oh, I've seen and I have a lot of opinions! First, I think what makes musical versions of classic movies “acceptable” are the songs that carry the story. We already know the movie, we know exactly how things go, but the songs are the fresh air and it is through them that the same story is told. with Mean Girls they didn't care about telling the story through songs, but rather putting some musical moments and that's it. I felt that they wanted to make the movie a less musical as possible for those who don't like musicals.
22:37 claiming Regina isnt bright based on the idea that she misunderstood the word Lesbian with Lebanese isnt accurate. Thats a fan theory. She didnt like the fact that Janis was in her mind smoothing her. So the conclusion is that hey youre obsessed with me so might just be a lesbian.
I've seen the musical and both movies. In my opinion, the original movie does it the best. I love the musical, but I think that it has many flaws, and the movie musical enhanced many of those flaws. This franchise is so camp, and Tina Fey understood the assignment with the first one. I think that Tina really likes musicals but doing them kind of eludes her. I'm not saying anything bad about Tina Fey, don't get me wrong, she's FRICKEN BRILLIANT and I'm such a fan. As I was saying, the original movie knows that it's camp and leans into it, and that's why we love it so much. The Broadway musical tried to lean into the camp factor, and kinda failed in that regard, it came across as melodramatic camp. The musical is packed full of songs, and it is truly an *adaptation* of the 2004 movie. The 2024 "movie musical" was a remake of the original with a few songs tossed in here and there. I had so much fun seeing the movie, and I thought there were some baller performances and one liners. The 2024 version cut so many songs from the Broadway musical. There were a total of 21 songs in the musical (onstage), and there were 11 songs (not counting the ones that were written specifically for the movie musical). The lack of material made the point of the movie seem paper thin. I'm going to end this comment by saying that I love all the versions of this franchise. There are some things that I found underwhelming about some iterations, but the immense love and respect I have for them outweighs the critiques by 10 fold
@@mlw9195 Thank you MLW. I was just going to mention that. I've watched a bunch of these Mean Girls 2024 reviews, and I can't believe how many of them think that Regina got lesbian and Lebanese mixed up. That happened in an episode of the TV-show The Golden Girls, NOT in Mean Girls 2004. It's a fan-theory that doesn't make any sense because we don't even know that Regina knew that Janis was Lebanese. It's not in the original script, deleted scenes, or anywhere. All we know is that Kevin G found out at the end.
The plastics in the og movie dressed how wealthy teen girls would think successful women dressed. When Regina first invites Cady to sit at their lunch table, shes basically wearing the teen version of a power suit. In her mind, she's the CEO. Gretchen wears preppy clothes, the youthful version of lawyer. They very much did their best to seen above their fellow high schoolers.
Nah, even tho OG Regina is young, she knew what the difference between expensive and trying to look expensive was, she would choose the former, here, it's all so cheap looking.
i can see what they were trying to do for the costume design for this, and the direction they wanted to go with for this regina, but i also see the other side. i haven’t seen the movie, but i think it would be cool if it was a truly modernized version and that would change the way the platixs acted and looked and how caddy and janice acted and looked and had their rises and fall. the way teenage girls and society act and think has changed a lot since the 2000s and i think it would be cool to see how that in a new mean girls. i also just think rene is so hot and that maybe why i like her costume design
My biggest criticism of this movie is that it was made with the expectation that they audience already had watched the og movie. It doesn't show Regina's true meanness bc they already expect you to know. It doesn't dedicate time to showing the Plastics' dynamics bc it already expects you to know how they work around each other.
That honestly seems to be the case with a lot of remakes these days. They don't bother with the subtext and characterization that was so integral to the source material because they expect you to have already seen the original and to just fill in the blanks yourself.
In their defense, what the hell is one doing watching the musical version without 1st watching the og? I personally think that the real flaw is them simply marketing it halfway as a musical instead of as a full on parody/musical. I personally never watched either musical but if they wanted to use the music to fill in all the blanks, then they have that right.
On the plastics dynamics: they cut most of the song meet the plastics which has verses on Gretchen and Karen’s personalities or their dynamic. In the movie they only did Regina’s verse probably cause it’s reprised in world burn.
@@cavalrystyles8776 They have that right; it doesn't make it good though. Having a right doesn't mean a thing really. People watched Lindsay Lohan's Parent Trap without watching the original. People watched 2003 Freaky Friday without watching the original. It's possible to watch the musical version without watching the OG. But you can only make a classic memorable fresh-feeling remake if you approach it as if you've never seen the original, but enjoy the concept.
I had a weird dream were all the “popular” girls in certain movies fighting over a lunch table . The heathers The 2004 plastics And the modern day plastics, I don’t remember much of the details but I know that the modern plastics got called tryhards Regina (2024) started fighting and the others ran off crying, cut to the blue heather (I forgot her name) and both Cadies were just watching . Occasionally insulting all of them
in reference to the costuming: as someone who's currently in high school their attempt to show Regina as a trendy teen made her look wayy older than she was supposed to be (which confused the hell out of me in her first appearance). I can tell you for a fact that no one our age dresses like that except for going out at night on weekends. it also made her look like she's about to go to a rave after algebra.
YES! i wish they leaned more into active wear, everyone wears sweats and active wear to school, they couldve put regina and the plastics into some high end activewear set and put everyone else in pjs or sweat pants or comfy clothes. Thats wouldve been better than the shein, cheap, honestly ugly, outfits they put the girls in.
same all the mean girls in my school are fully decked out in lululemon, aritzia, and other high end activewear brands. put her in some tiffany jewelry and a pink lulu zip up jacket- then she'd look like a gen z bully.
@@flowersinantarctica8Great idea! They still could have leaned into Regina being a trendsetter like that too. Incorporate some balletcore or cutout workout wear.
No one dressed like the original movie in school either. Rarely do high schoolers in movie and show actually look/dress like actual high schoolers, usually
In this version, I feel as though the plastics are like a random clique instead of the rulers of the school. Like sure, they're pretty and dress nice but so do most of the ensemble. There isn't much of a difference between them and everyone else so it feels forced when they do those shots where the school as well as internet celebrities are reacting to Regina on social media. In the first version, the plastics really stood out from everyone else. They wore bright colors while everyone else wore dull and muted tones. The plastics had designer handbags and pumps while everyone else wore backpacks and sneakers. It gave them a status of being unattainable while now the plastics wear dated micro trends that anyone can replicate very easily. As a result, the entire movie feels forced and unrealistic.
Unrealistic is a weird critique. How many high schools actually have a group of hot mean girls running the place like that vs just a random clique that thinks they run it?
@@moonsigilI was just about to say the same thing. It seems the fool above you isn’t the only person trying to force this musical to be better than and out due the original when it’s clearly not. If it was why be under a video that’s critical than uplifting?
@@violett874It's not about whether they actually ruled the school. For me it was always about what it FELT like to people who were actually living through high school. Those popular cliques did feel like they ruled the school and they did seem like celebrities. That's why the movie was so relatable.
