Mean Girls (2024) User Reviews

More Is Better, and this version is Less

[writetonight-1 · 6/10 · 13 January 2024]

For those of you who are fans of the Broadway musical, here is a list of the missing music: "It Roars" (replaced with a song that's not as good) "Where Do You Belong?" (What were they thinking by leaving out this showstopper?!) "Meet The Plastics" (Only Regina's first few verses were sung. Gretchen & Karen's parts were cut) "Fearless" "Stop" (Again, what were they thinking by cutting out a showstopper?) "What's Wrong With Me" (reprise) "Whose House Is This?" "More Is Better" "Do This Thing"

This is supposed to be a film version of the musical, not a remake of the original fetch & flawless film. So, leaving out so many songs was a bad idea. The characters all suffered from this choice; they all seemed too bland.

Cady did not sing "Apex Predator." Instead, Damian sang "And though Janice is great, she does not have this power," while Janice shrugged. This was such a poor choice, because we didn't see Cady falling under Regina's spell. Gretchen's changing relationship with Regina didn't play out well. The actress who played Gretchen captured the character when she spoke, but when she sang "What's Wrong With Me" in Regina's closet, it just didn't make me feel for her. Something got lost in translation.

A lot of the comedy was lost in this version. Although "Sexy" was filmed well, Karen just wasn't as funny as she was in the 1st movie or the Broadway version. Damian wasn't as funny; without his biggest songs, he didn't shine.

"Fearless" may not have been the biggest hit song, but I felt the loss of it. There needed to be a sharply hit moment when Cady realizes she is the new Queen Bee, freed of her oppressive relationship with Regina. The original film used voiceover to convey that realization and the musical used the song "Fearless." The film musical kind of glossed it over.

Another thing that was missing was the image of all the plastics walking together, all looking beautiful and glamorous. "Being in the Plastics was like being famous." On Broadway, "Apex Predator" captured that feel, but in this movie, the song focused on Regina alone and lost the power of the clique.

The Plastics just weren't feminine enough. Everyone looked too tough. It was like this version took place at the "south side" school that the principal said he left in the original. Even the nerds didn't seem nerdy enough. Regina started out looking like she had already been eating Calteen bars for months and we didn't see her change after Cady tricked her.

The chemistry between Cady and Aaron also did not come through. Leaving out "More Is Better" and the Aaron's part in "Stupid With Love" didn't help.

"I See Stars" was a magical finale on Broadway, but this film did not end with musical magic.

What did I like? "Revenge Party" was still lots of fun and it was filmed in a colorful way. "World Burn" was done well, and "I'd Rather Be Me" had a great energy.

Not so mean girls

[mjanelle-24974 · 6/10 · 14 January 2024]

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I love the original, and of course, i know this is a different movie, based on the Broadway musical based on the original (and all written by Tina Fey). Of course i know that there was no need for a direct remake, since the original was near perfection. However, this just didn't work. There was no chemistry, no motivation for the characters. I did like that it's done from Damian and Janice's point of view. But the rest of it feels flat.

The positives - Renee Rapp has a voice on her, as does Jeremy Spivey. For me they were the highlights of the show. There are some cute moments. Some new lines, but nothing really memorable or quotable.

So, meh. It was OK.

It's like watching several music videos with a modern mean girls in between

[ebbamadsen · 5/10 · 10 January 2024]

It was fun but not a good movie. The music is really meant for live action and the movie kinda just looks like a bunch of music videos. The original is way better and has better pacing than this version. Plus 80% of the actors are not fit for the roles they got. It's also missing the best part which is the original Christmas show dance. Some of the meta jokes were fun but they didn't space them out enough. The mean girls were not mean enough and it seems they were very afraid of offending which I get but this feels like they put safety guards on bullying. Also the lesson is punched so in face you can't not understand it and made me feel like they thought I am stupid.

The same thing but a little worse?

[bkaprosy · 6/10 · 22 January 2024]

We decided to go see this even after seeing the subpar reviews. That's what it is, it is a worse but still not bad Mean Girls. Good for a reboot, bad for a Movie. I think that the casting for Regina is good, I was worried about Reneé Rapp but she was by far the best plastic. I think Gretchen was cast well, but Karen and Katy I think ruined the movie. The theater was empty. They should have gone all in on the musical aspect or not at all. There were maybe 4 songs that I remember but otherwise it was just them talking. It is almost the identical plot. Instead of watching this, or God forbid spending money on it, just watch the original Mean Girls again.

