Of every 21st-century film with a franchise lasting 20 years, Mean Girls (2004) may be one of the most perplexing. It’s not unheard of for a hit film to pull a direct-to-video sequel (check), but it often stops there. Somewhere amid the endless quoting and Tumblr memes, Mean Girls found a second life. Nobody expected a Tony-nominated musical featuring the core writing staff reinventing the work for a “modernized” audience, and yet there it was. One can easily blame the larger trend of film-to-stage adaptations that plague the medium, but as an eternal optimist, I still hold out hope that what they’re saying is worthwhile. After all, just look at the fantastic Waitress.
And yet, as 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the Mark Waters-directed film, The Plastics are getting back together in the form that they’re best known for. They’re even singing a new tune (literally). The franchise has come full circle, pulling from the nostalgia of Millennial audiences and the Gen-Z teenagers who have since discovered its relatable, timeless humor.
So how did it go? Like any high school reunion, it’s complicated and doesn’t look quite the same. Even if one focuses on the two core adaptations that influence it, there is something that feels inherently off. Part of it is the inevitability of the stage-to-screen process. Minimalism is given up in favor of maximalism, and even then, one has to wonder… why did the film cut the soundtrack from 60 minutes down to an insignificant 30? Where is the celebration of the one thing that made it singular?
This is a matter that becomes even more heartbreaking when you realize that Mean Girls (2024) has a phenomenal cast. Putting aside any problems with narrative beats for a minute, this is one of the best cast recordings for a film in some time. It helps that at the center is Renee Rapp. She’s on a meteoric rise, what with an excellent solo album (“Snow Angels”) and now a performance that lets her belt the show’s hits while proving her acting chops. Ideally, this is a performance that launches her. People in years to come will say they knew Rapp was something special when they saw her sing “World Burn” with the mesmerizing visuals intensifying her guttural vocals. Maybe she’ll even follow in the original film Regina George’s footsteps and get an Oscar nomination one day. To say the least, this is an undeniable performance and the singular reason to see it. She conveys a modernized Regina who is every bit as vicious and comic as the original. It’s the one thing that the film got right. Well, that and Jaquel Spivey, who is having the time of his life as Damian Hubbard.
So why oh why would Mean Girls cut the one thing that gave it an identity? It can be argued that the limits of the stage require more “filler” to make everything move smoothly, but that’s not enough to excuse more song and dance. Again, it’s probably the one thing the film does so wonderfully. “Revenge Party” finds the cast entering a dreamlike montage where they sabotage The Plastics with colorful costuming and dazzling choreography. As much as it lacks a fluidity that makes it feel unified with other routines, there is something about this film that allows those moments to embrace its inner theater kid and just have fun. It’s supposed to be a big and shameless form of expression. Why not let Spivey sing “Where Do You Belong” with the catty joy of tearing down the social structure of a cafeteria? There’s room to let these actors shine, and they tragically spend too much time in the drama department.
That isn’t to say that they’re bad actors in a conventional setting. Angourie Rice as the lead Cady Heron sells herself as the new kid navigating a strange world. She’s able to mix her girlish emotions of joy and jealousy with deadpan observations that flow naturally. Similarly, Auli’i Cravalho as Janice ‘Imi’ike brings an intriguing rebelliousness to a lesbian best friend who has more back story than ever before. Collectively, these actors provide a lot to the characters that in some ways enhance and make them relevant to a Gen-Z reading. It’s a time when social media is more rampant, where TikTok can lead to mishap virality, and walking down a hallway feels more like a runway for gossip that can be on the internet in minutes. At its core, Mean Girls understands that element of how vicious the digital age can be to someone who hasn’t fully developed empathy yet. It’s more image-conscious than ever before.