Janice in the original even says it herself. "At least me and Regina know that we're mean." 'I'd rather be me' is so tonedeaf storywise, considering it's about not caring what others think of you, and not giving in to petty games and revenge... When that's all Janice has been doing this entire movie.
I love that song, but I feel like it would’ve made so much more sense to have Gretchen sing it. She spends the entire time trying to be a carbon copy of Regina to win her approval only to fail spectacularly every single time. If she sang this song and decided to just be herself and start acting completely differently, I feel like it would’ve made a lot more sense
@@christalcavanaugh I always thought katy should've sung I'd rather be me- but only in the sense when she said "I'm sick of your rules and games, I'd rather sit alone." like Janice has IAN its Katy who has to deal with the eventual fallout when it blows up in her face and in the OG movie it's HER who sits alone in the bathroom.
The original relationship with Janis and Regina was also a classic example of the real life scenario when one girl in a duo grown up faster than the other at about 13 years old and cares more about being cool than being decent. The new story seems farfetched. True there are different attitudes towards homosexuality 20 years later, but they could have tweaked the rumour without deviating from the story.
The movie creators didn't seem like they understood that Regina isn't just a mean rich pretty girl bully, she's a charismatic dictator and a celebrity of her high school at the same time. Also they didn't understand the themes of girlhood and high school presented in a campy way and why they were so important and connected with so many people. So thank you for this review 💖 as I don't think I'm gonna be watching this movie
this is why they should've committed adapting the broadway musical route if they really want a musical movie (a lot of nuances were erased whis was disappointing)
@finchthebird No, I'm just not interested enough. Tbh, I'll probably forget this movie even is a thing in few weeks 😅 I rather watch something else or read something else. Or rewatch the original. I just don't have time to watch mediocre media I don't think I'll even enjoy. That's why reviews are so useful.
The reason Janis seems more soft than the original is because she is. They took away the core aspect of what made her and Regina two sides of the same coin: her rage. Without that driving her to urge Cady to go as deep as she did, it feels more like a game she's playing, she's trolling Regina just to troll her rather than it being a personal vendetta to ruin her like she was ruined. Her lack of rage and actively wanting to stop at a certain point also takes away some of the blame from Janis's shoulders and shifts it over to Cady because Cady doesn't want to stop, actually, so it looks like she made the active decision to trade up, which makes the party betrayal hurt more for Janis, and makes her singing I'd Rather Be Me more justified than in the musical. Janis being canonically a lesbian in this version makes her the only iteration of the character who could reclaim the slur that was used to ostracize her in the original, but due to the changes they made to her backstory, she never did, and as a lesbian who embraces that specific term myself that annoys me lol.
@Ks-101 no?? I’m just annoyed about the one thing? The movie called her a dyke, and the problem was she wasn’t lesbian but Lebanese. The musical changed it to *space dyke*, but despite Barrett saying she played Janis as a lesbian, Janis’ sexuality is not explicitly confirmed or acknowledged within the show itself. Even though I personally agree with her interpretation, if someone asked me if OBC!Janis was gay, I wouldn’t be able to give a definitive answer. This 2024 movie musical has Janis as explicitly queer, so not only is all the power taken away from Regina calling her a lesbian at all, but this Janis can reclaim the specific word they’ve been using this whole time. And they didn’t let her do it. Now she’s a “pyro lez,” with more emphasis on the former than the latter. They changed it so not only does she not do it but now there’s no need. Why didn’t 2018 musical do that in the first place then? It’s not like they had to worry about messing with a rhyme scheme. That’s all.
@Ks-101 seeing as the comment I made won’t show up (I think I know why) I’ll just reiterate: *no*. I don’t know where you got that impression but the only thing I was annoyed with was what I said in the second paragraph. The first paragraph was an analysis expanding on a comment that was touched upon in the video. That’s all.
@Ks-101 it is a musical remake of the original movie whether you like it or not. They literally copy everything from the original movie, from set to costumes.
i agree soooo much, as a lesbian who had mean rumours about my sexuality in school... making janis a lesbian with the original rumour backstory would be such a good way to reclaim that experience and 1) show a very realistic form of homophobia in these feminine middle/high school spaces 2) actually allow a lesbian character to reclaim and deal with that experience, instead of just making it about how straight girls are ashamed of even being associated with lesbianness
@@Carolina-wz2qo exactly! Well said! Like on the one hand, I’m glad Janis is canonically gay and it’s no longer an issue in and of itself. Times change, and it’s for the better. But on the other, I wish they didn’t erase such an important part of her history. Being a lesbian or not wasn’t what made Janis *Janis*, it was her rage. Without it, she’s no longer a Mean Girl. Which goes against the entire point of the OG movie: that *anyone* can be a mean girl. Edit: TH-cam just deleted like... a majority of my comment :/ ugh
If they wanted to give Janice some fire and make her gay still, they could've said that Regina outed her before she was ready...not rly hard to spin that.
Idk, the backstory in the movie is already pretty brutal. It's still Regina outing Janis before she's ready but in a really horrible way and dragging out the bullying for months.
Everytime someone trots out the tired "Don't take it too seriously" argument, I'm reminded of a line from The Birdcage: "This may only be a drag show, but it still needs to be a _good_ drag show, if possible, a _great_ drag show." Just because something is primarily made for the sake of entertainment is not an excuse not to put genuine effort into it.
Same aspect has been brought up in regards to childrens media, too. We've regressed from Sesame Street helping to teach children essential pre-pre-k information like colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc. to substanceless brainrot skibidi cocomelon because people decided "they're babies, they don't care!"
One thing I've been noticing is that pacing in media made for younger zoomers is TOO FAST. Maybe because that generation is known for really short attention span and the writers and directors are doing their best to capitalize on the main audience's focus and interest
aw man that fucking sucks! hope they don’t continue that bc this movie moved WAYYY too fast! and this is coming from a person who has a very short attention span!
The pacing is fast because its a musical where half the movie is a song. So you have to give exposition and still tell a story while also having catchy tunes. So based of this alone, the pacing was going to be lightning faster than the original unless they made the movie 3 hours.
Trying to capture trends instead of the generation in general is a huge issue There's really no pop culture references in the og Most pop culture references date so badly so fast
@@MylingCyrus I don't think that's entirely fair. Pop culture refferencing and dating a piece is only bad when it supports bad jokes. Setting a piece in a particular time frame is a way to crystalize the era it was created for the future. The good, the bad and the ugly. Also og Gossip Girl is full of pop culture, history and literature refferences and it still is one of the best teen media to ever exist... regardles ofplot holes and other things. The issue, to me at least, is failing to grasp the timing for things, when to do it and how far you go. The parts simply don't conect in the right way
I liked what you said about “telling us” vs “showing us”. I find modern movies nowadays keep telling us what has happened rather than show us. So the scene of Jingle Bell Rock made me so confused because I didn’t see Cady be charismatic. She was also hidden in the back most of the dance. I also find Cady didn’t not have the charisma as the original. She is supposed to be able to look both good and innocent and then transform into a mean girl but I couldn’t see that. She just looked normal? Like she needed more charisma so that when she transforms to a mean girl then it’s obvious why people would follow her
100% this. Cady single-handedly saved the performance by turning a lame dance number they'd seen a hundred times already into an accapella cover that got everyone reinvested after witnessing the routine implode. She proved her value to the group and justified why Regina should both keep her around AND keep an eye on her. She is popular now. She's even more of a threat. But instead of that, we get someone who lingered in the background just being praised for doing absolutely nothing and stumbling her way to the top.
