One of the most iconic movies to watch at a sleepover, many of us love–or love to hate–the 2004 Mean Girls movie. Now, twenty years later, Regina George and her posse of Plastics return to our screens again, this time in a musical remake that is bringing a rush of viewers into movie theatres across the country.
Advertised as “Not Your Mother’s Mean Girls,” Tina Fey has taken this chance to make a few changes to her original production. It’s plain to see that the 2004 Mean Girls has aged over the last 20 years: the original movie, although a classic, features many offensive jokes and comments. For example, some of Janis’ labels for the cliques of the school include “unfriendly Black hotties”, “Asian nerds”, “girls who don’t eat anything”, and more references that raise a few eyebrows when viewed in the context of 2024, like students hooking up with teachers and more.
While these jokes weren’t acceptable twenty years ago either, the modern Mean Girls makes an effort to be more sensitive to topics such as racial stereotyping and slut-shaming, while still staying true to the movie we know and love. Some of the dialogue has been rewritten to be less affronting, while many of the most memorable lines have been kept the same for nostalgia’s sake. The movie also features an almost entirely new cast of actors, playing more complex and less derogatory characters. However, two of the original cast members from the 2004 production returned: Tina Fey herself and Tim Meadows, who play Ms. Norbury and (her husband in this adaptation) Principal Duvall.
Not to say that 2024’s Mean Girls is tame or non-satirical! The remake simply makes an attempt to be more accepting of different ethnicities and sexual orientations–like removing those 2004 anecdotes about teen pregnancy and prostitution–while still poking fun at the traditional “popular girl” character that Regina George embodies.
I also felt that, although she is not the iconic Y2K Rachel McAdams that made Regina George famous, Reneé Rapp played a commanding and impressive role as a modern-day mean girl. Confident, strong, powerful, and beautiful, Rapp lived up to the screen role, the character perfected by her experience performing the Mean Girls musical on Broadway. Rapp brings the Broadway and Hollywood adaptations together in a take on Regina George that is entirely her own and still just as entertaining as Rachel McAdams’ head Plastic.
As you may have heard, the modern Mean Girls is also a musical. In my opinion, the music was mediocre. It didn’t detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the movie, but it didn’t add anything to the plot either. None of the songs stuck in my head, except for Reneé Rapp’s “My Name Is Regina George” because of the popular TikTok trend featuring it.
Although Mean Girls 2024 may not go down in history as the era-defining teen movie that its predecessor did, this remake is still an engaging, entertaining watch. If you’re looking for a good comedy for your next sleepover or night in, give Mean Girls a try!
