As a millennial tita who saw the original Mean Girls when it came out 20 years ago, it was a surreal experience to find myself inside the cinema once again to watch an updated version for Gen Z and still mad relate. Before y’all rant about how they keep rebooting everything, Mean Girls is an adaptation of the broadway musical and not a remake of the 2004 film.
The Updated Vibes
Have you ever looked back at your finished work and felt the rising urge to revise and resubmit the whole thing? Tina Fey did just that! There were some jokes and inappropriate scenes depicted in the original that were so not “grool.” I’m relieved that the LGBTQ+ community was no longer used as a punchline—save for the iconic “too gay to function” comment which is a must. Seeing Tina Fey and Tim Meadows back in their roles as part of the faculty lent some familiarity and also helped ease this auntie into watching a new Mean Girls movie.
The Fashion
Since Y2K clothing has been back with a vengeance, some of the fashion looked similar to the OG Mean Girls. Yes, with its cropped tops and layering, the very same fashion that has haunted every millennial tween/teen well into adulthood. The costume department even directly referenced some of Cady Heron’s signature fits from the original film such as the blue plaid flannel shirt, the black-and-pink house party dress and the powder blue top.
The new film also made room for the modern-day trend of more diversified aesthetic options and its subcategories among the student body. Special mention to Janis Ian’s graphic eyeliner and whatever was going on with that string because yes, work! I was hoping The Plastics’ outfits would stand out more because they’re supposed to be teen royalty and maybe having a more eye-catching and specific core theme (barbiecore, old money, etc.) would have helped provide more visual shorthand that differentiated each character.
If I remember correctly though, Regina George’s look was supposed to be more androgynous (and similar to Reneé Rapp’s actual style) for equal opportunity thirst-trapping. Her warrior angel costume understood the assignment. (Ma’am!!!)
The OG + The Broadway Musical = The 2024 Movie
Making movie musicals accessible to non-theater nerds can be a challenge so I totally get why they tried borrowing elements from both the 2004 film and the broadway production. However, the general high school experience is all sorts of unhinged, cringey, and ripe for over-the-top theatrics.
Some parts of the film could have been more extra AF, like with Angourie Rice’s portrayal of Cady Heron, I appreciate that she was able to capture that similar timidness Lindsay Lohan had in the original but she could have channeled her broadway counterpart (OBC Cady Erika Henningsen) when it came to the songs. Cady’s musical numbers reflect her intrusive hormone-addled thoughts so she could have projected that thirst more.
I think Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey retained that same level of feral energy that the OG Janis and Damien shared. And I am not biased as a fellow Karen but I think Avantika’s Karen rocked it in her one solo number and wanted that same opportunity for Bebe Wood’s Gretchen to flex her humor because the latter was one of my faves in the original.
And Reneé Rapp as Regina George? Every time she appeared, I felt like I should have gone down on my knees in reverence because mother has graced us with her presence. (Ma’am! Part Two)
TL;DR
The new Mean Girls movie was able to update the film for a new generation and depict how magnified the high school experience is these days with social media and the digital landscape that never forgets.
Jokes and sus plot points that should have stayed in the drafts were left behind in the past (where it belongs, obvs) with the updated dialogue and quips providing a welcome change. Seeing students outwardly and freely expressing their identities and queerness onscreen hit me in the feels. (Gay band members making out? I stan!)
I would have wanted more theatrics *cue jazz hands* and dramatic costuming but I’m not that salty about it. My nitpicking aside, the fashion was still popping and I need that pink corset in my life. Also, there were some fun cameos like Ashley Park (OBC Gretchen), Jon Hamm, and more.
Mean Girls is for the guys, gals, and non-binary pals and deserves a sing-along screening because you will be disrupting your seatmates when the songs start hitting, trust. Yep, still making fetch happen.
Mean Girls is now showing at the cinemas!
P.S. Thank you, Paramount Pictures and UIP for inviting me to the screening.
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures International