Mediocre at Best

[TheJujuZoo · 6/10 · 14 January 2024]

For anyone who has never seen or heard the musical I'm sure they'd enjoy it. For any fans of the musical, you definitely won't.

All of the songs felt very lackluster (except for I'd Rather Be Me). Cut the best songs in the musical, which totally altered the narrative and chemistry of characters.

Cady's actress completely lacked the excited naivety of Cady which causes her to fall under Regina's spell. I also think the actress did not have the vocal ability for songs like It Roars and Apex Predator, which is why one was cut and the other was sung by Damien. And it's why Stupid with Love had to be majorly softened for her, instead of the excited jumpy song in the original. She would've been a great Cady if this were just a remake of the original, not a screen adaptation of the musical.

A lot of the chemistry between the characters fell short for me. Gretchen was way too mild mannered, not the busy bee gossip she's supposed to be masking her insecurities. And in the end, her song about insecurities was pointless bc her relationship with Regina didn't come full circle. Karen's actress nailed her role and provided some comic relief but it fell short a lot. Cutting their part in Meet the Plastics was tragic. The original song is great and actually very funny. A lot of the cut songs would've nailed the comic relief the movie was desperately trying to fill with dialogue.

The directive choice to sing and talk at the camera constantly like it's a phone was off putting to me. I understand they're going for a more "modern social media" style, but to me it just didn't land. It was borderline uncomfortable.

I think the musical was about as perfect as a musical adaptation could've been, so it's sad they somehow mucked it up by changing almost everything and cutting the highlights for no reason. It wasn't a long movie there was plenty of time for some of the cut songs.

I would rewatch it with friends but simply to make fun of it, but as a whole I did not enjoy it.

Mean Girls for TikTokers who have never seen Mean Girls

[Imashelbob · 1/10 · 6 February 2024]

This was the worst movie I've ever seen. The most unnecessary remake to ever be made. I didn't watch the trailer or read reviews before I went to the cinema because Mean Girls is one of my favorite movies of all times, so thought surely it has to be good.

But it wasn't. As soon as the opening scene started I realized I'm going to have a hard time finishing the movie. Why was this like watching a 2 hour TikTok? Why did this have to be a musical? Why were all the songs so bad? Why was the acting so bad? Why were the only good parts about this movie, the parts they just copied from the OG? Which makes it even worse, because that means there was absolutely NO reason for this remake. You would only maybe enjoy it if you have not seen the original so the good jokes are original to you. I hated every minute of this movie.

Mean Girls may not reach the heights of the original, but its comedy and solid delivery of musical numbers make it a must-see

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 15 January 2024]

My wife and I caught Mean Girls (2024) in theaters last night. This musical tells the story of a girl homeschooled in Africa who returns to the U. S. and faces the challenges of high school - navigating cliques, understanding popularity, and trying to survive.

This picture is codirected by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. (Where Have All the Flowers Gone), and stars Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys), Reneé Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Jaquel Spivey, Avantika (Senior Year), Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Tina Fey (Date Night) and Tim Meadows (The Ladies Man).

This musical rendition of "Mean Girls" is brilliant, showcasing some characters, songs, and circumstances that outshine others. Overall, it's a worthwhile experience. Reneé Rapp, Avankita, and Bebe Wood shine, rivaling or even surpassing "The Plastics" from the original. Angourie Rice delivers a solid performance, though less compelling than Lindsay Lohan, and Christopher Briney holds his own. The entire cast is stunning, and Jaquel Spivey delivers an amazing breakout performance. The "Cautionary Tale" opening and the two songs during the costume sequence stand out, along with the "wild animals" high school scene. The sets, attire, and props are impeccably chosen, making the unfolding story enjoyable despite its predictability.

In conclusion, Mean Girls may not reach the heights of the original, but its comedy and solid delivery of musical numbers make it a must-see. I'd score this a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend it, especially for fans of the original movie.

The more I think about this movie, the less I like it. A poor imitation of a classic.

[ryanpersaud-59415 · 4/10 · 17 January 2024]

You know when you photocopy something and the copy looks slightly worse? That's how I feel about Mean Girls (2024). It's an impression of the 2004 classic, a sometimes fun one, but ultimately, far worse in every regard.

