If you’re confused, that’s understandable. The new “Mean Girls” movie is a musical. A musical movie based on a Broadway musical based on a movie that is based on a book called “Queen Bees and Wannabees” by Rosalind Wiseman. We’ve seen both the original “Mean Girls” movie and the Broadway adaptation. The new movie, produced by Tina Fey, was very similar to both. They had many of the same lines as in the original movie and included breaks for songs. And we mean literally exactly the same in with all three adaptations.
Some moments were a little different, however. In the “Rocking Around the Pole” scene during the talent show, the characters perform a slightly different dance. Instead of the radio breaking and Cady saving the day, Regina falls and a video of her falling goes viral, showing how social media has changed life since the original movie came out. We liked the new storyline about Janice and Regina not being friends and how Janice became kind of a loner. The movie made a lot of effort to appeal to Gen Z with some product placement of the makeup brand e.l.f., which we found off-putting.
We thought the acting in “Mean Girls” was amazing. Renée Rapp gave an incredible performance as Regina George. Her powerful and strong voice enhanced her performance as the mean girl leader. However, we thought some of the costume choices for her character didn’t work. For example, a pink tie-dye long-sleeve corset top was a definite no for someone as stylish as Regina is supposed to be.
Avantika Vandanapu’s performance as Karen was hilarious because of her comedic timing. Angourie Rice added a new aspect to the character of Cady Heron by amplifying her social awkwardness, like in the song “Stupid with Love,” when Cady claims that she doesn’t know how to be in love and instead relies on math because of its structure and formulaic qualities.
We loved the cameo by Lindsey Lohan as the proctor of the mathlete competition. Our favorite character, though, was Damian, played by Jaquel Spivey because he provided most of the laughs.
Some of the singing could have been improved by casting people with better voices, and some songs were awkwardly placed. During the mathlete competition scene, a version of the song, “Stupid with Love” acted as Cady’s internal monologue. Such a high-pressure moment in the movie called for action, not a song.
We did enjoy most of the songs though. Our favorites were both sung by Renee Rapp, those being “World Burn” and “Someone Gets Hurt,” which takes place during a Halloween party. The creative visuals in “Someone Gets Hurt,” including a spinning room and frozen people, enhanced the weight of Regina George’s decision to kiss Aaron Samuels.
If we hadn’t seen the other works in the “Mean Girls” franchise, we would have been lost in the new “Mean Girls” movie, perhaps because it’s shorter and some of the important character development was left out. If you haven’t seen the previous versions, you might not enjoy it as much as we did. If you are a fan of the original “Mean Girls” movie or “Mean Girls The Musical,” this movie is definitely a must-watch.
