Even after twenty years,
Mean Girls remains a fetch time at the movies
FILM REVIEW
Mean Girls
3.5 out of 4 stars
Rudy S.
Headliner Chicago
Mean Girls
3.5 out of 4 stars
Rudy S.
Headliner Chicago
Mean Girls is not like a regular movie musical, it's a cool movie musical.
For the better part of 20 years, Mean Girls has become an integral part of pop culture. From wearing a pink on Wednesday to October 3rd celebrations to creating new words like Fetch and Grool. The 2004 teen comedyhad it all, and only continues to become more popular as the years go by.
Tina Fey adapted Queen Bees and Wannabees for the screen, then for the stage, and then this new version incorporating the two predecessors. It's really easy to see why Mean Girls is popular. The story is a timeless tale of cliques, meaning of friendship and phases that every teenager goes through at some point in high school. Plus, everyone knows a Regina George 'Queen Bee' person either at school, work, or neighborhood.
I remember seeing the original 2004 film in the theater, and instantly becoming a fan. When the musical hit Broadway, I planned a trip to New York and made sure to see the show on a Wednesday (of course). Life was different in 2004 and the 2018 musical gave us updates with storylines and technology. The stage production was everything I wanted it to be from the soundtrack to the updated story, while also staying true to the original film. So yes, I had high expectations for this film.
Six years after the musical's debut, the world is a very different place from 2018 and we await Tina Fey to bring new life into this story. Audiences should go in knowing that some of the storylines from the original film were updated for the stage and that's the version we're seeing in this new movie musical. There were also a few jokes from the original script that wouldn't fly in 2024, and those have been removed or updated. Even from the 2018 musical, in the song Sexy, a line referring to Rosa Parks has been changed to Joan of Arc in the updated film version.
First off, if you saw the Broadway show or tour of the musical, you'll be in for a treat. Most of the songs are featured in the new film, along with two new tracks 'What Ifs' and 'Not My Fault'. If you're a fan of the original film, you'll get iconic quotes and characters along with some surprising twists. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows both return in their original roles along with a surprise cameo from Lindsay Lohan.
Renee Rapp, Angourie Rice, Jaquel Spivey. Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney and Auli'i Cravalho bring new life into Mean Girls and find a beautiful balance of both honoring the OG characters and giving them their own twist. There are moments, when you await on how certain scenes or iconic dialogue is going to play out, but rarely did I find myself comparing the casts.
One thing I do love about all the Mean Girls incarnations is the impact of Chicagoland on Tina Fey's scripts. While we don't get to see any Chicago landmarks, we still get references to Northwestern University, North Shore and traveling a short distance to Madison, Wisconsin. A few Chicagoland moments from the original film do not appear in this film such as the shopping trip to Old Orchard Mall and Tim Meadows line where he says "I did not leave the southside for this' during the hallway chaos scene with the Burn Book.
OG Mean Girls fans are always going to hold the original film close to their hearts, and I am right there with you. The movie musical will surprise fans with character updates and interpretations of the original plot. I really hope in 10 to 15 years, Tina Fey brings us another updated version, because we can only imagine how the high school experience will be at that point. If we can remake and update works of Shakespeare, there's no reason we can't with modern stories that continue to have something to say.
Six years after the musical's debut, the world is a very different place from 2018 and we await Tina Fey to bring new life into this story. Audiences should go in knowing that some of the storylines from the original film were updated for the stage and that's the version we're seeing in this new movie musical. There were also a few jokes from the original script that wouldn't fly in 2024, and those have been removed or updated. Even from the 2018 musical, in the song Sexy, a line referring to Rosa Parks has been changed to Joan of Arc in the updated film version.
First off, if you saw the Broadway show or tour of the musical, you'll be in for a treat. Most of the songs are featured in the new film, along with two new tracks 'What Ifs' and 'Not My Fault'. If you're a fan of the original film, you'll get iconic quotes and characters along with some surprising twists. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows both return in their original roles along with a surprise cameo from Lindsay Lohan.
Renee Rapp, Angourie Rice, Jaquel Spivey. Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney and Auli'i Cravalho bring new life into Mean Girls and find a beautiful balance of both honoring the OG characters and giving them their own twist. There are moments, when you await on how certain scenes or iconic dialogue is going to play out, but rarely did I find myself comparing the casts.
One thing I do love about all the Mean Girls incarnations is the impact of Chicagoland on Tina Fey's scripts. While we don't get to see any Chicago landmarks, we still get references to Northwestern University, North Shore and traveling a short distance to Madison, Wisconsin. A few Chicagoland moments from the original film do not appear in this film such as the shopping trip to Old Orchard Mall and Tim Meadows line where he says "I did not leave the southside for this' during the hallway chaos scene with the Burn Book.
OG Mean Girls fans are always going to hold the original film close to their hearts, and I am right there with you. The movie musical will surprise fans with character updates and interpretations of the original plot. I really hope in 10 to 15 years, Tina Fey brings us another updated version, because we can only imagine how the high school experience will be at that point. If we can remake and update works of Shakespeare, there's no reason we can't with modern stories that continue to have something to say.
Mean Girls
opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, January 12
opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, January 12