Let's get this out of the way: this is a musical. I's not bad because it's a musical, it's just a bad one. The songs are pretty terrible; I can't remember a single melody from any of them. They all sound overly flat and processed, and mixed terribly. No duets or ensemble songs either; they all feel designed to be pop songs, which is decidedly a TERRIBLE way to write songs for a musical. Secondly, the songs don't advance the plot at all, often focusing on surface level aspects of a scene. Also, the lyrics are just flat out bad. Why start "Sexy" as an ode to Halloween, but then completely abandon that fun premise and have it sound like a generic EDM pop song? Why sing Apex Predator that grating way?

Not to mention, this film lacks the iconic score and theme music from the original, aside to briefly remind you of the better movie. Most of the scenes at least feel silent and frankly, kind of awkward.

Awkward is probably the best way to describe a lot of the performances. Many of them are impressions of the original, and while some are fun: Bebe Wood gives a decent *impression* of Lacey Chabert's Gretchen Weiners, but without the manic intensity. Avantika is cute and funny at times as Karen, but also acts utterly braindead, unlike Seyfried, who really humanized the role. All the characters' base aspects are dialed up to 11, which makes me suspect the writers didn't understand them in the first place.

Three stick out: Cady (played by Angourie Rice) made me realize how fantastic Lindsay Lohan was as the character 20 years ago. Lacking an internal narration (given to Damien and Janice, which suits a stage play but not a film), she's a boring and lifeless character, played by Rice, who often seems uncomfortable in the role and frankly, can't sing. Not to mention her relationships with the Plastics and even Janice and Damien never really feel "real." The only time she's convincing is when she's pining over Christopher Briney's Aaron Samuels (who is amazingly even less a presence here than in the original).

Janice (Auli Cavalho) is perhaps the most illustrative of how thin and weak the writing and performances are. Not only does Cavalho not hold a candle to the biting, punk rock essence of Lizzie Caplan's Janice, but she's an objectively worse character. OG Janice was charming and smart, but we all understood that she still wanted to be liked and was deeply HURT by Regina. Even whilst hating her, she wanted to at least be THOUGHT OF by Regina. Here, predictably, Janice is effortlessly cool, confident, and has none of the internal darkness the original did. Not to mention that they end up making her a lesbian, which defeats the entire point of the character. Janice looked and acted a certain way not because of her sexuality, but because that's who she was. The reveal that she is, in fact, straight, wasn't an indictment of "lesbianism". It simply reminds us not to make assumptions about people.

And then there's Renee Rap's Regina George. Oh boy. Rachel McAdams wasn't an iconic antaognist because she was "mean," which is what the writers seem to have thought with this new version. She was smart, calculated, extremely aware of her power and privilege, and unafraid to wield it. Renee walks down the halls and sings about how great she is, but never demonstrates the meanness or the power that Regina is SUPPOSED to have. They softened her character to such an extent that it's hard to believe she'd do most of the terrible things people say she did, to be honest. Rap looks like Regina, but she just doesn't hold a candle.

The entire script lacks the meanness and bite of the original, which is core to its identity (it was frequently described as a "dark comedy"). That script was near perfect, so layered with characters, iconic lines, scenes, dynamics...

This script feels toned down, toothless, and lame. When they (frequently) redo scenes in this one, they're always worse. When they rewrite scenes, they're always worse. Even the side characters, such an integral part of making Northshore feel REAL, only show up to say their iconic lines and leave. They also, uniformly, look way better than the original people in their roles.

The entire point of that casting was to make Mean Girls FEEL real. That ugly and beautiful people coexist in these spaces and unfortunately, there is a hierarchy there. When everyone looks nice, when everyone seems equally confident, when the film doesn't explore the dynamics of the Plastics or the social hierarchy of high school, when the off colour moments like the racial cliques and Coach Karr and Ms. Norberry being a sad divorced lady (and not happily married, in what feels like fan service for the sake of it), the movie just feels like what a lot of modern remakes feel like: lacking the soul of the original. To sum up how bad the writing is, they have Damien literally say "only Cady could've wrote that," in the (admittedly funny) recreation of the final Burn Book scene. A moment that was implied through glances between characters needs to be explained to the audience here.

I could go on and on, but this is long enough. Mean Girls 2024 is good for one thing, reminding you of the excellent original and making you want to watch it again.

