A breezy, show-stopping new take that needs to get out more.
20 years ago, we got “Mean Girls” with Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron (pronounced Katy), a homeschooled teenager, who spent her youth in Africa with her zoologist parents, and learns to socialize in high school in America. She also finds a way to get back at the mean girl Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams, while learning life lessons. It became such an iconic comedy hit that it developed a Broadway play and a new film version possessing its songs.
A few differences in this new version include Cady (Angourie Rice) just has a single mom (Jenna Fischer), she doesn’t need to be so dramatic about canceling her plans with her mother just so she could secretly throw a party, and her new outsider friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damien (Jaquel Spivey) are gay. The rest is basically the same as the 2004 hit, as they’re all against the Plastics consisting of Regina (Renee Rapp reprising her stage role) and her lackeys including the neglected Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and the incredibly stupid Karen (Avantika Vandanapu), Cady deliberately fails math so she can get tutored by the cute boy Aaron (Christopher Briney), and Regina has a Burn Book, which she uses against the whole school.
Now, this may sound like I’m spoiling the film, but these are just examples of what went down in the original film and what goes down here. But the biggest difference are the songs, which show off some school spirits and how the main heroine adapts to normal school life. Or, at least, tries to. After all, high school movies have their own categories of students from the jokes to the nerds to the Plastics.
A few days before I saw this new version, I had to rewatch the original movie and it was an enjoyable movie with a main heroine we can relate to. It had every reason to be an iconic teen movie. This new version doesn’t top that, but, at least, it tries to come as close with its sense of humor, lively performances, and entertaining musical numbers.
Tina Fey (who also wrote the original screenplay) and Tim Meadows both reprise their 2004 roles as math teacher Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, who both have a thing for each other. And you also have some new cast members including Jon Hamm as the health teacher Coach Carr, Ashley Park (also a stage alumni) as a French teacher, and Busy Phillips as Regina’s mom Mrs. George. And another familiar face shows up.
This “Mean Girls” should definitely bring fans of the 2004 movie and play to the theater, and I wouldn’t blame them for wanting to see it. I, myself, was entertained by the singing, comedy, and nostalgia, but I was also conflicted by its direction by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., and by some of its decisions, which seem inferior to the original film. And I still think Cady doesn’t need to be so dramatic about canceling her plans with her mom.
The most lively performances in the film come from Cruvalho, Spivey, and Rapp, who all have the right kind of spark and tune to bring out their characters. And I really think it’s funny when Regina screams after finding out the bars Cady gives her make her gain weight, as she wanted to be skinnier.
There were times when I was entertained by its choice of exuberance, and times when I wished it would take the kind of risks to step outside its comfort zone. This version plays it too safe, but at least it has the right music to have us dancing. I stick to the classics, and it’s not a guy thing. After all, I did have “Barbie” and “Joy Ride” on my Best of 2023 list, so I don’t need to remind you. But see what you think of this version, and get back to me.
