Rating: 3 out of 5
In the 2024 “Mean Girls” movie, the original 2004 film is set in a modern time with a musical twist. I was ecstatic to see one of my favorite classics be remade, but unfortunately, the film fell short of my expectations and did not accurately reflect a lot of the original’s content.
The plot follows a formerly homeschooled student in Kenya, Africa, Cady Heron (Angourie Rice), who struggles to fit in at an American public school. She then befriends the popular and vastly admired friend group, the Plastics, which includes Regina George (Reneé Rapp), Karen Shetty (Avantika Vandanapu), and Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Woods). However, things turn sour when Cady develops a crush on Regina’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney).
The most commendable aspect of this movie is the casting. Rapp and Vandanapu in particular played their roles as Regina and Karen wonderfully, and they closely mirrored the original characters’ personalities. Not only does Vandanapu make the audience laugh during scenes such as Karen using a sandwich to blend out her makeup, but she also perfectly encapsulates the “dumb but sweet” role that Karen was written to have. Additionally, Regina’s glamorous yet terrifying reputation is upheld from the original film. “Meet the Plastics,” sung by Rapp, who has a beautiful voice, was one of the few songs I enjoyed throughout the musical. Regina’s “queen bee” persona especially shines through as she menacingly sings the line “I am Regina George.” It was refreshing to see that Rapp is able to radiate the same intimidating energy that Rachel McAdams had in the original.
However, the most off-putting aspect of the movie to me was the outfit selections for the Plastics. Although costume designer Tom Broecker maintained the concepts of the original characters when modernizing their outfits, the glamor that the Plastics are associated with was severely lacking in their wardrobe choices. Their clothes appeared cheap and sometimes even out of style, especially Regina’s monochrome pink outfit. This especially bothered me because Regina George was absurdly wealthy and classy in the 2004 film, yet this aura failed to reflect in her clothing in the new movie.
Overall, I was not a fan of the majority of the songs played in the movie. It also appears that much of the character building in the original movie was cut out to make time for more songs, leaving the audience expecting more than they receive. The plot seemed fragmented and incomplete throughout the movie since there was hardly any time to create an emotional scene. In the 2004 version of “Mean Girls,” Cady gives a heartwarming speech at the school dance when she owns up to her mistakes and makes amends with those she hurt. This scene, however, was cut significantly short in the latest film as the scene skips to yet another song. This diminished Cady’s character development and the movie overall was not as true to the original as I had hoped it to be.
Ultimately, although there were some praiseworthy details about this movie, this version of “Mean Girls” did not leave much to be impressed by. Seeing this remake on the screen was nostalgic, and I am glad to have been able to see such an iconic and beloved movie be recreated, but this movie is merely a one-time watch.