They did a great job with this

[smg-06397 · 7/10 · 10 January 2024]

All who were involved did a great job with this - it comes up really well on screen.

As a massive fan of the original ir is so hard not to compare it, especially as it has the same story lines and characters.

With the dialogue that was the same, I felt the actors in this movie delivered it identical to the original, even facial expressions and the outfits were the same. I would have liked the new actors to have put their own take on it.

I went on a preview night, so the cinema was full and with what I assume was all people familiar with the original, so the laughs really only happened with the new material - which I did have some lol moments myself.

I didn't care much for the singing, but found it wasn't as often as I thought it would be.

Was there a need to remake the movie? I'd say no, but it's fun a great cast and it's enjoyable.,

Why Was This Movie Made?

[AngelHonesty · 3/10 · 21 February 2024]

A poor imitation of the original. It follows the same plot line and events as the original movie, but does it in a way that it so cringe and painful to watch. The movie felt like a theatrical high school musical play. The musical part did not help the movie in anyway. And some of the songs and scenes were so cringe, like when they pretend to be animals. The movie had a really strong massage about not bullying or putting people down, because we are all just people with feelings at the end of the day...

The film moved really quickly because it had to make room for the singing. It was over the top light and airy. The movie feels like it's trying too hard to be funny. If anything the movie felt like a parody, mocking the original film. By the middle of the movie I wanted to walk out, it got so boring and exhausting to watch.

The entire film can be summed up in this one message, they push really hard. "Calling someone ugly is not gonna make you better looking. Calling someone else stupid does not make you any smarter. And as women we have to be able to trust and support each other"

Great Adaptation!

[rector_katelynn · 9/10 · 14 January 2024]

This movie musical was great! This adaptation did a wonderful job at staying true to the original plot while keeping the modern feel. I see people are upset that all of the original broadway songs were not included, but they don't understand how it needed to be adapted for a screen. The cast was amazing and absolutely slayed. They are so talented, and I'm glad the world gets to see that. The audience I attended with enjoyed the movie and laughed the whole time. The cameos from the original movie and broadway play made it ten times better. For people that didn't enjoy it, they simply do not have taste.

Renee Rapp and Auli'l Cravalho and carried the cast through this movei

[emilymaywoodward · 6/10 · 19 January 2024]

Wish they put their own spin on it instead of recycling the same jokes and changed the music to be 'less offensive' I guess. However when I didn't hear 'Janice is a space duke' I was very upset (from a member of lgbtqia+ community).

Renee Rapp and Auli'l Cravalho were absolute perfection in this movie and were the only 2 cast members to bring something different to the role. They had so much fun with it and you can tell that they didn't need a lot of direction as this comes naturally. The reactions from cast and crew felt like a GCSE drama piece but the dancing was fantastic. I'm a massive theatre fan but this was the only movie musical I found myself begging them to stop singing (apart from Renee and Auli'l)

I don't know where Angourie Rice was pulling that Cady Herron from but what a snoozefest, I found her flat, boring and just uninteresting to watch. Would be interesting to see what someone else would have don't with the role.

I wouldn't watch again.

Not very fetch

[mrashtastic89 · 2/10 · 14 January 2024]

The original 2004 comedy Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters and starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've seen it too many times to count in many different fashions, so needless to say I was extremely nervous to view this version, because what if it was ruined? And need I say, it was pretty awful. I mean come on, a cringey modernized musical version that nobody asked for? Why?

This version took everything that was original and fresh about the original and puts it to shame, instead of being funny it was focused on cramming every social media platform ever, TikTok? Check, Instagram? Check, etc. And frankly it was not fun seeing these iconic characters burst into song at the most random moments ever, 2 songs from the Broadway version weren't even in the thing 💀.

Renee Rapp hard carried, but if it weren't for her this would be a 1-star.

D-

Entertaining and fun!

[andapan1 · 7/10 · 15 January 2024]

This movie was better than I was expecting it to be. While remakes are often very poorly done and just straight cash grabs, I didn't feel that way about this one. I went in with low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised.

Now, that's not to say this a masterpiece of a movie, with some really deep meanings or anything like that. But it is a fun movie. Some of the songs were enjoyable and entertaining, albeit a bit silly. But that's part of what makes them fun! I enjoyed the choreographing, and the visual aesthetics created for a couple of the songs were (dare I say it) quite fetch. There were a few jokes here and there that didn't hit, but for the most part I thought that the humor was also well done.

