Mean Girls (2024) hit the big screens at the start of the new year. A reimagined and musical retelling of the original 2004 cult classic, Mean Girls (2024) sadly lacks the same spunk as the original.
Set in the modern day, Mean Girls (2024) tells the same story of the original, but with song interludes. Reneé Rapp, who plays queen bee Regina George, flawlessly delivers with her musical theater background, giving a great vocal performance and serving Regina’s iconic bitchiness. But that can’t be extended to Angourie Rice, who plays the “new girl” Cady Heron. Her spotlight song, “Stupid With Love,” lacks the same personality and liveliness as the Broadway version. But all the songs fell kind of flat; trying to modernize and “pop”-ify Broadway tracks takes away their life and heart— both of which make them interesting. However, there are tracks that still shine like “World Burn” (a revenge-filled ballad) and “Sexy” (an absurd feminist dance beat) either because they stay more Broadway or fully commit to the pop genre.
Another gripe I have is fashion. Is it bad? No, but when the original has such iconic outfits, the fast-fashion pink throw-up of the 2024 movie feels cheap. Janis Ian, the movie’s artsy-outcast, could have had DIY art-centered clothing, not H&M off the rack ripped jeans. She’s a fiber artist and would probably make her own edgy, eclectic clothing. And Regina would ever be caught dead in baggy, pleated trousers.
This movie has one good aspect: its campiness. Just like the original, this retelling doesn’t take itself too seriously. I have to say, it was really funny, and adapted to a Gen Z audience pretty well (even with all the Elf Makeup product placement). If social media wasn’t included, I think the movie would seem too unrealistic, so Mean Girls used social media smear campaigns and TikTok references in an engaging, funny, over-the-top way that feels self-aware.
Mean Girls (2024) does justice to its original. Is it nearly as good? No. But it could have been much worse and cringy. It’s the kind of movie you wait to stream instead of buying tickets for. For all the musical-centered issues, they really don’t take away from the funny absurdity and underlying hilariousness of the movie. Where other Gen Z-marketed “high school” movies failed, Mean Girls (2024) rose to the occasion to stay relevant in an ever increasingly mean world.
