20 years after “Mean Girls” (2004) was released and six years after “Mean Girls The Musical,” Tina Fey is back as the director for a film adaptation of the musical.
The movie stars singer and actress Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 movie “Moana,” as Janis Imi’ke.
As a fan of both the first movie and the musical soundtrack, I was excited to see this movie. One thing I noticed while watching is that there is more diversity in the casting. For example, Jaquel Spivey, a black actor, played Damian Hubbard and Avantika Vandanapu, a South Indian actress, played my favorite character, Karen Smith. They absolutely killed their portrayals and it kept me engaged.
Another change was some of the jokes from the first movie were replaced with lighter versions, which made this one less cringe. Also, they didn’t include all of the songs from the musical, and the songs that were included were performed differently. One such song is “Meet the Plastics.” In the musical, all of the mean girls sing but in the movie, only Regina was singing. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see how Bebe Wood, who played Gretchen Wiener, and Vandanapu would sing their parts.
Additionally, Cady’s song about moving back to America was originally called “It Roars” but was changed to “What Ifs.” Both had the same vibe but “It Roars” was more upbeat and Cady was excited to leave. “What Ifs” also showed some excitement but it was more of a hopeful ballad.
What I was disappointed about was the portrayal of Cady Heron, played by Australian actress Angourie Rice. While her acting was good, I wished she had more excitement because it would’ve made Cady more alive instead of sullen.
However, one thing I liked about the film was Vandanapu’s version of my favorite song from the musical soundtrack: “Sexy.” I love this song because of Karen’s message of feminism. You can be anything or anyone you want to be and sexy, which is what most girls in our generation want. Vandanapu smashed it and made me appreciate the song more.
Of course, Fey had to include cameos like Ashley Park, the original Gretchen Wiener in the musical, Megan Thee Stallion and Lindsay Lohan. These ladies elevated the quality of acting whether audience members were fans of them or not. Tim Meadows reprised his role as the principal and Fey as Ms. Norbury. It felt like the show never ended. The mix of old and new cast won me over.
The only person I wished was included in this version was Rachel McAdams, the original Regina George, because she made that role so iconic. Bringing her back to the “Mean Girls” franchise would have made the movie better.
Overall, I loved this adaptation from start to finish and would see it a second time. If you’re looking for a nostalgic high school movie to watch with your friends or mom, I recommend watching the 2024 “Mean Girls.”