Go into this movie with an open mind, and I think you'll find out it's alright. It's not the original Mean Girls, but it's certainly not a disgrace to the franchise in my opinion. Sit back, relax, and just appreciate the entertainment from a good, solid movie.

Gruel and fetch, except for the songs

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 10 January 2024]

Greetings again from the darkness. High School is a challenging time. High School girls can be mean, especially to each other. Those two points were made quite clearly in the 2004 film MEAN GIRLS, written by the brilliant Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters. The film struck a chord with that generation both emotionally and through vocabulary. Society has seen many changes since 2004, but evidently High School is still challenging, and High School girls are still often mean. That film was adapted for a musical stage production in 2017, and now that Broadway musical has been adapted back to the big screen for a new generation. Tina Faye returns as screenwriter (and as math teacher Ms. Norbury), and the new film is co-directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.

This is my first sojourn into MEAN GIRLS territory. Of course, I have come across 'mean' girls in real life, but I have not watched the 2004 film, the 2011 sequel (a TV movie), or the live musical production. Angourie Rice (THE NICE GUYS, "Mare of Easttown") plays Cady Heron, the home-schooled girl who transfers to North Shore High when she and her mother (Jenna Fisher) relocate from Kenya. Excited for her new adventure, yet uncomfortable as the new kid, Cady is schooled on the social hierarchies (cliques) by artsy Janis (Auli'I Cravahlo, the voice of MOANA) and proud gay Damian (a talented Jaquel Spivey). Most of the education revolves around "The Plastics", a trio of snooty girls: the not smart Karen Shetty (Avantika), the desperate to be seen Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood), and their leader and school villain, wealthy diva Regina George (Renee Rapp in the role made famous by Rachel McAdams).

Regina takes an interest in Cady (a near clone of Amy Adams) and high school life devolves into the mess that it too often is. Cady falls for hot boy and fellow Calculus classmate Aaron (Christopher Briney, DALILAND). This immediately changes the dynamics since Aaron is Regina's ex. Petty jealousies intensify and personalities shift wreaking more havoc on relationships that were never very deep. Brief supporting roles are covered by Jon Hamm as the clueless coach and health teacher, Ashley Park ("Beef") as a teacher, an over-the-top Bijou Phillips as Regina's mom, and Tim Meadows as the fed-up Principal. Meadows is the only actor to appear in all three MEAN GIRLS movies, and he and Tina Fey each nail a couple of zingers. And yes, you can expect a couple of cameos.

The intended message is valuable and delivered clearly, however, for a musical, it's the songs that often seem weak and sometimes forced. A couple of the songs land, but most miss the mark. Renee Rapp nails her song at the Halloween Party, and Auli'I Cravahlo is truly a standout when she gets the opportunity to showcase that voice. "Gruel" and "fetch" are recycled here for effect, and though the songs are a bit disappointing, we do hope the message is received by a new generation (even if most of these actors look like they should be out of college, rather than clunking through high school).

Opens nationwide in theaters on January 12, 2024.

Not funny. Not original. What is it then? Headache causing.

[imseeg · 3/10 · 24 January 2024]

Wanna experience a headache caused by an avalanche of failed jokes? Try watching this flick for more than 15 minutes.

The bad: I tried, I really tried to watch it through, but what's painfully obvious from the very start is that the jokes all fall flat. I just didnt laugh once. What's a comedy without some solid jokes? But then again, comedy is quite personal, perhaps a teenage crowd wont mind the avalanche of lame jokes, that gave me a headache.

Not any good then? Tina Fey wrote this stuff. She often gets it right when it comes to comedy, I love some of her other work, but somehow this movie just tanked.

Enjoyed it more than I expected.

[AfricanBro · 6/10 · 20 January 2024]

Two really elderly gentlemen came to the early release and I thought that was adorable. Anyway so, I watched the 2004 one, I was kinda shocked the new one's a musical. I don't think I'd have gone to see this if I knew. The '04 had a better start, I really liked the rifle joke. Though I didn't plan on comparing them extensively, they're so similar that it feels more like a remake for the new generation than paying homage.

