This musical adaptation of ‘Mean Girls’ will undoubtedly have its fans, be they champions of the stage version or those discovering the delight of this story for the first time. But, despite some admirable merits, it just doesn’t spark in the same way that the 2004 version did. Mean Girls arrives in UK cinemas on January 17.
Get in, loser, we’re going to the movies. Mean Girls is a bona fide staple of the early millennium movie canon, and for good reason. Between its smart jokes, resonant themes on empathy, and an iconically diabolical performance from Rachel McAdams, it’s a rare teen comedy that has transcended its target audience to become a cultural phenomenon. Such traction spawned a stage musical in 2017, which serves as the basis for this film. But despite playful idiosyncrasies, it gets bogged down in its need to replicate the original.
Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) transfers from homeschooling in Africa to a regular American high school. An outsider to the trials and tribulations of high school norms, she befriends fellow outsiders Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damien (Jaquel Spivey), who involve Cady in a conspiracy – to befriend and ultimately topple the top clique of the school, the Plastics, led by the beautiful, cunning and dangerous Regina George (Reneé Rapp, reprising her role from the Broadway Musical). However, Cady’s naivety in the waters of teenage cliquedom will bring out the best and worst in herself.
As ingrained in pop culture as the original Mean Girls is, its theatre adaptation has an impressive history, too, completing several tours – including Broadway – while attracting or even starting the careers of names like Sabrina Carpenter, Ashley Park and the aforementioned Reneé Rapp. Translating the dimensions of the theatre stage onto a less restrictive film medium can be a challenge – look no further than Dear Evan Hansen, a popular stage show that spawned a critically maligned movie. This film, for the most part, captures the stage musical’s songs and looks while distinguishing itself through cinematic techniques, such as fantasy sequences sliced into the choreography and an aspect ratio that changes between song and dialogue.
However, these techniques are strangely inconsistent, particularly in terms of aspect ratio. While the majority of the film uses full-screen ratios (2:39:1), most of the song and dance numbers are performed with a 1:85:1 aspect ratio. However, this change isn’t made in some shorter songs, as the film sticks to the full screen. If there’s an artistic purpose for this, it isn’t clear to me. What is a clear artistic choice are the various references to contemporary trends and pop culture, such as hashtags, social media and youthful sayings like “slay”, elements that will likely date the film badly. With its flamboyant colours and modern upgrades, this is Mean Girls wrapped in Gen Z packaging, which will immediately attract and dissuade certain audience members.
Yet, there is some creativity here that enhances the themes of the story. The Plastics of the original were essentially the 2004 equivalent of performative influencers. Tina Fey’s new script recognises this and brings social media into the songs and narrative.
One song by Karen (a hilarious Avantika) celebrates the appeal of Halloween through paralleled TikTok shorts, an imaginative way of highlighting performativity across not just the Plastics but those who aspire to be like them, as so much of the school does. When the later plot developments occur, social media, and its incessant need to commentate and turn everything into drama, only heightens the characters’ emotional turmoil. Even back in 2004, the story championed empathy and sincerity over performative cliqueness, and this film does much the same.
Angourie Rice is excellent as Cady. Anyone who remembers the criminally underappreciated gem The Nice Guys knows what a strong comedic talent she is, and she channels that same energy into this role while also holding her own during the song sequences and emotional beats. Bebe Wood and Avantika also stand out as Plastics Gretchen and Karen through their humorous timing and performances. Despite having done it before, Rapp still has much to live up to, given how career-defining McAdams’ version of Regina George was. Rapp undoubtedly has an incredible voice – her number “Would Burn” is the film’s musical highlight due to her vocals and how she captures Regina’s hyperbolic evil – but, despite her committed performance, she doesn’t quite maintain the gravitas or comedic duplicity of the role.
This may partially be due to how similar the script is to the 2004 version. Granted, this was always going to be the case, but some of the dialogue is verbatim with the original, right down to some of the most quotable parts (“So you agree?”, “Why are you so obsessed with me?” and “Stop trying to make fetch happen!” to name a few). It finds itself, even subconsciously, reminding you of the previous iteration. The songs make it distinguishable but lack the wit and edge that made Fey’s original script so singular. When added up, it amounts to a film that’s undoubtedly rambunctious and stylish but feels more like an imitation than a unique retelling.
This musical adaptation of Mean Girls will undoubtedly have its fans, be they champions of the stage version or those discovering the delight of this story for the first time. But, despite some admirable merits, it just doesn’t spark in the same way that the 2004 version did. While wonderfully sung, the songs aren’t as funny as the gags, the craftsmanship is inconsistent, and the similarities to its source material do more harm than good. It’ll make for a fun time at the movies for devotees of the stage version, and perhaps that is enough for some, but otherwise, there is little it can offer that staying home and watching the original won’t also deliver.
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