The inescapable phenomenon of Mean Girls has once again revived itself in a new form for us at the beginning of 2024- a remake of the Broadway musical, which was a remake of the original film. Confused yet? Well, you would be among the 14% of movie attendees who reported confusion and disappointment after realizing the film was a musical and not just a modern remake. Mean Girls (2024) got a rocky start with its strange marketing, but many more questions concerning the quality of the film arose after its release. As a casual fan of the Mean Girls universe (and someone who has seen the original Broadway cast in 2019), I went into this movie with low expectations and little standards. The musical source material was entertaining at best but an insult to the complexity of theater at its worst with its corny rhymes and plethora of filler songs. Therefore, here is my (spoiler included) review of this newest adaptation!
To start with the positives, Reneé Rapp absolutely bodied the role of Regina George for what she was given in the script. This is no surprise, however, because she was the only actress on set to be reviving her role from the musical in the movie. Rapp’s siren-like singing is electrifying, and while my movie theater tended to be disrespectfully noisy during the movie (theater etiquette is dead…), everyone went silent whenever she sang. Perhaps the other most impressive cast member from this movie was Auli’i Cravalho, who took up the role of Janis. Most notably known for her role as Moana, Cravalho’s spunky acting and addictive vocals carry the movie when others lack. It was almost embarrassing to watch how much those two actresses outshone everyone else (with the exception of Avantika as Karen Smith). Next, this film did an adequate job portraying Gen-Z when other films failed so poorly. While it wasn’t a perfect representation, confident choices with outfits and dialogues felt natural to the story’s modern enhancement. Finally, the film accomplished what the musical did best: being entertaining. Sure, it’s not the most complex story to be told musically, but I enjoyed watching it.
Sadly enough, talking about what didn’t go right with this movie is way easier than what sat well. First, the most apparent downgrade between the musical and the new film was the watering-down of each song, turning the movie into a mere collection of average pop songs. While the original Broadway tracks aren’t masterpieces, they still have energy and verve that can’t be denied. In the movie, to appeal to a broader audience, almost every song was revamped into a more contemporary-pop style, considerably lessening the tension of each track. This immediately took me out of the moment many times while watching the movie. Some of the worst offenders include “Revenge Party” and “Stupid With Love,” which have each gotten their fair share of bashing on TikTok. It’s sad we’ve gotten to the level that movie musicals are almost too scared of being considered “musicals” and alter every aspect of what makes the music numbers exciting to watch in a poor attempt to be widely palatable. In that case, it isn’t even working. Reports have shown that following the movie’s release, the streams of the original Broadway recording album have gone up significantly, not the new soundtrack. Next, the casting directors could have made better decisions while picking their leads- especially Cady Heron, played by Australian actress Angourie Rice. While you can hear her try, it’s evident that she is far from the same vocal level as her co-stars and takes a lot of her music down the octave or in a weird mix between singing and talking. Many moviegoers have taken it upon themselves to spread harmful comments about Rice’s performance. Still, all the blame should be thrust upon the casting directors’ poor judgments instead of harassing the actress.
After learning that this move was supposed to go straight to Paramount Plus and not a theatrical release, it’s hard to be too harsh to it. They had a budget of $36 million and have already broken even, which is impressive for any movie musical (even if it wasn’t advertised as one). Although the film often comes across as oversaturated, bland, and tired in certain instances, it is an adequate attempt with all disclaimers given about the low budget and not ideal casting. Mean Girls (2024) will not be remembered as one of the year’s best movies or as the superior edition in the accumulation of adaptations. Still, it has merits with precise standout performances, enticing visuals, and undeniable charm.