This is a thing that is a direct result of following the Broadway version too closely. In live theater, the actor's voices tell the story. While, in film you see the story happen. This convention is a basic rule when it comes to storytelling within these mediums, so I have no idea what happened here.
i feel like although mean girls is camp, the politics of popularity and girl problems are subtle. you see regina being calculated and manipulative, but it's underneath the surface - because that's how a lot of teen girls fight. They can't be openly aggressive and also be liked and "girlie/feminine". in the 2024 version it's all on the surface, where she's aggressive and verbally mean - which loses the entire point
They had the same issue in mean girls 2. They introduce Regina as a bitch. Why would the protagonist be taken in by her when she is outright mean? Why would anyone seek her approval when she never gives it?
100% relational aggression is a huge deal in the Queen Bees book & OG film. Cady was smart enough in the OG film to quickly recognize how the rules of girl world/ teen human behavior operated compared to what she saw when observing the animals interacting in Africa. She admits "in girl world, fighting had to be sneaky" pretty early into the film. In the musical & musical adaptation, she seems rather dumb in everything other than math instead of a bright girl (with exceptional math skills) who is merely ignorant of high school dynamics in the US.
The whole point of the movie is about how restrictive femininity and standards are, especially for teen girls who are hated and criticised whatever they do whatever they like. And its about how that warps people and how they react to the pressure by working to be perfectly girly and acceptable and good for all purposes and appearance, and expressing their rage and helplessness in backwards manipulative backstabbing ways because theyre not able to outright be mean or throw a punch without breaking "like, the rules of feminism". The rules of being a woman of being a teen girl. Also with the fashion, its not just that the plastics are aspirational, like someone said above theyre dressing like mini respectable-but-sexy adults because you cant be too prude but you also cant be too sexy. Cant be too anything or not enough anything. There's no winning. But theyre trying really hard to.
I was hoping that we'd get your two cents about the musical movie, and you didn't disappoint! While I'm a huge fan of Angourie Rice, she felt miscast as Cady, and it was obvious that she didn't have the same musical background as most of the other cast members. As the main protagonist, Cady is supposed to act as a surrogate to the audience, but when she's surrounded by more colourful characters such as Regina, Karen, Janis and Damien, then she comes across as bland in contrast.
agree! I truly wonder why they made this casting decision. while Angourie is so sweet, Cady needs a voice as strong as her character. at least we have Renee
While I appreciated that they left out Coach Carr's inappropriate relationship with his teenage students, they could have at least given Jon Hamm more to work with. Same goes for Jenna Fischer and Ashley Park, though I did like the small reference to Principal Duvall and Ms. Norbury being in a relationship.
But why take it out? Because it’s a nasty reminder of reality? It happens every day in the news, even more with women teachers and male students (maybe not more but it certainly gets more attention when it’s this dynamic). The fact that audiences laughed was a way of holding a mirror up to people and reminding them that teenagers still need guidance, because there are predatory adults even in environments that are supposed to be safe. It’s subversively thought provoking imo. Things shouldn’t be removed because they are ugly and realistic. If it was ugly and totally unbelievable I’d agree.
@@BB-ed4om I’m sure they took it out because 1) the teacher/underage students thing was mostly a joke and 2) the students were written as Asian stereotypes. It was probably easier to just not touch that plot for the ‘24 version, especially in a post-MeToo world and with a cast that now has AAPI actors in lead roles. That said, in the ‘04 version the Plastics write about Coach Carr being with the Cool Asians in the Burn Book, and after that rumor was proven to be true post-Book Reveal, THAT’S when they investigate Ms. Norbury for the rumor that Cady wrote, which leads to Cady owning up to her mistakes. In the ‘24 version, that plot was removed and wasn’t… replaced with anything? So Ms. Norbury being investigated feels kinda random? And that (along with the removal of her voiceover) kinda cheapens Cady’s moment of growth. It’s kind of similar to a lot of the other changes to “update” the plot, where instead of being clever and actually subversive and thought-provoking they opted to either something watered down or just not addressing it and hoping no one notices. Like Janis not being ostracized for being (seemingly) gay, or the Plastics not being as mean or fashionably intimidating, or the characters not going to the mall. It’s more respectful and “realistic”, but since they don’t add anything to fill those pieces it feels smaller and watered down??? Not saying that Mean Girls 2024 needed the same problematic stuff as the ‘04 one, but since it didn’t do anything interesting with it (like Coach Carr just being there to say his abstinence joke) the movie feels empty. Hell, even an actual moment where they pause the goofiness and singing to seriously address the Coach Carr issue with care and sincerity for the young people watching would’ve, I don’t know, be SOMETHING memorable.
I feel like if the movie made the teenage students young adults it in a way would have made more sense to laugh since they are more of age and not underage.
as a fan of the musical, what left me very disappointed with this movie was the fact that they really wanted to hide that it was a musical, not only in the advertising but in the movie itself, cutting out so many important songs.
I feel like avantika would’ve been better as Karen in the stage musical. Her dumb acting was so over the top that I found it really weird to watch on screen. It would’ve worked great on the stage though.
Yeah, I keep hearing reviews that say she was their favorite part but I don’t get it. I haven’t seen her in anything else so I don’t know how she is overall as an actress but she really over acted this part and it was not believable at all.
Right? Like the original Karen was stupid but like… subtly. You really wouldn’t know she was stupid until she opened her mouth. This Karen is all around weird. Vacant gazes, mouth agape nearly all the time…
I agree! She’s cartoonish. She almost came off like she had a mental delay, which made it look worse, like Regina was taking advantage of a girl who didn’t have all of her faculties.
I think she was really over the top in the first half but I grew to really like her in the second half of the movie. Her looks in the beginning were really strange and unrealistic. But her song is by far my favorite song in the film.
I feel like Regina was too aggressive in this movie. Instead of having these subtle backhanded comments or manipulation, it was more just her saying it to their faces and just being verbally mean idk
I mean I get they wanted the fashion to be more current but WHY did they for y2k when there is old money, hidden luxury and clean girl aesthetic? That would have worked so much better for the plastics P.S. When I say Y2K, I mean the 2020 fast fashion version of Y2K.