While it does a lot correct as far as updates are concerned, the issue ultimately comes with the fact that Mean Girls (2004) is one of the most renowned teen comedies of the 21st century. It wasn’t until Barbie (2023) that a mainstream movie inspired people to wear as much pink. The reality is that instead of finding its own voice, the stage musical embraced the hits and slapped the most memorable catchphrases on t-shirts and shot glasses. Not every line was in the show, but it created the anticipation that they would be. It felt like a jukebox musical where instead of singing songs, you’d hear someone yell “She doesn’t even go here!” from the terrace level. Ironically, the later adaptation shares a similar level of disappointment around not being either a direct photocopy or original enough to stand on its own.
As great as Fey and composer Jeff Richmond’s work is throughout the franchise, the unfortunate truth is that they’re too precious at times to know better. Anyone watching the new version will struggle to not want to nitpick the similarities between all three while wondering why they changed this and that. It’s too indebted to the 2004 film to the point that it’s tempting people over 30 to not hear Regina say “Get in loser” and not reply “We’re going shopping.” It’s a disastrous version of Pavlov’s Dog where those who have spent 20 years rewatching the film endlessly will discover that they haven’t done enough new with the story to make it worthwhile. Yes, a lot of character development has evolved in meaningful ways, but they’re still shackled to a world that Millennials inhabit. So many lines are not for Gen-Z that it feels stuck between the two generations. These are teenagers who both feel authentic but don’t speak realistically. Some line changes are downright confusing to the point that they feel like DVD outtakes from the Waters version.
To be clear, this isn’t necessarily a trainwreck. Any film adapted from a musical adapted from another film is likely to share some outdated DNA. There will be certain biases that each individual audience member will have around casting. The biggest issue with Mean Girls (2024) is that it can’t help but draw attention to its shortcomings even as it does something organic and fresh. As mentioned, Rapp is a movie star in the making here. Rice, Cravalho, and Spivey are all doing the best they can. For as much as the music numbers feel a bit inconsistent visually, there are still moments of inspired technique that will reward those who watch them out of context on YouTube. It’s got a lot of cleverness going for it. The only tragedy is that where it could’ve been innovative and provided enhanced commentary on the franchise, it’s just fine riding the coattails and giving fans (sort of) more of what they want.
Is that a problem? Everyone’s mileage may vary. For someone like myself who has seen all three versions, there is something painful about each version having so much right while also missing so many opportunities for greatness. For example, the stage Damian is probably my favorite simply because I have never seen a gay teenager be portrayed with that many youthful flaws even as he tries to fit into a dance number. As much as I love Spivey thanks to A Strange Loop, he isn’t given as much to do even though he makes the most of what he gets. I am also more of a fan of how the film shoots the musical numbers since the stage production felt lacking any tangible setting that made me care. The TikTok framework adds a nice dimension to how the gossip mill has evolved even though I wonder if it’s the dead giveaway of when this was made like Joe Lo Truglio in Superbad (2007) saying “You guys on Myspace?” Maybe that’s why the film needs to feel strictly like a Gen-Z work. It’s hard to say, especially since I don’t engage in discussions like that. Even then, none of them are Mean Girls (2004), and that’s what they’re all trying to chase. In a better world, there are ways to be reverential with cameos and occasional quotes that play like easter eggs, but again… Fey and Richmond are maybe too reverent to allow a more challenging version of this story to see the light of day.
The reality is that musicals are supposed to be about having fun, and Mean Girls fulfills that promise. Those wanting a more complicated narrative with deeper emotional resonance still can hop over to The Color Purple (2023). Maybe growing old is expecting too much from Mean Girls. Why not let singing teenagers have their moment to be “Sexy” and declare “I’d Rather Be Me”? These were always basic emotions, and the film captures them perfectly. High school is a confusing time for anyone, so let’s be thankful that this reunion at least remembers where it came from. It doesn’t flip the script, but it doesn’t lose the plot either. It’s just a fun afternoon out with friends to recall the good old days. They’re never as good as you remember, but you’ll always be thankful they’re there.
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