I like that it retained the same teachers, with the principal still dealing with the same arm issue, and the slang 'fetch' persisting. Many elements remained unchanged, making it more of a remake, as mentioned. I have mixed feelings about Reneé Rapp as Regina; having seen her in 'The Sex Lives of College Girls,' I felt like I was watching Leighton Murray's high school experience before college.

In other ways I'm glad I watched the first mean girls so I got references but in other ways it'd be better if you forgot about it before now. Maybe watching this with a vague memory, because I had finished watching Lindsay Lohan's mean girls literally 20min before going to see the new one.

Songs were great and I'm not a musical person, but I got tired of them after a while. Also, I'm unsure if the remake was overdone; now I don't know any high schoolers to confirm if it's an accurate portrayal of Gen Z, but it felt exaggerated. The first Mean Girls felt more believable and relatable, maybe you didn't see yourself in any specific characters but you could've known someone like them from high school.

I don't like musicals and just like most of them I think the movie would've been fine and shorter if it was just normal film with no singing. However because it's so similar to the first one which was such a huge success, I guess it needed something to set it apart. Especially since it follows similar character tropes, stories and quotes, so I might not like musicals but it made sense.

A good laugh I got was the coach going "she should be lifting through her glutes." I love how it integrated 'TikTok' culture for modern day, because that made me think of all the gym pundits who're always reacting to stuff and criticizing form. However I was the only one who burst out laughing in the theater at that part. But generally the movie did get laughs elsewhere. Like the Teacher, Tina Fey trying to sing was hilarious.

It's pretty predictable because the bulk of the story is mostly the same. Lindsay Lohan cameo was a nice touch. I love Amanda Seyfried, but I think Avantika played The dumb girl really well, it was hilarious. It's the one bit of this film I think it did better than the first, she was written better.

Overall, I think the first one is obviously better, but this remake is respectable. No one was asking for it. I enjoyed it more than expected, though it might not reach the cultural phenomenon status of the original, I think that'll probably go to Barbie.

Walked out!

[rogerdob · 1/10 · 18 January 2024]

I was very excited to see this movie, however the moxie was a mess. The film was directed by two inexperienced filmmakers...while it can be a courageous act to take a chance on unknowns, one should be certain if they have talent. All politically incorrect humor was removed, overuse of the "tik-tok" effect, terrible casting, songs that really weren't songs, and basic story-telling rules that are taught in Filmmaking 101 were ignored. I gave the movie 45 minutes of my time...I could not suffer through another hour of it! Tina Fey is an extremely talented writer...I don't what went wrong with her involvement...was it just a paycheck for her?

This Version is Just a Litlle Fetch

[Mini135 · 6/10 · 10 January 2024]

The new Mean Girls just arrived and I've watched it and I fell offended.

The old Mean Girls is one of my favourite movies of all time and I fell disrespected by this one.

Why are people changing phrases like "You Can't Join The Mathletes, that's social suicide" for "You Can't Join The Mathletes, that's socially ruinous"??? Why is the song for the Christmas Dance different and the dance isn't the same?

Angourie Rice can sing but can't sing very well... she needs more practice... Renné Rapp kills it and the Avantika Karen is just really dumb and clumsy... There are missing so many iconic parts... it could be much better...

Altought it's not the worst remake ever, it's not the best... I've watched to really bad remakes over the years... I liked this one but could have been much better...

Overall, it's a 6.5...

Renee's Back Must Hurt

[taybear-21075 · 4/10 · 12 January 2024]

Cady literally could not hold a tune in this MUSICAL movie. Renee was phenominal as well as 90% of the supporting cast. However, I thought that the way they redid the iconic rock songs seemed lazy and the camp theme from the broadway musical just was not hitting the same. Really felt like they were holding back with the jokes and the meanness of the movie. Cady was more unlikable than the main mean girl which is really saying something. The casting of Cady really put a bad taste in my mouth the whole movie - they took the OG songs and gave her parts to other cast members because she couldn't even hold a tune. Whoever her agent is needs to be fired bc why would they put that poor girl in a musical.

Funny

[ethandon-keter · 10/10 · 16 January 2024]

Such a funny movie ! Renee is amazing and the whole did amazing with what they given!! The Halloween scenes were the best of the whole movie ! Sexy and someone gets hurt and revenge party !! Loved seeing a diversity and the social media elements were fun too It's definitely a movie to watch if you want to be in good mood Gretchen deserved better ! And I loved seeing Damian and Janice being openly queer They should of put the full meet the plastics song but at least each plastic got their own song Overall this was just a fun silly movie definitely would watch again and have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat.

