, but it's not in your face with it, which I adored. It's also very modernized, utilizing things like social media and influencers that young audiences will be able to connect with. It really does a good job examining how high schoolers may be influenced by those they look up to.
The cast of the film is great. If I am being honest, I was nervous coming into this one. I enjoy the 2004 version so much that this movie made me nervous even at the idea of them reinventing it for today. A lot of that comes from the fact that it would be hit or miss. I was just weary of the cast at first and I'm not sure why. However, after spending the time I did with them during the films well paced runtime, they all stood out. Each cast member seems like they are having a ball. Reneé Rapp is who I am most familiar with here from MAX's The Sex Life of College Girls, which I also enjoyed a ton and I thought she nailed it as Regina George. She brings a new and modern take on the bratty teen we all know and love while also giving us her own spin on the role. I think she just has the right personality for this kind of role and I mean that in the most respectful way possible.
Angourie Rice is also wonderful as Cady Heron. She has a lot of great traits to her and plays the fish out of water character masterfully. Cady is someone who was homeschooled her entire life (if you're at all familiar with Mean Girls you should know this), so this is quite literally a fish out in the open sea all by herself and the sharks aren't holding back. Aaron Samuels, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Bebe Wood and Avantika all also nail it with their characters. The thing that made each of them stand out is the fact that this felt like a musical you would see on stage, which is not easy to pull off. But each of these cast members should be proud of themselves. This includes veteran cast members Tina Fey and Tim Meadows - it's fantastic to see them back in this world in their respective roles.
Next, the direction of this movie could not have been better. A lot of it is a new style to a musical that I have not yet seen on screen until now. I love how they take modern devices teens can be seen using and then transitioning from those screens to actual scenes filmed with a camera. It's a genius way to make the film connect more with the audience the movie is intended for. Directors Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne have a clear vision of what they want to present in each frame and a lot of it is so colorful and enlivening the audience can't help but be fully emerged.
There are some shots that include strobe lights that for a brief second can be hard to tell what is happening but it's nothing that will take you out of the movie. There's also a few odd editing choices made in the film but again, it's nothing that derails the experience - just something I noticed. The cinematography though, is filmed in nice wides, allowing the audience to see the scope of the set, especially with the musical element. I was also in awe with how much care that was put into each of the set designs and the choreography.
Now I know you want to know...how is the music? Two words - it's glorious. I was not familiar with any of the music to Mean Girls before coming into this film but right off the bat I was bobbing my head and wanted to get out of my seat to join the fun. The melody of each song works and the voices are clear and rich with talent. There's really only one song that I didn't care much for but still can see the talent presented on screen and I respect that over anything. If you're a fan of Mean Girls, you should be able to connect with most of the song and hopefully enjoy the updated versions as much as I did.
In the end, Mean Girls is a hit in my eyes. This is one of those rare movies that does it all right - every scene, character, costume, setting and joke makes it worth rewatching several times over, just like the original. It's a feel good movie that is sure to leave you with some good themes to take away such as why friendship is important and why it's important to treat others with respect. But it's also going to provide you with good laughs and music that you will be thinking about long after you leave the theater. Check this one out in theaters if you can!
