By Rachel Wolk | January 22, 2024
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
You’ve probably heard of or seen “Mean Girls,” the 2004 cult-classic starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. In 2018, Mean Girls made its way to Broadway as a full-length musical starring Taylor Louderman, Renee Rapp, and Barrett Wilbert Weed. Well now here we are in the year 2024 with it being reimagined as a musical movie!
(Fun fact: many people did not believe the remake to be a musical as musicals don’t always appeal to audiences. The trailer did not include any of the musical songs or anything to draw people into just wanting to see a regular “musical-less” movie).
The 2024 movie had several distinctions from the 2004 film and Broadway musical. Many lyric changes were made to songs to fit a mature audience. Some lines in songs stayed the same.
The upbeat and catchiness of the songs was definitely noticeable. Many years ago I had the chance to see the Broadway production so hearing that the movie musical was being brought to the big screen excited me. However, songs from the Broadway production such as “It Roars,” “Stop,” and “Meet the Plastics” were not included as it portrays Cady’s life in Africa and how she is embarking on a new adventure at a high school. Instead of the memorable scene of Regina getting hit by the bus, we hear Janis’s ballad “Rather Be Me.” In the musical, Janis sings “Rather Be Me” when the girls are in the gym apologizing for saying particular things to their classmates. Following this we see the scene of Regina getting hit by the bus and people believing Cady pushed her.
The song appeared to be very cheesy and a bit camp but in a good way. The songs flowed well with the storyline and definitely kept me interested in the movie and singing along. However, something I was a little confused about was how Cady was filmed fish-eye lens style during “Revenge Party.”
Karen Shetty’s cover of “Sexy” was one of the memorable parts of the film. Her song is being broadcasted all over TikTok and shows the confidence of girls during Halloween. It really channeled girl power, positive body image, and confidence.
Renee Rapp portrayed Regina George phenomenally through her acting as well as her singing. Additionally, Christopher Britney’s portrayal of Aaron Samuels was very notable to many who know him from his portrayal as Conrad in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
With Angourie Rice playing Cady Heron who moves to Chicago from Africa to start high school. Damian and Janis, two friends of Cady’s at North Shore High School, are the narrators instead of Cady, who narrated the 2004 film.
Cast members from the 2004 film return such as Tina Fey playing Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows playing Principal Duvall. This added a very nostalgic touch as many of the fans watching the new film have seen the original.
A lot of cameos were made such as Megan Thee Stallion on a TikTok and Lindsay Lohan as the referee in the math competition. They were added purposely as Megan Thee Stallion has an original song with Renee Rapp that was made for the new movie, “Not My Fault.” Lindsay Lohan’s cameo was very ironic as she makes a nod to how she was once in the same place as Cady, the role she played in the 2004 film.
Something very random that stood out was the Samsung and Elf product placement throughout the film. Characters were actively using Samsung devices and wearing Elf makeup. The advertising certainly paid off because before the movie lots of Elf advertisements were playing.
Overall, the film was very cute and a great way to kickoff 2024 for the film industry. As a whole, “Mean Girls” has received positive to mixed reviews. It is available in theaters now.
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