Directed by Samantha Jayne + Arturo Perez Jr.
Written by Tina Fey
For some my age, it may seem peculiar that we would need a remake of Mean Girls, a somewhat seminal artifact of my young adulthood. Seminal for capturing Lindsay Lohan at her peak, along with a star cast which included Rachel McAdams, Lizzy Caplan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert and a host of SNL alums, and for it’s content relating to high school life. Well, that was surprisingly 20 years ago, a term plenty long enough to warrant a re-adaptation. Not much, I take it, has changed in the high school landscape when it comes to cliques, bullying and the interpersonal dynamics, other than social media, which perhaps heightens everything. So in that regard, it makes all the sense in the world for a remake this year, and one which takes advantage of the hit Broadway musical version of the tale, and the musical momentum that currently abounds in Hollywood, coming off a Holiday season that saw both Wonka and The Color Purple succeed.
The main storyline has not changed much. Cady Herron (Angourie Rice) has just transferred into North Shore High after her mother (Jenna Fischer) takes a job at nearby Northwestern after a stint of field research in Kenya. Having been previously home schooled, Cady must adjust to life in modern day high school. She gets taken under the wing of Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), a quirky pair of independents. But after an invitation to sit with the Plastics (the popular girls), Cady embarks on a mission to embarrass the queen bee Regina George (Renee Rapp) and her minions Karen (Avantika) and Gretchen (Bebe Wood). Along the way, Cady starts to fall for Regina’s ex, Aaron (Christopher Briney), and begins to unravel, blurring the line of friendship and enemy with everybody.
To start, my intention with this review is not to compare this film in any way, shape, or form to the original iteration. First off, it’s likely been too long for any comparisons to be accurate, and two, I think that would be extremely short-sighted, as the 2024 version of the story is intending to do something completely different, albeit the same. That may seem confusing, but the core of the story remains the same, but the mechanics, the times, the cast: all different. The film really takes advantage of the age of social media and the horrors that it provides our current generation of students. Word spreads so fast. Bullying, even if unintentional, is prevalent and cutting. I would want nothing with being “online” while in high school, it’s horrifying and Mean Girls captures it in a smart, creative way with multiple numbers involving TikTok and Snapchat, and whatever other apps I’m not familiar with.
And what sets the film apart from the original the most is the musical aspect along with the casting choices. Because the film is a musical, the casting choices mostly had to be along different lines. The characters are largely the same, but the performances morph perfectly into the new musical format. The film plays to the cast’s strengths, which seems like an obvious decision by the filmmakers, but is harder to accomplish in practice. The musical numbers aren’t particularly memorable (I can’t remember the songs much), but they’re effective and fit the narrative and the entire cast is game. Directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. show a lot of creativity in staging, choreography, and camera movements, capturing the energy of a Broadway musical on film.
Admittedly, it took me some time to adjust to the new format, the new style of the film as compared to the original. That’s more on me than on the film itself, especially considering I knew it was a musical coming into things. But the film really gains momentum and we get close to these characters and feel a certain connection and rooting interest. Most young adults and kids these days probably don’t have any connection or knowledge of the original, which makes this an opportunity to introduce something new and exciting, and I can certainly see it making a cultural impact and being a January hit in theaters. Not only does it have the built-in interest of fans of the original, but it’s a smart, fun, and good new movie being delivered in a month known for being a dumping ground of bad movies for studios. This has to be a hit.
Corndog Chats 