What's weird is that they nailed this look on Renee Rapp in The Sex Lives of College Girls. She basically was Regina George in the first few episodes of that
I honestly feel like the original movie portrayed the plastics with a sort of old money aesthetic, so I think it would've been a great choice to use the modern version of the trend when designing costumes for this new version. It feels like the movie was trying too hard to make the plastics seem normal, and instead they just ended up generic
Controversial opinion: for as much I love representation and movies having a more diverse cast. I feel like making the plastics anything but skinny white women defeats the point of the Plastics and what they represent. Yes, these women are pretty, they absolutely are gorgeous- prettier than me even. But meangirls was supposed to be a critique on on the exclusivity culture in fashion and the problems that generated. Like the clothing being ridiculously expensive or made in small batches in a limited amount of sizes, makeup never being made with any skin colour but white in mind; certain facial features and body types being overly represented above others and any deviation or attempt to show any body that didn't fit the strict beauty standards being met with vitriol because "fAsHiOn Is MeAnT tO bE a FaNtAsY": basically all problems that existed when Meangirls was made in 2004 and still exist to this day. The point of meangirls was to address how the fashion/ beauty industry absolutely deserves to be torn down and how we should all apreciate the beauty in everyone hence the scene where Cady is snapping the crown into pieces and throwing it to everyone in the audience. I guess that scene fell on deaf ears...
Totally agree... I think of my own high-school experience and new Regina would not be the popular girl, and I feel bad for saying that but it's the truth sadly we live in a world where if you don't look a certain way no matter the talent and style, you are not the hottest Chick in school. And that's what makes it feel disconnected. She is gorgeous and talented but with the original that Regina was just perfect, she was manipulative mean,brutal, had the best clothes, nicest car, into the hottest music, like it was what you'd expect. I get they wanted to open the role up but let's be real, who gets tiktok and insta famous "the perfect chisled jaw, long blonde hair, perfect body" girlie
absolutely. sorry but I don't think I'd be intimidated by this Regina. But also Cady is so bland. They all look like Wish versions of the characters tbh.
If they wanted to add diversity to this story, I think a better fit would’ve been Cady. It would’ve been able to convey the message of the exclusivity of the fashion industry.
I didn’t watch the movie, but from these clips, it took me a while to realize that the actress playing Gretchen wasn’t just Cady once she’d had her ‘glow up’ 😭
Cady never had a big glow up. She wore basically the same thing the entire movie. She wore a different dress at her party, but that was pretty much it. There wasn’t the popular scene of her being one of the plastics coming down the hall dressed just like them and falling into a trashcan. Even when she wears the heels Regina gave her she was wearing them with jeans and a flannel.
You’re so right about Janice being queer. They should have made Karen or Gretchen queer because that would have fit with the narrative of don’t stereotype.
YES like for gretchen it would’ve made so much sense because she’s so obsessed with regina and it’s obvious. She wants to do everything for regina even at the cost of her own happiness. Karens feelings about Regina are never really candidly mentioned. I think a good twist could be Regina is straight, (cuz she is, dumba##) and Gretchen wants her but can’t have her and Regina is totally clueless
Both Gretchen and Karen would've made such good queer characters! Gretchen being a closeted lesbian, obsessed with Regina and intentionally going after Jason as the guy who can never like her back so that she never has to actually be in a relationship with him! Karen being poly and really owning her sexuality similarly to the original by happily flirting with everyone, regardless of gender! I also honestly don't know why they didn't make the reason Regina hates Janice that she thinks she's a lesbian? I know someone said it's cause homophobia isn't really around anymore, but... it is? That's still a totally realistic reason instead of the confused pyromaniac thing?
@@miraza.that really pissed me off. how are you gunna hate on lindsay in a movie partly based on the movie that SHE MADE. Lohan in 2004 was the reason people went and saw it and was the heart of the movie. Mean girls 2004 was had star power from all the cast. This one not so much. Maybe 1/2 the cast.
Re the costumes: EXACTLY! I saw people try to praise the decision to have the plastics look like regular high schoolers but they’re not meant to be. And a styling thing from the original is Cady in the original dresses like a hybrid of the other plastics and when she’s the new queen bee she dresses just like Regina
They don’t even look like regular high schools. Everything Regina wears makes her look older, but what was that pink body suit thing? She looks too grown.
@@D4NIELXOXOI’m saying this fr - these people are actually just salty. Like I 110% LOVED the commercials and binged every single one of them (they’re a cool nostalgia trip and worldbuild), but the new movie isn’t downright atrocious 😭 apart from the memes it’s a silly turn-off-your-brain movie to watch with your friends.
It felt so unnecessary to change too!! I just imagine a bunch of writers sitting around and hacking away at the lyrics for no reason. That line being changed did nothing??? Why change jt???
I didn’t like how they made the rumor about Janice true as well. First of all setting people’s belongings on fire is actually pretty serious and dark, at least in the original the rumor about Janice was in the grand scheme inconsequential. Also making it a true rumor takes away the motive for her to seek revenge because it makes it look like she was more in the wrong. Also I just thought that story was too complicated I barely remember how Damien explained it because it had so many moving parts in the OG movie I love how it’s Regina who tells Cady and we get the sense that Regina isn’t self aware about how wrong she was to start the rumor which shows how manipulative she is.
No I don't actually think the rumour being true takes away her motivation for wanting revenge she was abandoned by her friend who then outed to the school and bullied by her and yeah the arson was objectively too far but the toy was a gift from Janis to symbolise their friendship that Regina was now using to bully her for a significant length of time and iirc it was 6th grade so these are 11-12 year olds so honestly I'm not all that surprised that a kid would react like that in her situation and on top of that we don't get much insight into what exactly the fallout was from everything but it probably wasn't good Also in the musical Janis' sexuality is left ambiguous but the fandom pretty much agreed she wasn't straight so I understand why the decision was made to have her be lesbian in this iteration due to the current society being quite open
@@Evelyn-rb1zj Yeah, especially in the 90's and early 2000's being outed was a really big deal and actually ruined queer kids lives. I think that is a really important thing that this movie could've expanded upon if it really wanted to. Being outed AND BULLIED in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is plenty of reason to want someone taken down. Regina is canonically homophobic, everyone can understand why that makes her an awful person. Therefore Janis's rage is justified and saying that she'd "Rather Be Me" could be symbolic of her finally coming out of the closet on her OWN terms, and will no longer be quiet about it. Literally taking back power. I really don't resonate with the arsonist angle nearly as much, that's literally dangerous and a serious concern, unlike kissing women.
@@cythulhubuthebegamin4902 Even more recently while I was in school (predominantly 2010s) especially my time in Catholic school even though the people I was around weren't explicitly homophobic, the excessive amount of heteronormativity just made me fall deeper into the closet the subtle things like "Which boy do you have a crush on?" with responses of "Ew no, boys are gross!" (being 10 or 11) As well as similar "Oh you and your male childhood friend you mentioned once are totally going to get married when you grow up" really did add up I at one point started trying to imagine this alternate version of myself that might date him but it was never something I could see seriously though apparently I was never that subtle about my last of interest in boys as a whole since a few years after I left that school my estranged ex best friend from then reached out to me and part of it was something like to the effect of "do you have a boyfriend now or do you still hate boys, or maybe you're into girls now?" It was pretty funny since at the time I was questioning whether I was lesbian or aroace (and still am to an extent but that's neither here nor there) I don't know how much would've changed if I was more out earlier on but I'd rather be me has definitely been my anthem since I discovered it
I think that while Renee Rap can sing...she lacked the commanding influence that Rachel McAdams had. Regina Gorege is the walking definition of Gate keep, Gas light, Girl Boss. I felt like they were focusing so much on how hwat Regina is- you lose the manipulation and control that is essential to her character.
