There’s been a trend, over the past few years, in Hollywood that involved studios reviving classic films that don’t necessarily warrant it. Most recently, we saw The Color Purple, a musical remake of the Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey-starring original from 1985. Cue Mean Girls, a remake of the original film from 20 years prior that also serves as an adaptation of the Broadway Musical that began its run in 2018.
If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Mean Girls, the film follows Cady Herron, this time played by an incredibly charismatic Angourie Rice. Cady is a new student at North Shore High School after being homeschooled in Kenya. She’s subsequently befriended by outcasts Damien (Jaquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and infiltrates “The Plastics”, the meanest girls in school. “The Plastics”, led by Regina George (Reneé Rapp in a reprisal of her performance as George on Broadway) befriend Cady. Little do they know that she’s already been recruited by Damien and Janice to sabotage their group.
What makes the original so good, and partly what helps this adaptation, are strong lead performances. Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams made the original 2004 film so good, and here those performances are upheld. Both Rapp and Rice do a really great job recreating the original characters. Though none can overcome the mountain left behind by the original Cady Herron and Regina George, it’s clear they made the right choice with these two.
Obviously, Tina Fey, who reprises her role as Ms. Norbury and who wrote the screenplay for this film, the original and the Broadway musical, made sure proper care was taken to adapt these aspects into this year’s Mean Girls.
That’s where the similarities between the two films end, however. Small callbacks and a great cameo from Lohan herself aside, there’s quite a bit to separate the two films. Most obviously, the myriad musical numbers that riddle throughout the film. I was mostly impressed by the scope of the numbers, but the music itself was mostly forgettable. I found it pretty clear that the filmmakers spent more time and budget on the massive set pieces for the songs than the entirety of the rest of the film.
But, as far as the film itself goes, I found myself wholly unimpressed. It’s incredibly hard to see this and not compare it to the 2004 film, even though it’s clearly more closely related to the stage musical than anything else. And to be completely honest, the original does it all better anyways.
It doesn’t help that there are some clearly awful performances riddled throughout. I don’t want to single any one actor/actress out, but it becomes pretty clear when you see Mean Girls. Couple that with the fact that most of the story just felt disregarded. The plastics, especially, weren’t even all that mean to be the basis of the entire film. They came across as what an out of touch writer’s room of middle-aged men would think gen z mean girls would be like.
Final Thoughts
I honestly have no idea why this movie was made. The original Mean Girls is way better, and the Broadway Musical is much more well-received. I just don’t understand the need to try and remake a classic just 20 years after it’s release. If you enjoy musicals (or if you enjoy Angourie Rice and Renee Rapp), then you may find some happiness here. Otherwise, just go watch the original.
