PLOT: Cady Heron is a hit with the Plastics, an A-list girl clique at her new school when she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
REVIEW: For those that weren’t there, it’s hard to describe just how massive Mean Girls was in the mid-2000s. It essentially changed the way high schoolers were represented in movies. I’m not usually a fan of these types of films yet Mean Girls has always stood out as a witty and clever comedy that is honestly pretty funny. But my enjoyment of the film didn’t go past that. The musical stage play or book that followed also received acclaim, though I’m not familiar with either. I simply went into this expecting a Mean Girls musical and that’s exactly what I got.
I’m going to do my best to not spend this entire review just comparing it to the original but it’s going to be hard not to drink from that well at least a little bit. Lindsay Lohan left a massive mark, so all eyes were on Angourie Rice. Thankfully, just like everything else she’s been in, Rice does a great job. Her voice isn’t the strongest when it comes to the music sections but she’s such a good actress that it doesn’t really matter. I’d actually say that if anything, it works for her character. Especially when she’s across from such a powerhouse in Reneé Rapp.
Regina George is enough of an iconic character that it’s reasonable for there to be trepidation from fans regarding someone else portraying her. Rachel McAdams did a phenomenal job and is a big reason why the role stood out so much. But Rapp fully embodies the character, bringing a believable gravitas to a 17-year-old girl that could have otherwise just been seen as a joke. Instead, Rapp is a revelation. It doesn’t surprise me to read that she’s a Broadway singer (even playing Regina) because her voice is incredible. The songs she belts have more energy to them and are a true highlight. If anything, I wanted more Regina.
In terms of the other plastics, there seemed to be an effort to develop them a little more this go around. At least that case can be made for Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood) who is given a little more agency. But Karen Shetty (Avantika) on the other hand is as stupid as ever…and it’s kind of brilliant. She’s a loveable doofus and it allows for a lot of subtle as well as over-the-top comedy. It goes unacknowledged, but she’s wearing a necklace that says her name and she constantly has it on backwards. It’s little details like this that keep her captivating throughout.
Tiny Fey and Tim Meadows both reprise their characters but with a nice little twist. They get some of the biggest laughs of the movie and it was nice to see them return. It’s also interesting to see how much Fey was able to improve with her screenplay this time around (she’s the sole credited writer, so she gets the credit, despite the likelihood of additional writers). There’s more care into “the why” of several scenes. And the inclusion of TikTok/Social Media immediately updated this to modern teenagers in a believable way. However, I do miss some of the off-color remarks made about cliques and appearance. This is assuredly a much nicer film in that regard.
Despite all of these similarities, they give more screen time to Janice and I think it’s the weakest part of the story. She was never anything more than a side character but they give her a bit too much. Her songs are the weakest and they even make the mistake of focusing more on her during a big moment, than the two characters it actually involves. I’m sure part of that is trying to throw off audience expectations, but it doesn’t work. And given that Janice is often sharing the screen with Damian, a consistent highlight, there are a lot of conflicting feelings going on.
I don’t often count myself as a fan of musicals but I’m tolerant of the good ones, and thankfully the music here doesn’t overstay its welcome. The first few songs are the weakest, but the film quickly catches a groove. The songs with Regina are an absolute highlight because Rapp knows how to impress but I also enjoyed some of the looser ones. I’m not sure this would win over non-musical fans, but it never becomes obnoxious. The choreography combines nicely with the cinematography, although I did get tired of the ever-changing aspect ratio.
Overall, I went into Mean Girls dragging my feet but walked out enjoying myself. This manages to improve upon several aspects of the original while not getting too bogged down in correcting some of the politically incorrect portions of the story. I was blown away by Reneé Rapp and the songs can be quite catchy. It still has that corniness that comes with most musicals but it mostly works. Like the ’04 outing, this is a charming movie that is sure to surprise many filmgoers.
MEAN GIRLS IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE ON JANUARY 12TH, 2023.