‘Not Your Mothers’ Mean Girls Review

Words by Mallory Pace

I went into the new “Mean Girls” movie (a movie musical based on the Broadway musical based on the non-musical original film) with an open heart and mind. As someone who has seen “Mean Girls” (2004) a dozen times, while also being part of the generation this newest Mean Girls film is supposed to appeal to, I have certain mixed feelings. However, I’ll preface— I did love it. I will say that I personally love musical theater, showtunes, singing, dancing, all that jazz, and I think that contributes to my liking of this film. If you’re not into that kind of performance art, this might not be for you. Also, if you went into it unassuming you’re about to watch a musical, I can see how you’d be disappointed. This review isn’t for those people (you can’t sit with us!).

Let’s dive in.

I’ll start with pointing out the obvious — Reneé Rapp (Regina George) is a national treasure and absolute honor to witness as a part of this generation’s foundational icons. She truly is so talented and perfectly cast for this role in both the broadway musical and 2024 adaptation. Just so good. I couldn’t think of a better Regina George than Rachel McAdams herself. For the most part, the rest of the characters were well cast. Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) were dynamic together and their friendship felt as authentic as their original counterparts. I really enjoyed the diversity of the new cast and felt it reflected this day and age much better. It might be an unpopular opinion but I liked Angourie Rice’s performance as Cady Heron. I felt similarities to Lindsey Lohan, and overall, I thought she played the character as best she could given her predecessor. One bone I do have to pick is with Karen’s character and the way she was portrayed. The 2004 Karen, played by Amanda Seyfried, felt much more like a classic, ditzy but sweet and naive girl. The newer version of Karen (played by Avantika) was just over-the-top clueless and lightheaded. It felt too cliché and overselling of the whole “no thoughts behind those eyes” look. Pretty much the whole time her mouth was agape, eyes widened and wandering around the room, head bobbing back and forth excessively. Although, her singing performances were lovely, and she is incredibly talented, of course. She just didn’t sell Karen for me.

I’ve seen arguments about how the 2024 version tried too hard to “Gen-Z-ify” the classic of “Mean Girls” film. While I saw that in certain wardrobe choices among the Plastics and think that could have been better portrayed, I also go back to the fact that yeah … of course they’re trying to appeal to the newer generation and keep up with “the times,” whatever that means. It was definitely a choice in making this version more Gen-Z and modern, but I appreciate the differentiation between the two films. It tells the story of “Mean Girls” in a different generational perspective, and that’s what makes it its own, no matter how cringey or basic it might appear. Newsflash, that is this generation.

You must also understand the life cycle of how we got here. “Mean Girls” first came out in 2004 and was written by best-selling author, comedian and producer and Fey. This screenplay was based on the 2002 book “Queen Bees and Wannabees” by Rosalind Wiseman, although the characters and plot largely remain different. Then, a musical rendition of the 2004 film was released on Broadway in 2018. Finally, we have the 2024 “Mean Girls” which combines aspects of both the original film and Broadway musical. So, yeah, things are going to be a bit different. However, the film made many nods to its original in a subtle, organic way. Lindsey Lohan even made a cameo appearance as the Mathletes Championship moderator, which was a great surprise.

On the more musical side of the film, I’ve seen people have a problem with the lack of energy and Broadway-esque tone for some of the songs. Now, I haven’t seen “Mean Girls” on Broadway but I have to imagine that the Broadway version and movie based on a Broadway version are going to be different. Of course the Broadway music is going to sound more like, I don’t know, a Broadway production? Again, this is a film adapted from the musical, so it might be taken down a few notches, but I don’t necessarily find that to be a bad thing. If you’ve ever seen a live musical production, you’d know that the acting, singing, even facial expressions are more over-the-top because you’re performing to a live audience. In a movie, you don’t have to sell the performance in the same way you have to on a stage. So maybe some songs or scenes were less energetic, but for the most part, the songs and dance numbers were very theatrical and dramatic, but in a movie kind of way. I would even argue that some songs, especially “Apex Predator,” were made even more theatrical and lively in this film, but I’m no expert, of course.

I also saw a lot of people say the sponsored product placement in the movie was embarrassingly obvious. From what I saw, there were two scenes where e.l.f cosmetics was mentioned or shown, but had I not known about this, I’m not sure I would have paid too much attention to it. I mean, the Barbie movie had pretty much a whole Chevrolet commercial in the middle of it. Plus, is an e.l.f cosmetics product placement that far off for this kind of movie? Call me optimistic but I didn’t think it was as bad as people online were saying.

What many people had a problem with was that the movie wasn’t advertised as a musical-adapted film. Most commercials and ads for it didn’t show the singing and dance numbers that are quite literally the entire movie, which I have to wonder if that’s because they didn’t think as many people would go see it had they advertised that more. It’s a little deceiving, sure, but that’s mostly irrelevant to this review.

One part I didn’t like, that has become an increasingly used technique in modern films, is the use of social media videos and posts to develop a certain plotline. For “Mean Girls,” in particular, it was used several times, like when Regina George fell at the talent show and when the Burn Book was found. The screen filled with people making TikTok videos talking about it, showing certain tweets and comments, it even featured a few cameos from actual TikTokers (which I didn’t hate but that’s beside the point). On one hand, I find it a bit lazy and cheap to use this tactic as a way to tell the audience what’s happening, rather than showing them. But on the other hand, this is what actually happens in real life. Someone does something “scandalous,” and it’s immediately taken to social media for the rest of the world to comment their opinions. Yes, I suppose it’s (unfortunately) an accurate portrayal of how news spreads in this generation, but seeing it played on the big screen is both cringey and lazy.

I must also say it’s incredibly difficult to revamp any classic movie or TV show and twist it in a way that appeals to both generations of fans while maintaining its iconic status. The original of any classic film, show, Broadway play, book, what have you, holds that status for a reason. Has any revival or sequel to a media classic ever been better than the first? No, but the purpose of renditioning such pieces is for nothing other than entertainment. You just can’t outdo a classic, but I don’t think the directors of the 2024 “Mean Girls” were trying to do that. As they shouldn’t. “Mean Girls” will always be its original, but the newer version is still fun and fresh in its own style.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. The combination of the musical performances and the original plot line were well balanced. The singing, acting and stage presence delivered a funny and new take to the audience. It maintained a sense of nostalgia and freshness at the same time, and I think it did the job it aimed to do. It was never meant to one-up the classic or outshine the Broadway musical — it was just fun. People will always have something to say about everything, especially from behind a screen, but you can clearly see the hard work and dedication put into the movie. Plus, it was so fetch.

Rating: 8.5/10