Mean Girls (2024)
Directors: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr
Actors: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho
Release Date: Friday 12th January 2024
Genre(s): Comedy, Music
Running time: 112 minutes
Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) moves back to the US with her mother (Jenna Fischer) after living in Kenya and being homeschooled. Immediately, she's a hit with the Plastics, an A-list girl clique at her new school when she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels (Christopher Samuels), the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George (Renée Rapp).
For millennials now approaching their fourth decade, 'Mean Girls' is one of those DNA-building moments. It's been quoted into the very genetic makeup, Tina Fey cemented her status as a comedy icon, and that's even before we get to the cast that includes pre-fame Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, as well as Lindsay Lohan in what is arguably her signature role. Trying to repeat all of that success is a tough act. Just ask the sequel. So if that didn't work, could a musical do the trick? That depends entirely on your reaction to musicals and how forgiving you're willing to be.
Of course, this is an adaptation of a Broadway musical, which was adapting the 2004 movie, which was itself an adaptation of the book 'Queen Bees and Wannabes' by Rachel Wiseman. Of course, if this ouroboros of content churn doesn't dissuade you, maybe the fact that all of the great lines and comedic beats have been hoovered out in favour of a dance routine? It's not that musicals can't be funny - of course they can - it's that this musical just isn't funny enough. Even with Tina Fey and Tim Meadows back from the original, and Busy Phillips replacing Amy Poehler as the cool hip mom to Regina George, there isn't enough here to make it worth your while.
Remakes and revamps are always difficult, as they immediately bring on comparisons with the original. Even with a flashy concept like an all-singing, all-dancing musical, 'Mean Girls' doesn't have any of the quick wit, or the sharp and punchy performances of the original. It could very well be that it works much better on stage with a warm audience, but when you've got the original to compare it with, 'Mean Girls: The Musical' falls flat.
