Reviewed by Maya Loh
When I think of the Y2K era, one of the first things that comes to mind is the various teen comedy and drama films, all chronicling the typical American high school experience. Some examples include Clueless (1995), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) and High School Musical (2006), but probably the most iconic of all when this genre is brought up is Mean Girls (2004). It’s a well-loved classic that retains its popularity and continues to constantly be quoted and referenced even two decades after its initial release, so I was caught off guard when I stumbled across a trailer for the remake of the film online.
In an age where many films are being remade to suit future generations, or in some instances, dare I say, as an opportunity to generate more revenue, I asked myself, “why was this necessary?”. That was when I took to the comments and learned that the remake was meant to be a musical adaptation, based on the Mean Girls Broadway musical, as many netizens were explaining to those who, like me, thought that the remake was essentially a replica of the original.
Aside from the addition of musical numbers, Mean Girls (2024) features the exact same storyline as the original: Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) relocates to the United States to attend high school publicly after being home-schooled her entire life in Kenya, Africa. There, she befriends art kids slash outcasts Janis ‘Imi’ike (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey), but also catches the attention of the Plastics and its queen bee, Regina George (Reneé Rapp). Cady infiltrates the Plastics after being invited to join them, and soon discovers the ups and downs of being a part of the most popular clique in school.
I went into seeing the new Mean Girls thinking that I would simply be watching the exact same film from 2004, just produced on a higher budget and made especially catered to a generation hooked on social media. Now having watched it, I will say that while my initial views haven’t changed, the film was still generally a fun watch. One major takeaway for me was how visually striking many of the sets were for the musical numbers, from the beginning scene in which a duet in someone’s garage transports audiences to the African plains, to a sequence of a school hallway coated in bright colours with confetti blasting everywhere, which looks like something straight out of an Instagrammable photobooth. Performances-wise, Rice channelled the naïve and innocent Cady well, but the show was definitely stolen by both Rapp, who also portrayed her character on Broadway, and Cravalho, especially during scenes where they showcased their ability to belt out their respective powerhouse tunes.
Where the Mean Girls remake falls flat though, comes from the overall film making a shift to be more family-friendly. In the original, no punches were pulled, signifying the brutality of high school dynamics and pitting young women against each other in the name of popularity. The remake tries to tone all of this down, from language to risqué jokes, possibly due to it being adapted from a Broadway musical. In return, however, the film’s core message gets affected. From the original rallying cry of stopping girls from slut-shaming others, the new version diminishes it to not calling someone stupid or fat, for it won’t make you any smarter or skinnier. This new takeaway felt slightly disappointing in comparison and came off more as a teaching point for a group of children instead of teenagers, not fetch at all if you ask me.
The new Mean Girls turns high school into an all-out song and dance party, but ultimately dials down on the nastiness when it comes to navigating through “girl world”, both in person and online. If this is to suggest that there’s been an improvement since 2004 in young women being less spiteful and more supportive towards one another, one is sorely mistaken, all you have to do is take a look at social media. That being said, if musicals are your cup of tea and you find yourself wanting to revisit another version of the classic teen comedy, then get in loser, it’s not too late to re-meet the Plastics.
Maya has always had a penchant for animated movies, growing up watching the likes of Walt Disney and Studio Ghibli, many of which are among her all-time favourite films. Writing is one of her stronger suits and she is currently exploring how to best utilise this skill after finishing her pursuits in film studies. Apart from frequent trips to the cinema, she enjoys travelling and indulging in her interests in fashion, café hopping and video gaming.
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This review is also published on Singapore Film Society as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.