Exactly! In the new movie, they focused way too much on how “iconic” Regina is. That’s why they cut out the slurs that Regina used in the original. They wanted the audience to know how mean Regina is, but also have her be so lackluster that fans still look up to her. I think they wanted a “Maddie Perez” vibe but failed miserably, since that isn’t how Regina is.
What frustrates me about the musical is that the mean girls have been defanged. You can feel the writers fretting over the content. The plastics can't say anything that's [thing]-phobic, even though that's what both the 2004 movie and IRL girl world are actually like and that is what Mean Girls is a commentary of. They can't be too mean in general. Yeah, they're saying awful shit. They are awful. That's the point.
The Musical actually felt like an homage to the original story but with songs to make it more fun! I was excited for this movie but it was very disappointing because they cut so many songs and it just felt like a cheap knock off of the original. The Broadway show was good and all they had to do was adapt that to a screen with more lifelike settings but they decided to cut corners and pander to nostalgia
I completely agree! The musical made small tweaks to update the original for a new generation, but the movie musical feels like they tried so hard to appeal to gen z that they lost the OG cult following and those experiencing mean girls for the 1st time
I’m in the (what i’m learning is unpopular) camp of liking the musical better than the original. I thought that it actually improved on a lot of the critiques i had of the original film and i loved that the songs added to each of the characters and gave them more depth. It was able to hold its own as a musical while still clearly being a love letter to the film. The MOVIE MUSICAL was so disappointing because it was the worst of the two. They took out the songs that made the musical so valuable and able to stand on its own. The movie musical lost not just music but the story that was told through that music, without any way to compensate. Which, as a fan of the musical is extra disappointing.
I was going into high school when the first mean girls came out and saw it in theaters. The fashion that was shown in the first movie was what everyone was wearing at the time and felt super realistic. (Some girls would wear heels and espradilles to school and in 2009, I would even see girls wear it to college.) but I feel like the fashion in this one is what I don’t see girls wearing to school. But maybe I’m wrong? Im curious to know what gen-zers think about the clothing.
you wouldn't see any middle or high school girl wearing something simliar, unless they are like super into it. Some outfits i can see but the clothing aspect didn't go as well as the 2000's movie. Janis was def the most alike to 2024 fashion with the ripped jeans, cropped knit sweater, baggy shirt and more even though she was alternative and supposed to go against the main trends oftenly seen. I feel like they played too much into the fashion aspect, meanwhile most girls wear basic clothing. The background characters were the most alike.
there was something off about it, i think there were lots of pieces that individually were quite accurate, but there was something about the way it was put together, combined with the actors who were obviously adults, that looked like they were trying to hard to make these grown adults look like teenagers?? I don't know
The Aaron problem is actually both. They were so desperate to get Chris Briney in the role that they cut Aaron’s songs because he refused at first due to it being a musical. It’s not specified what was cut but at some development point, Aaron sung.
@@oatmilg Not sure how to respond, all I know is Chris Briney at first, turned down the role because he had to sing, so they changed it to accommodate him. That’s a fact.
It feels like certain directions, lines, and scenes that the musical movie took did a disservice to the message of Mean Girls. The film kinda forgot what it was trying to say in the first place.
I actually enjoyed the movie and of course Renee Rapp was easily the best part of it. Was it a terrible movie? No, was it a great movie? No, was it as good as the original movie? Absolutely not and the latter is what makes it understandably disaapointing
Exactly! I feel like the only reason people really hate on this movie is because the original and the musical were so iconic, but even though it wasn't perfect or as good as the original movie, it wasn't bad at all. It esspecially couldn't be with Renee Rapp's performance as Regina George! 😍
20:20 makes sense!! quick rant: in an interview, aaron’s actor (i think chris briney) talks about how aaron is just… there, which is a misunderstanding of his character. he’s a voice of reason!! if you wanna act a character well, you have to know the layers of whoever you play, and i think that’s what was missing for him specifically
It baffles me how they cut It Roars from the movie ost when… that literally gave Cady so much character. Using her knowledge of animals from her time in Africa and comparing them to the student body was always interesting. A damn shame it’s not in the movie.
I played Kevin G. in a local production of Mean Girls and my boy doesn't get a lot of screen time that he deserves. He represents the part of Cady that just wants to be a nerd and flex a bit, but unfourtunely she gets told that she'll be bullied just as hard as Kevin is if she does. While Kevin is never embarrassed of who he is, living life like no one is watching. Their dynamic is so funny, but it's so hard to follow in the Broadway musical version. He has two minor lines at the very beginning that are so easily to forget that it's laughable, and then the first times you really notice him are his rap solos at the talent show and Cady's party, which make you forget that he's a part of the mathletes at all. Then at the VERY end he's revealed fully to be a rapping mathlete and the playwrights are just begging that you even kind of remember the face of the actor, so that Cady's character arc makes sense by the end. Don't get me wrong, the role is the most fun I have EVER had in a musical, but I didn't even realize that the main mathlete and the guy rapping in "Whose House Is This?" were the same character (or actor) when I watched the show to study for the audition. I have also never seen the original 2004 movie (but I have seen Barbie Diaries, so close enough), so I assume everyone who understood who my character was while watching were big fans of the film. (Idk man, I just like rapping, that's why I'm here). So props to the film for writing a silly, thematic, weirdly complex character that gets forgotten way too often.
YES. FINALLY SOMEONE SAYS THAT ABOUT JANIS!!! It annoyed me soooo much that they made her a lesbian in the new movie, and not because I’m homophobic (which I’m not, I’m literally a lesbian myself.) but because it completely messes up her character!!!!! Everything you said was exactly what I’ve been saying😭😭😭
real. i’m also a lesbian and it made no sense to me, i thought the whole point was to fight stereotypes? not making the girl who is unpopular and alt a lesbian?
i dont actually think tina fey was a woke icon trying to Break Stereotypes (the whole movie is full of them), i think it was just a huge Lebanese ≠ Lesbian punchline. i think a better way to write janis while still remaining true to the original story would've been to not have the stupid arson plotline and just have the exact same thing. lesbians and bi girls get accused of liking every girl they meet, esp in grade school. she could easily get ostracized for that. it could still tell a message about false assumptions and stereotyping without having the implication be "isnt it fucked up that they called her a yucky lesbian when shes in fact just a quirky straight girl? you should only bully her if she is ACTUALLY gay, but shes not, so shes fine!" like i said, i dont actually think the original story was meant to be about breaking stereotypes, but if it was then its a Dhar Mann style dont judge a book narrative that lowkey insults whoever theyre being compared to, like how half of his videos are "dont be mean to homeless people... bc they could actually be rich!" when the message should just be "dont dehumanize homeless people because theyre people"
I think they missed the point about Regina being a mean girl. It seems like they wanted her to be a girl boss that audiences would want to be like. And that's not the point. Regina is problematic and not a good person. I understand Tina Fey wanted to have Regina NOT be homophobic or racist, cuz that would mean she would be canceled nowadays. But they could've twisted it to be that Regina is in fact those things behind closed doors. And that could've been her downfall. She could've parodied apology videos to show how fake she is. Also, the whole gaining weight plot was inadequate because nowadays, because of body positivity.