Hard to get through

[bahar_mod2004 · 15 January 2024]

I don't know why it had to be a musical but it was really really bad. Some of the characters were tolerable but overall the movie was hard to get through. Regina was probably the worst one, maybe just because her songs were terrible and just didn't sound right. I wish they'd made some other kind of change as part of doing a remake, and maybe the idea of a musical version sounds good but it just felt like the songs were forced. Janis and Karen's characters were the best I think, especially Janis who I think had the best singing and acting in the whole movie. Other than that, I can't say anything positive about it.

Fun remake revised with updated phrases

[stevencayer · 7/10 · 20 January 2024]

I can't believe MEAN GIRLS actually came out 20 years ago. I just remember how big of a pop culture moment it was back then. It had so many lines that people probably still use today, like it's ingrained in my generation. This generation is now getting a seat at the cafeteria table, MEAN GIRLS is back, this time based on the 2018 musical. For all you youngsters out there, this tells the story of a home-schooled teenage girl Cady (Angourie Rice) who moves from Kenya to dive head-first into the wild jungle that is high-school society. I have recently watched both versions now and here are the differences. The most obvious is that this version is a musical, full of songs that express the characters' feelings. To me, songs from musicals these days aren't very memorable, and this is no different. I've seen so many musicals just in the past month, maybe too many. My favorite one is still ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Anyway, I'm glad Tina Fey went back in the writer's chair and revised some outdated phrases and racist stereotypes that were in the original. This is the first movie directed by the team of Samantha Jane and Arturo Perez Jr, and I believe they did the original justice. The cast is very good, especially the queen bee with a capital B Regina George, played by Reneé Rapp. She actually played her in the Broadway musical, and I can definitely see why. I also really enjoyed some cameos. The message still resonates; Try not to lose sight of who you are. We're all just figuring it out together. Overall, I had fun with this generation's MEAN GIRLS, even though it's a musical. Fetch is happening again. You go Glen Coco!

Unnecessary

[chenp-54708 · 4/10 · 12 January 2024]

I don't see what's the point of doing another Mean Girls.

I enjoyed the original Mean Girls. I thought it was a clever take on the teen genre with fun dialogue and energy and the characters are memorable and hilarious. This adaptation is based on the broadway version of Mean Girls with a new cast (including some recurring actors) and musical numbers. But honestly, even with Tina Fey back, I didn't like it.

Throughout, many of the production designs, setting and the direction is solid although it does feel cheap like something from a straight to DVD project. Whether it was intentional to create a stage atmosphere, the cheap quality and production is lacking. The costumes, make-up and the lighting is solid and the direction from the filmmakers, while doing their best to handle the project, feels unbalanced regarding its satirical and comedic tones. The best aspects are the performances as the cast members do a pretty good job on performing their roles. Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, Christopher Briney and the rest of the cast members bring solid energy to their characters and roles. Regarding the singing, maybe it's because since I haven't seen the Broadway version, I found the musical numbers and singing to be not great and unmemorable as some of the songwriting and musical tones were either mid or pretty clunky.

The narrative, with some changes, is pretty much the same as the original but while the writing does try to create something fun, unlike the original, the narrative, chemistry, and energy doesn't feel the same as this one felt bland and derived to what made the original one really good. There were a few humor aspects that I did find to be good but otherwise, weak.

I understand this is based on the broadway version and it brings some new energy and grounds to the scene but I don't see what is the point of doing a new version for Mean Girls when the original is already iconic. I can see it being a spin and satirical take on the current era of teen generations but I just feel this new edition feels quite unnecessary.

Average but a good laugh!

[dustinjohson · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

Notable performances from Jaquel Spivey and Avantika Vandanapu, bringing the film to life with plenty of laughter. Plenty of references from the original film, however Cady Herron was certainly played better by Lindsay Lohan.

Overall I was left slightly underwhelmed with the film, had too many musical interjections, and the Regina George of 2024 wasn't quite the same as 2004. Albeit, the film was an easy watch and was a pleasant watch.

Gretchen was a played pretty well, however the best performance was definitely from Karen Shetty, who I expect to be featuring in a few more films after her performance.