Mean Girls (2004)

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers (WGA):

Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Tina Fey (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Welcome to Girl World.

Plot:

Cady Heron (Lohan) is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels (Bennett), the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George (McAdams).

Plot Keywords:

Friends Who Hate Each Other | Mini Skirt | Gay Slur | Lesbian Kiss | Book Burning

Awards:

7 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Lindsay Lohan	...	Cady Heron
Rachel McAdams	...	Regina George
Tina Fey	...	Ms. Norbury
Tim Meadows	...	Mr. Duvall
Amy Poehler	...	Mrs. George
Ana Gasteyer	...	Mrs. Heron
Lacey Chabert	...	Gretchen Wieners
Amanda Seyfried	...	Karen Smith
Lizzy Caplan	...	Janis Ian
Daniel Franzese	...	Damian
Neil Flynn	...	Mr. Heron
Jonathan Bennett	...	Aaron Samuels
Rajiv Surendra	...	Kevin Gnapoor
Elana Shilling	...	Spelling Girl
Graham Kartna	...	Homeschooled Boy

Also Known As:

Untitled 'Queen Bees and Wannabes' Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some teen partying.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Vietnamese | Swahili

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Iceland:L | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:6 | India:A | Ireland:12PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Germany:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Rachel McAdams was told to partly model the character of Regina George after Alec Baldwin's performance in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Regina and Cady are talking on the phone about Gretchen, Regina is eating a donut. At first, she has bitten into the hole of the donut. Later, the inner rim is still intact, and only part of the outside has been eaten.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chip Heron: This is your lunch, OK? I put a dollar in there so you can buy some milk; you can ask one of the big kids where to do that.
Betsy Heron: Do you remember your phone number? I wrote it down for you just in case. Put it in your pocket, I don't want you to lose it. OK? You ready?
Cady: I think so.

Movie Connections:

References Lean on Me (1989)

Soundtrack:

Fire

a "magnified" genuine portrayal of the downsides of female friend relations in adolescence

Had I seen the film a year, a month, a week or even a day earlier, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I did today when I was sitting in a small university auditorium, relating what I saw to the issues discussed by the professor prior to the projection, trying arduously to control the flow of thoughts and emotions in my brain.

Mean Girls is what a large number of people would consider a silly teen comedy. It tells the story of a previously home-schooled, brought up in Africa, adolescent who enters a cliquish high school environment. Essentially the film focuses our attention on a number of psychological issues touched in almost every similar teen movie. In the beginning the issue is adaptation to a new environment, and as the movie unfolds it centers on social cliques, female friend relationships, social prejudice, social influence, rivalry, or as the professor I heard put it - relational aggression.

What is especially interesting about the movie, in my opinion, is that it illustrates an unbelievably highly stratified societal group, and thus helps the viewer unequivocally identify with and easily take a stand on the issues discussed. Metaphorically it serves as a microscope for us to observe social interactions with. Moreover the actions of the protagonists are so blatantly right or wrong that they eliminate any ambiguity that might arise of considering the things happening in another environment or under other circumstances. That way the viewer simply focuses on the darkest characteristics of female interactions in society. In this sense the film is not about adolescent girls and their experiences in high school but rather about the most negative features of female friend relations in adolescence.

The very same genuineness of the film makes it so hilarious at many points. What prevents us from laughing at the ridiculous social trends, prejudices, and many people's beliefs, most possibly including ours, in reality is that our actual emotions and thoughts rarely come up to the surface. Even our actions in most situations are covert. Yet, paradoxically, our way of thinking is shaped by society which constitutes of other people who are also as secretive in this sense as we are. And this covert way of feeling and thinking contributes greatly to the growth of prejudice, misunderstanding, and ... meanness.

Revealing a prejudice I hold, I have always believed that the single most important objective of a film is to provide food for thought. That is why I think this teen comedy ranks among the best ones I have seen recently.