Regina *should* be cancelable. I don't know what utopia people live in, but this past year I worked with a lot of Gen-Zers, and they openly say some of the most controversial stuff I've ever heard, and I'm from a time when all the -isms and the -phobias were the norm. I agree with everything you said, btw. I'm just tired of this narrative of "this character who's supposed to be an absolute f*ing a*hole said something politically incorrect!!!1" like, yes? that's the point?? Sociopaths don't care about anyone's feelings?? Also, let's face it, the reason why this movie doesn't address the toxic femininity of the first, is because it doesn't pander to the current narrative of men and the patriarchy being responsible for everything that's wrong with the world, another trope that's becoming exhausting.
@miaferrari958 ya the whole conversation in the bathroom was unnecessary when she brought up "what'd I be called if I was a man" lol but good thing it was a joke But still confused
@@jessicanoelle2012jp The worst part is in the musical, the line actually makes sense. The issue is Tina Fey decided to cut any trace of slut shaming from the girls (which completely kills the message of the first movie which was don't slut shame women because it encourages men to do it, too, but I digress) and the line was supposed to be a dig at how women get called bitches for being strong and men just get called by their first names. BUT because the context was neutered, the line doesn't hit the way it should.
The fact is people are still homophobic nowadays. They are especially Transphobic. And no one gets canceled. Look at Dave Chapelle. Regina could have made a lie about Janis looking at and touching girls in the locker room inappropriately. Not only would homophobes use that to justify their homophobia but they would also use it to ostracize Janis "correctly" if she did actually touch a girl in the locker room (just not inappropriately). And people are still fatphobic. Look at how they treat Lizzo. And to be honest, the most popular Tik Tok stars are White, pretty, and skinny, girls that can pull off crop tops. People haven't changed, they just parrot modern talking points while subconsciously following tradition.
i think she couldve totally been done like do revenge did it, she couldve been very problematic, and made a public apology with some performative bullshit, not unlike what real people do nowadays
honestly i think it boils down to renee & angourie being nowhere near the acting level of rachel mcadams and lindsay lohan. they feel like they're acting the idea of regina & cady, not the characters themselves
I’ll be honest I disagree with the Renee Rapp portion of this comment only because if you watch the sex lies of college girls, I think she was a perfect casting considering she was also in the musical on Broadway but I totally know what you mean about the other girl!
@@Kalise1djust because somebody was the role on broadway and was in one good movie doesnt mean they'll be a good fit for the film adaptation. Stage acting is literally a WORLD of difference between screen acting, and some people will be shit in some roles and good in others.
@@Kalise1dRachel McAdams was one of the best actresses in the 2000s, starring in a plethora of movies and showing a range of character diversity. Trust me, although Rapp is well liked, she is nowhere near the level that McAdams was in the original.
@@xxxmaysilssss690y’all act like Rachel gave an Oscar winning performance 😭 she didn’t. Her and Renee just played two different Reginas. Renee has always played her with more of an edge and more queerness-esque to her.
@@nativenewyorker3144 are you serious? Rachel acted her ASS off as Regina, and you people are acting like Rapp’s performance was in any way close to McAdams’? Please. And I don’t care how Renee plays her on Broadway. That is an entirely different medium to acting that requires a much different skill set. She had absolutely no subtlety as Regina needed for screen and wanted to act more “edgy” than anything. That isn’t Regina. It misses the entire point of her character. McAdams was better by miles.
To me at the end i really didn't felt like anyone learned anything. Like the speech Cady did wasn't giving me the same weight like in the OG. I enjoyed it but it felt like we weren't really show anything new to the story or even as meaningful.
I’m surprised that the replies don’t understand what you mean 😭 But yeah I agree with you, a book that is based on the musical film needs to be written 😂
@hellod4036 oooo that sounds cool 🤔 are there other books Based off Musicals? I know of musicals based on books, but that sounds like a really Interesting read, any recommendations?
I am so certain that Angourie Rice was miscast, like if they'd cast someone who could actually sing the score that would've made a big difference. I'm so certain that they didn't give her It Roars and completely screwed up Stupid with Love because she couldn't sing either. They also needed to cast an Aaron who could sing so that they'd actually be able to do More is Better.
Why *did* they cast her in this movie? I don't know what they saw in her because she can neither sing nor does she have Cady's overall vibe. She looks like a wholesome girl next door but she doesn't fit the mean girl transformation. Does she act well? I can't tell
I read smth that said they didn't wanna make them look like Euphoria girls and honestly that might've been their biggest mistake (with the costume design anyway). Not that they should've imitated Euphoria, but in the sense that they need to make them stand out and dress the way all teenagers wanna dress but can't
As someone who liked the musical They BUTCHERED the song "sexy" It's more sexy but it lost the energy of it and the whole point of the song and karen as a character It's stupid and fun like karen Sexy is just sung with so much energy and they lost it in the musical They turned I CAN BE WHO I WANNA BE AND SEXY To *I can be who i wanna be and sexy* Like the fun is lost
it's literally one of my favorite songs in the musical 😭 i think avantika is very pretty but the film vers. of the song just comes off too soft and unenergetic as u mentioned. maybe they wanted to focus more on choreography but i wish it could have been more of a britney-coded type of performance of the song (esp since they did mention taking inspiration from pop performers in other aspects of the choreo) just smth fun, sexy, but still energetic and more upbeat
honestly after watching/listening to Cady sing I was really into all the other songs so it didn’t feel as bad for me, i was prepared for a pop softened version of the broadway songs but not cady’s plain voice 😅
The issue is they made "Sexy" too sexy. Instead of a cutesy bop, they decided they needed to sexualize high schoolers and do nothing to critique Halloween culture among high schoolers like the first one did with the line "Halloween is the one day where a girl is allowed to dress like a total slut" line. Like MA'AM YOU ARE SEVENTEEN.
The weirdest thing about this new version vs the original nobody is talking about: Tina Fey is still writing, producing and playing Ms. (Mrs?) Norbury in this one. It's beyond me how there was this much misunderstanding between the two adaptations when you had the same person linking both movies.
