Rebooting a movie is a daunting task, especially when it’s a classic like “Mean Girls.” The iconic original film, released in 2004, was based on a parent-help book called “Queen Bees and Wannabes.” In 2017, “Mean Girls” writer Tina Fey adapted the fan-favorite film into a Broadway musical. The recent reboot, “Mean Girls” (2024), is based on the Broadway musical adaptation of the original movie.
The movie, which was released to theaters on Jan. 12, follows the same tale as its musical and movie predecessors. Full of cliques, drama and weight-obsessed, mean teenage girls, the story follows protagonist Cady Heron as she embarks upon her first day of public American high school and quickly learns the social hierarchy. Throughout the film, Cady infiltrates the “Plastics”— the three most popular and prettiest girls at the school, led by apex predator Regina George. With her new friend’s guidance, Cady works to take the Plastics down so she can exact revenge and get the guy of her dreams.
As the 2024 musical hit theaters, initial reviews were mixed. On social media, it was blasted by both fans of the original musical and those who were previously unaware of the story’s existence. Some watchers went into the experience without even realizing that the film contained singing, as very few of the trailers contained clips of scenes with song and dance.
Going into the movie, my expectations were incredibly low because of the sheer number of awful reviews. As someone who has never seen the musical, I listened to the original soundtrack in order to compare it with the new one and be able to truly understand why the movie was getting so much backlash. But as the film progressed, I became more and more shocked. By the time it was over, I could not fathom how a movie like this could get so much criticism.
Renee Rapp, who starred as Regina George both on Broadway and in the 2024 reboot, has a voice so enthralling it almost distracts from the rest of the movie. Her powerful vocals and attitude create the perfect Regina, and any song she contributes to immediately becomes one of the best on the soundtrack. “World Burn,” one of the most anticipated songs in the adaptation, was as good, if not better than the original soundtrack.
This also stands true for “Someone Gets Hurt.” Not only is the song phenomenal, but the cinematography of the scene is perfect. The lighting, the singing and the suspense portray Regina perfectly in all her cold-blooded, villainous glory. If the entirety of the movie was absolutely awful, it would still get a 7/10 because of this scene alone.
Rapp isn’t the cast’s only strong member. Auli’i Cravalho plays Janice Sarkisian, the social outcast and ex-friend of Regina. Cravalho, who voiced the title character of “Moana” (2016), has a stunning voice that shines in songs like “Apex Predator.”
One of the best songs on the original soundtrack, “Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)” comes at an important turning point in Janice and Cady’s friendship. Cravalho flawlessly conveys the anger and passion in Janice through her stunning voice and an amazing rendition of an already great song, but devastatingly enough, the short reprise didn’t make it onto streaming services for the movie’s official soundtrack.
Aaron Samuels, the cute boy-next-door character who causes the main conflict of the film, is played by Chris Briney. While he portrays Aaron accurately in terms of his natural wholesomeness and role of being the eye candy, none of Aaron’s songs from the original Broadway soundtrack from the Broadway soundtrack made the cut for the film. Many fans speculate this is because Briney does not (and can not) sing.
While the movie was impressive, it was not without its faults. Angourie Rice, who plays protagonist Cady Heron, has a voice that is considerably underwhelming when compared with the other powerful singers featured in the film. “Stupid With Love,” a song that wasn’t great to begin with, somehow managed to be made worse in the movie, largely due to Rice’s monotone and emotion-lacking voice. Furthermore, camera choices for her scenes, such as a GoPro camera angle, felt out of place.
However, the few downsides of this film do not justify the heavy criticism that the movie is receiving. Much of it is directed towards the modern aspects of the dialogue, costume design and makeup. Many complained that Regina George would never use E.L.F. Makeup or wear SHEIN brand clothing. Others have pointed out that the way the characters speak is like “TikTok acting.”
The entire aim of “Mean Girls” is to dive into, and make fun of, high school stereotypes. In a modern world, high schoolers talk about social media and wear high-end makeup brand dupes and buy cheap clothes from fast fashion sites— much like the characters of “Mean Girls.” The intent of the film is not to create something life-changing or have a deep underlying meaning to be analyzed. Some things are, and should be, just for fun.
In cinema today, it is very rare to find a light-hearted, unserious movie that isn’t targeted towards children. Even films that seem fun and silly on a surface level have a deeper and more important underlying message; “Barbie” (2023), for example, highlights the negative effects of patriarchy.
There is nothing wrong with having movies that both utilize comedy and tackle heavy topics, but in today’s cinema, movies like “Mean Girls” are a refreshing break. We are beginning to see a resurgence of these types of films, such as the musical reboot of “Wonka” (2023). Both of these recent releases bring back the original and arguably most important goal of a film: to entertain. Whether you have seen the original Broadway musical or not, “Mean Girls” (2024) is a fun movie to watch, as long as you keep an open mind.
