“Mean Girls” was released 20 years ago and became an instant cult classic. In 2017, the musical adaptation officially took to the stage. Now, the movie musical has hit theaters and been met with mixed reactions. The mixed reactions are deserved though, as the film has some aspects that are good, bad, mediocre and questionable.
Spoilers ahead
Cinematically, it’s very fun to watch, and overall it was a visually appealing piece. The musical scenes are lively and animated, carrying the extravagance and energy of the original musical over to the film. Those include the dimly lit and movement-filled “Someone Gets Hurt” and the brightly colored and vibrant “Revenge Party” (aside from that oddly angled shot of Cady).
The usage of TikTok and videos as transitions between scenes was well executed. A modern movie rarely uses social media in an interesting way that doesn’t feel excessively clichéd, so it was an enjoyable aspect.
Speaking of modern updates, the film suffered in the costuming choices. In an attempt to make the film more appealing to Generation Z viewers, the characters were dressed in contemporary styles, which left the film feeling disorganized. Some costumes suited characters much more than others.
For example, Janis’ style was updated very well. The heavily detailed and layered outfits matched her artsy and rebellious personality, and her styling made her feel and look like a real person you would see in an art studio. Similarly, Damian’s costumes were updated well. His style in the original movie was somewhat plain and is noticeably more colorful in the modern update. This coincides well with his spunky personality and open queerness.
Others, however, were a little lackluster. Cady started in the same outfit as the first movie, but by the end had not changed much of her style. She was still largely kept in muted colors and relatively plain outfits, which did not match her new stereotypical popular-girl style.
Similarly, Regina’s costuming was questionable at best. In the original movie, she wore a lot of pinks, skirts and other feminine colors and pieces. In the new movie, she wears a lot of black leather pants and dark colors. Regina’s style leaned much more into the cool-girl look. She still wore pink, but not in the style of a high school queen bee, which made her character feel somewhat disjointed.
The disjointedness is also apparent in the soundtrack. The soundtrack was taken from the Broadway adaptation but some changes were made. One of the most egregious changes was in “Stupid With Love,” which has received quite a bit of backlash across social media. Originally, the song was upbeat, bright and fittingly theatrical. However, in the movie, it was toned down with quiet vocals. Angourie Rice did a fairly decent job with the song, but the change took much of the fun and character out of the song.
Alongside this, the song “Meet the Plastics” cut out Gretchen and Karen’s parts, centering Regina. Although Regina is a major part of the film, Gretchen and Karen are also major supporting characters, and cutting them out sets the stage for them to be relegated to smaller parts.
However, not all of the song changes were bad. Some, like “Sexy,” were changed, but fit the movie better than the original version, especially when the song worked in tandem with an entertaining scene.
Furthermore, some of the songs were incredibly well performed. Reneé Rapp and Auli’i Cravalho were arguably the best examples of this. Rapp’s belted performance of “World Burn” was fantastic and one of the greatest performances in the movie. Similarly, Cravalho’s performance of “I’d Rather Be Me” was an outstanding one.
More consistently, the actors overall did a pretty good job when it came to the speaking parts. Unfortunately, a lot of the lines were cut out. In particular, Karen and Gretchen’s parts were cut down the most. That was disappointing, as Gretchen spilling Regina’s secrets due to Cady’s manipulation was a massive turning point in the original work. In the updated version, it was left to just a brief exchange, missing out on a vital moment that shapes the dynamic of the Plastics.
On the other hand, Karen’s stupidity was one of the most entertaining parts of the original film, and several of her one-liners were cut out, which was also disappointing. Nevertheless, Bebe Wood and Avantika Vandanapu were very capable with the script they were given.
The 2024 version of “Mean Girls” tried to update the movie for a modern audience, but it fell short. While it was enjoyable overall, there were a few glaring issues. However, it was still a fun watch, as long as it was taken at face value.