Also I think making Janice openly gay changes the dynamic between her and Regina. I think with neither of them being openly gay suggests that maybe something romantic actually happened in their past
I think with Janis not being gay at all in the original, it shows how influential Regina can be because she doesn't have to try that hard to convince the student body that Janis is gay (even though she isn't). Regina's lie exposed other people's homophobia, causing them to ostracize her, proving that it's not just Regina that's mean, but everyone around her. It also stopped Janis from actually finding a love interest she desires. I mean, even you thought Janis was gay. Why? Based on stereotypes and the fact that Regina said it was so. So now somehow Janis is coded. That's realistic because in our real world people get stereotyped all the time for the way they dress or behave. Dressing frumpy, having a name similar to a lesbian, and valuing female friendships over boys automatically makes someone gay in people's minds, not the fact someone actually likes girls. I don't find Regina to be good gay representation at all. The closeted mean girl is a tired trope and actually untrue in the real world. Real homophobes exist, and Regina is meant to be that alt-right hateful character. This is why it worked in the original. Because girls like that really exist.
I like your point that you made abt the team not understanding the purpose of the talent show scene because even in the broadway musical when Regina gets embarrassed and runs off stage, Cade continues the performance with the other two plastics
I'm so glad you added that character explanation about Janis. It does change the story between versions slightly, and I love that you also picked up on it!
I feel like I’m the only person who thought Avantika was not right for the role. She was overly and irritatingly dumb. The original Karen was a believable “bimbo.” She asked questions that an uneducated person would ask. Avantika’s eyes bothered me throughout the whole movie and her song while cute did not show if she had any vocal ability. It sounded like her voice was edited to the god’s. I also agree that Cady’s whole personality was liking Aaron samuels. That’s all she cared about. In the original yes Cady did really like him but it was not her whole personality. Overall I’m feeling this remake was really bland and misplaced.
I agree, I didn’t like her portrayal of Karen. Her performance felt more like a skit on an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race than a character I could see genuinely existing in a high school. In fact, a better version of Karen would be a girl who pretends to be stupid for attention instead of a girl who is actually stupid (that’s realistic!)
Yes!!! I’m dumbfounded by the praise for this version of Karen - she literally acted brain dead and that thing she kept doing with her eyes was so aggravating.
And them trying to steer away from seeming like Euphoria and Gossip Girls with the costumes just shows how out of touch they are with teen dramas and the aesthetic of them. We don’t want to relate to these characters! We want to be inspired by them, feel like wow this shit feels like a fantasy. It needs to feel EUPHORIC
I understand that they changed things to be with the current times - "not your mothers mean girls" - but i think the issue is they took out all of the emotional depth and manipulation of everybody. Also while i think it is fair that janis is a lesbian or isnt - both sides have merit - i think you are right that there needed to be a real reason that janis was looking for revenge on regina, and also i love the whole fact that "janis is an arsonist" meanwhile regina sings world burn
With the Janis thing, she’s also the opposite of Regina. She’s the toxic “not like other girl” girl I think muddies the water how some girls go the opposite direction. And I worry that means people with think alt or non conforming lgbt are just “going thru a phase”
I think this is what I love most about the original because it was really ahead of its time with starting that conversation about 'not like the other girls' vs the typical view of the fake and unrealistic other girl. That's a conversation that wasn't fully had until 10 years later at least I think so it would've really worked if this next version had fully expanded on that more than the original could which would've been a great way to elevate and modernise the story. Plus in general we need more non black and white stories, with messy real life grey area
@@t3hpenguinofd00m She was the stereotypical NLOG, especially in the musical, which is why in the musical she got the song "Rather Be ME", emphasizing how different she is from the Plastics (when she's really not). A NLOG is someone who is counter feminine culture, proud of it, but also puts down other girls who are not like them. She put down the Plastics and anyone like them quite a bit in the original, even though she herself was just like them.
@@t3hpenguinofd00m it wasn’t entirely that. Damien liked a lot of what the plastic were into but Janis gave him grief for being interested in it. It’s not the fact she’s alt that makes her NLOG it’s her behavior towards their stereotypical feminine-ness that she blamed on their behavior. But Karen never really did anything wrong. She was one of the only people that was genuine but because she hung out with Regina, Janis still put her down.
One thing that disappointed me was when the musical came out, it was criticized because they remove the "mean" part, if I remember. And instead of thinking "ok, we misses that on the stage, but we can fix it in the movie adaptation", they just... didn't.
Something that drives me crazy that I haven’t seen anyone mention, is that in the scene where they tell Regina she can’t sit with them, Karen says she was rejected for wearing a vest. That whole conversation Gretchen is literally wearing a vest.
I'm literally watching Mean Girls (2004) this evening, because of you; I watched your Jingle Bell Rock video which made me think "man, I should rewatch Mean Girls" and now this has sealed it. Nostalgia quest ahoy!
i hadn't even considered that point about the costuming - but you are so right. Regina is supposed to be setting the trends not taking part in them, great analysis.
All they needed to do was make Regina spread some kind of rumor that Janis is homeles (because of the way she dresses) or has some kind of disgusting illness (STD prefferably). Because another part of how the rumor ruined her life was that no guy wanted to date her, because they thought she was gay so that could add that (Regina thinking she has herpies, but she ment she's a herbalist?). Or a rumor that she's a drug addcit because of ther clothes and music she listens too and her beeing an artist (the joke could be that she only drinks Coke or something...) SOMETHING. Like, come on, but beeing an arsonist? Really? That would not destroy anyone's life in High school, there are groups of kids that would think it's actually cool or something.
I think part of the reason they probably struggled to maintain the message of the original of “be yourself” and “don’t care about what other people think” is because that is a lot of what social media is. Everyone has a curated image, if you don’t your image is not being curated. They probably struggled to make a story out of that without sounding like “phone bad!” And they probably didn’t want to be laughed at for that. So what’s the solution? Move in the complete opposite direction, remove anything that makes the moral make sense, and lean into the social media aspect so hard that you pull something
I am not even disappointed by this movie, i'm just confused by it's existance. So I guess my question is: Why does it exist? What is the point and goal of retelling this story a decade later when it is the same story with the same principle and the same narrative? It's not even like gen z or even gen alfa are unaware of the cultural significance of mean girls, so this movie does not reintroduce a younger audience to an incredible story, because that story still permeates the cultural imaginary. I understand the musical existing because it is a different media with a different format and experience, but a movie of a musical of a movie of a book? what? why?? it's giving High School Musical: The Musical The series and honestly *that's* so disappointing.
It's all about milking the idea for every cent that they can. They do it with everything these days. I was hoping that Tina Fey was above that. Boy, was I wrong.
I haven’t seen the musical movie yet but I’ve seen the 2004 movie, I’ve seen the musical (online and in person), and I love your videos. This video greatly illustrates (just like your jingle bell rock video I watched) the point of mean girls and how complex girlhood is. In my opinion, if they weren’t so insecure (geez Gretchen much) and just did a movie musical with the same songs and good cinematography, pacing, and outfits, as a musical fan “that would be enough”.
