Get in losers, because the Mean Girls are so back! With a modern twist, the film adaptation of the Broadway adaptation of the original movie released in theaters on Jan. 12th. However, the movie’s overall lack of direction reduces it to just another cash-grabbing remake whose most endearing point is witty one-liners tying back to the original iconic 2000s chick flick.
Following the original plot, ingénue Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is introduced to public high school after homeschooling in Africa her entire life. Befriended by Regina George (Reneé Rapp), leader of “The Plastics” that controls the school, Cady climbs the ranks of her new environment. 2024’s rendition attempts to mash Broadway’s musical spin and Paramount’s original screenplay but lands squarely in the middle, lacking a unique identity.
“Mean Girls’” script lacks a cohesive vision, refusing to commit to being a musical in its trailers yet brimming with musical numbers. Instead of marketing the film accurately, Warner Bros Studios blurred the lines to prioritize profit. Despite topping the box office at $32 million dollars, audiences were left confused and cheated with the film sacrificing its artistic authenticity.
The 2024 film also shifts from the original film’s focus on Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) to queen bee Regina George, the “new face” of “Mean Girls.” Originally playing Regina on Broadway, Rapp’s portrayal is a film highlight, yet the movie waters down her character’s blunt, unabashed confidence by erasing original scenes that establish her as a villain — the premise of the movie. Regina is calculating, unafraid to impersonate Planned Parenthood or manipulate her friends, yet her worst crime in the 2024 film is kissing the boy Cady likes. Even the grandiose “Revenge Party” fails to justify the venom against Regina, with her vindictive nature being told through unconvincing narration, and Regina becomes a character to root for, instead of against.
The fatal flaw of this musical, however, is its soundtrack. The essential, tone-setting “Meet The Plastics” spotlighted only Regina and countless songs were cut altogether. The new pop sound lets songs like “Someone Gets Hurt” thrive in the cinematic atmosphere, yet the soundtrack is mostly vacant, lacking the drama present in the Broadway rendition. The tone in “Stupid With Love” is apathetic, blending in with bedroom pop. Compared to vocal powerhouses Rapp and Auli’i Cravalho, Rice distinctly lacks conviction and energy, and the dreamy direction is glaringly out of place as Rice loses Cady’s unabashed teenage excitement, monotonously delivering lines like “calculust.”
When it comes to recreating a pop culture classic film like “Mean Girls” two decades later, finding the balance between the modern world’s expectations and the original script is a challenge. However, relying too heavily on nostalgia, lackluster songs, and cheap storytelling, the movie leaves much room to be desired. Despite some clever nods to its predecessor, “Mean Girls” was a story better left as an original.
