Hollywood sure does love a remake, and it seems like they churn out a new one every week. Though some go well, most go bad - but Mean Girls? It’s a mean, musical machine that delivers extreme highs and lows for a bright, if inconsistent, package.
Mean Girls was already a beloved comedy film, and the new version builds on a lot of the distinct humour and strong plot from the original that make it so sharp and splashy. Some elements have improved the materials, though others have made it worse.
The story is almost identical: junior teen Cody Heron (Angourie Rice) moves to Illinois from Kenya, and she’s caught between groups of rival friends and students at her new high school as she navigates what it means to be a real friend and what it means to get revenge on the mean girls - namely, the popular girls known as "the Plastics."
In 2004, legendary comedian Tina Fey wrote the first film and it became a landmark in comedy that’s sustained its popularity even today. In 2018, that was reimagined as a stage musical on Broadway that ran for two years, and the popular show only closed due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, almost exactly 20 years later, Paramount has revamped the title as a hybrid of the two, with Fey reworking her screenplay and songs written by the stage scoring team of Jeff Richmond (Fey’s husband) and Nell Benjamin. The end result is smartly adapted for the screen, yet still overly pop-y and mean-spirited in tone.
Angourie Rice is a charming Cady, building on a great character famously played by Lindsay Lohan, but Rice is supported by fantastic support in Janis (Auli’i Cravalho, best known for Disney’s Moana), Tony nominee Jaquel Spivey’s Damian and Reneé Rapp’s devious Regina George. The four lead players are all great.
The pop music is a far cry from the Broadway style of the stage version, and the numbers range from outstanding (like Janis’ anthem "I’d Rather Be Me" or group number "Revenge Party") to forgettable (like the slowed down "Stupid with Love"), but what’s the same as they all sound too similar to one another as cheap pop songs without discernible jokes, lyrics or rhythms.
What’s dramatically different is the film’s tone - in 2004 the editing was meant to only be a comedy film and it was silly, fast-paced and fun. This new Mean Girls plays the stakes much higher and with a snarky, cruel edge; it’s still a sweet ending, but the girls are nasty without being nearly as funny.
That cynicism is more reflective of 2024 teenagers, but it’s much less fun to watch on screen. This is a stronger story than the stage show and it’s a dramatic shift in style from the first movie. It may only hold strong appeal to nostalgic adults who like modern pop and remember the original film’s quotability.
In terms of production, the editing, cinematography, and choreography are all spectacular. Even so, Mean Girls won’t appeal to a large audience, and this new direction from Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. is too snarky.
But allowing great young talent loose on screen so they can sing their hearts out and goof off with endless joy? That’s music to my ears.
Mean Girls
6 out of 10
PG, 1hr 52mins. Musical Comedy.
Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.
Starring Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Bebe Wood, Avantika, Christopher Briney and Tina Fey.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill & VIP and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
