20 years after the premiere of the original movie, the plastics are back in this broadway revisit of Mean Girls. This time, Cady Heron is ready to face *in tune* a more dangerous tiger than the ones she was confronted to in Kenya : Regina George. Trigger warning : some singing, some dancing, a bus accident, vengeance, secret lovers and yes, a fury of pink.
What is it about ?
The 2024 version of Mean Girls follows the same scenario as the 2004 one. After years of home schooling in Kenya, Cady is finally back in classrooms. But high school is definitely not like what she was imagining : social group, rude people, pretty boy(s), mean girls… she’s clearly in-experimented. And against all odds, she catches the eyes of Regina George, queen bee and leader of the “platsics”. In a blink, Cady is propelled on top of the school food chain, a position she is beginning to enjoy. But there are two problems : she has a crush on Aaron, Regina’s untouchable ex and she is spying on the plastic for her other two friends. What could go wrong ?
What to expect ?
Ever went on a rainbow safari ? No ? Ok, just imagine it then. First of all, you’re going up slowly and testing the waters as Cady arrived in town. Those first minutes are decisive and will certainly resume your feeling about the rest of the movie. Cady is naïve, she doesn’t know how to walk in an environment full of crazy teenagers… and she sings.
You might arch an eyebrow in surprise, or maybe you’ll be just like me : intrigued and ready for the rest of the ride. If that’s the case, then you’ll enjoy your rainbow adventure. And the fact that the movie is not just a copy-paste of the original and add its own sparkles to the cake helped a lot. Some elements, like making our favorite duo (Daren and Janis) sings the lyrics of the entire plot before curtain times, are the best. Because at the end of the day, we all know the story : a new girl arrives in town, she befriends the popular group, a bus hit someone… So, why not acknowledge it before the story actually starts and put the spectators in the “confidence” ?
“My name is Regina Geoooorge”
When a movie define itself as a musical, you are expecting the songs to be more than fetch (I had to put this somewhere). Fortunately, mean girls won the bet ! I couldn’t remember not enjoying myself during any of those. The songs were spot on and very musical-ish. Which means they pop out of nowhere when you expect them the least : in class during lectures, high school hallways, parties… basically so out of nowhere that even Cady is confused when Gretchen suddenly does so. But isn’t it that the charm of musicals ?
The music part also reflects the plot and is true to the story. After all, Mean girls follow high-school girls bickering and bitching at each others. And you’ll quickly notice that the females (Cady, queen Regina, Gretchen, Janis and Karen) are the only one having solo parts, hence there time to shine.
Small but important details
If you have watched the 2004 version of Mean girl, those faces might be familiar to you. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows put once again there costumes of Mrs. Nosbury and principal Ron Duvall in this third adaptation. In fact, the role is not unknown to Tim Meadows who has interpreted principal Duval, not twice but…three times ! In 2011, he was back in Mean girls 2 (the one we tend to forget) without Tina Fey, who was this time, behind the cameras. Ashley Park who originally played Gretchen in one of the plays is also back in the role of a professor. Last but not least, Renée Rapp starred as Regina George for three years in Broadway.
But I can’t talk about this four revenants and forget about the infamous burner book. Same esthetic, same purpose and equal damages… the pink journal is more than ever ready to spill some secrets.
So… was it fetch ?
Mean girls 2024 does not suffer of its comparison to the 2004 one. The movie manages to forge its own identity and tick all the cases to please any publics. Bright, colorful and pink, Mean girls barbie aesthetic’s will light your theaters and allow you to chill for 112 enjoyable minutes.
