The 2024 “Mean Girls” movie is a recreation of the Broadway musical and of the well-known, original 2004 film. The story follows a high school girl, Cady Heron, played by Angourie Rice. Cady is a new student from Kenya and is abruptly introduced to the social hierarchy at her new American high school. The most popular girls, better known as the Plastics, rule the high school. They consist of Gretchen Weiners, played by Bebe Wood, Karen Shetty, played by Avantika Vandanapu and Regina George, the well-known bombshell blonde who runs the show at their school, played by Reneé Rapp. Cady Heron is warned by her “outcast” friends, Damian and Janis, about the type of girls the Plastics are. But she is surprised to be invited to sit with the Plastics and can’t resist the hierarchical power that these girls offer her. However, this is cut short when Cady falls for Aaron, Regina’s ex-boyfriend.
The film attempts to modernize the old version by adding many aspects related to Generation Z (Gen-Z), such as texting, hashtags and social media. The classic components of the original like the Burn Book, “fetch” and wearing pink on Wednesdays are still present in the film. The forced relatability to Gen-Z, however, is a let-down from the iconic 2000’s American high school vibe of the original film.
The costumes in the film are also a desperate attempt to stay up to date. Many trendy and fast-fashion outfits are featured in the film that lack the same Y2K aesthetic that the original movie encapsulated. Instead, it was replaced with cheap-looking mesh corsets and pink cargo pants. Viewers cannot escape the constant product placement of ELF cosmetics, the movie’s sponsor, which many noted as comical. In one scene, Cady can be seen sitting at her desk at school putting on ELF lipstick. She even names the exact shade that she uses to promote the brand further.
Although much laughter can be heard in the theaters of this movie, it was not for the right reasons. The musical included many original songs from the Broadway show that were awkward or unnecessary in the film, and frankly creepy. The song “Apex Predator” made the whole theater uncomfortable when the students in the high school turned into a zoo of animals, prey to Regina.
One aspect of the movie that many found exciting and nostalgic was Lindsay Lohan’s cameo in the math competition scene. Lohan starred as Cady in the original movie, and upstaged most of the new cast, as most of the other acting and singing was mediocre.
Throughout the movie, Cady thinks she needs to play dumb to get Aaron’s attention or change her morals to fit in with the judgemental mean girls. However, in the end, she learns that that was not her authentic self. While trying to fit in, she loses her two real friends, Damian and Janis. This lesson is essential for future kids and generations to learn, just as older generations did when the original was released.
So, although this movie will be fun and possibly popular for future generations, it will never beat the original. Most expect to be met with a wave of nostalgia with this new remake, but in the end, it feels like a desperate attempt to relate to Gen-Z.