What baffles me is that, according to what I read during the press for this movie, Tina Fey herself was part of the creators and writers of this movie. Like she was for the OG Mean Girl and in part for the Broadway musical. She also admitted that some jokes of the OG movie would not work today so she changed them, but lilke you said, a LOT of the 'mean-ness' of the Plastics is gone.
Another thing that I didn't like that much about the movie is that the product placements, sponsors, etc were sooooo obvious. They weren't even attempting to be subtle. Like anyone with two eyes and a brain could tell it was sponsored by elf. Unnecessary.
i think this movie is just confused. there wasn't enough balance between songs and dialogue, which is great for the stage, but doesn't translate to the screen. compared to the broadway musical, the songs are dull, and some of the vocal performances leave something to be desired. in my opinion, a pro-shot of the broadway musical would have been way more well received
Something interesting I learned from an interview is that the movie was barely PG13. Because of all the middle fingers in "I'd Rather Be Me" they actually had to make sure they didnt have too many so it didn't bump the rating. I feel like this is part of why the mean is so different. Another part of the mean being different is the mean being focused on the power of the court of social opinion. In the musical, Regina is mean and this makes her the apex predator. But she also holds power because her peers let her hold it. She gets away with being mean because people let her. The rocking around the pole scene is the turning point at the end of act 1 because people fall out of favour with Regina and give it to Cady instead. This robs her of her power. They do this in the movie musical as well but they don't include Janice and Damien's narration that contextualizes it and also Damien's song Stop that shows Cady is obsessed with the social validation from the internet. This is one of the things that Cady did not understand about girl world before she came because she was from "Kenya with one phone". So they took out the underhanded meanness from the movie and also the truly vile things they say. But they also removed a lot of the subtext around the brutal nature of social media and how it warps you
My husband and I are Gen Z and we both work in film. We watched this on streaming because friends in the industry had talked about the many issues in this film. The pacing gave us whiplash. I am a film editor and work in television, film, and music videos. One thing that executives do not understand about Gen Z is that we DO have an attention span. Just because we like TikTok doesn’t mean we don’t also love long form entertainment. Love it or hate it, Euphoria has had a chokehold on Gen Z and that show took its time with storytelling. It’s an insult to the audience to assume that since your viewers are young, you need to dumb down your film. Young people are not stupid, and that’s something that execs have been misunderstanding for literal decades. It’s amazing that it’s still happening. Edit: AND, one of the beautiful things about the original 2004 Mean Girls is that it’s one of the few teen films that understood its audience and didn’t condescend to its young viewers!!
i'm glad I have found your comment, because I 100% agree on the attention span part: It drives me nuts that all older generation seem to be able to relate to GenZ and Gen Alpha is "oh look, these children with their diminishing attention spans" while said adults are PRODUCING MOST OF THE CONTENT!! I mean sure, TikTok and such exists but movies and other media are created by older generations pandering to what they think younger generations want/ need, only to then go back to critizising these generations for supposedly being the issue.
THANK YOU for talking about Janis! they totally missed the point of her character. I am all for retelling characters to be queer but the ENTIRE point of Janis's character was that she wasn't a lesbian! that Regina essentially ruined her life over her own ignorance and Janis wants revenge. Literally everything you said in this video was what was going thru my head watching the film. Cady is unmemorable, Regina is rude, not mean, Gretchen is just anxious for no real reason, and Aaron has zero personality.
It’s crazy how Tina Fey missed the point of her own character because so many people missed the point of the character and made the same ignorant mistake that Regina did
I’d love to hear your opinion on Do Revenge and Not Okay, the only modern day movies about teens/young adults with excellent costume design that is accurate, original, an homage and some how also aspirational. Please please please tell us what you think of them especially compared to what bad costume design assumes about gen z
Hey so I know this post was from a while ago but if you all still want to watch that Do Revenge video search her channel! She made it about a year ago. Hope it helps!
A thing that they cut from the Movie that was in the musical was that Cady constantly brake the fourth wall talking directly to the public like in stupid with love she is singing to the public not to herself, or before fearless (the end of the first act in the musical) in the you can’t seat with us part Cady turns to the public and realizes that she is the one who has the power and then go back to the scene and tell Regina that rules are rules
I wish they kept Regina as mean and outspoken as she was in the original movie. Regina had little to no filter and she used language that in todays world is not acceptable, which would've made her meaner. Also Aaron is mid. Also if Avantika and Reneé Rapp are not invited at the MET gala I'm gonna cry.
@@random.x0 I think compared to the 2000s movie, this Aaron appears rather bland and boring. Not necessarily ugly, but also not like someone interesting
2:35 my middle school did mean girls a few years back, and the music was SUPER difficult. Half of us were dying at the end, and that show killed my voice. (It wasn’t better until like a month after the show) these songs are super hard.
6:47 Idk how they didn't get this given the most iconic scene for the heels (The one shown here) literally shows the Plastics and Cady are the only people in this scene in heels 😂
What I’ve realized with time is that the original was a perfect storm of talent, not only was Tina’s script sharp, the actors were perfectly matched to the characters, the direction was constantly creative (honestly a bunch of shots starts beautifully composed, I still remember the shot of Regina trying to close the pink dress, is so dynamic), the costume design is well thought out and effortless, the editing is energetic and seamless, the soundtrack, the side characters… it’s honestly a miracle, I think the new one has a clever script but all other aspects has weak points, so it’s inevitably inferior, but the original mean girls… “there shall never be their like again”
13:18 This is actually another thing I had a problem with, in this new movie she never mentions to be homeschooled to the plastics when they met. How is Regina supposed to be impressed to the point to make an experiment with Katie just because she's from Kenya? 🙄 She could've went to a regular school there though, so... If I was a casual viewer and didn't know anything about Mean Girls and saw this new movie before the original I would be lost in the plot and wondering why is Katie so special to everybody to begin with lmao. P.S: 22:36 This is not confirmed, it's just a fan theory. I hardly doub Regina would be that dumb. She literally assumed Janis was a lesbian because she felt Janis was obsessed with her.
There was no camp, and they took out all the “offensive jokes” which were part of the reason that made the original so funny. Coddling the public is and has been ruining everything
Pleaseeee watch thirteen!! It’s such a good movie about the toxic and desperate friendship between two girls and how they slowly destroy each other. One of my all time favourites and the visuals are stunning
I think the main problem is that the directors had the mind set of “oh everyone’s seen the original mean girls and already understands the story so let’s just do what we want and not put too much detail into it” which definitely seems like that’s what they thought. As you mentioned, they missed so many little details that was super important to the story that just made the movie less enjoyable. As a musical theatre person I was super excited for this movie but I was so disappointed!! Cady was just not the right choice at all her energy didn’t capture Cady (musical version) at all!! In the musical she was so full of energy and was so optimistic about things and her voice was powerful and high but the Cady in the movie didn’t give me that energy AT ALL! I agree with you that the only parts of the movie I liked was Sexy, Somebody gets hurt and World Burn. I was SO SAD when they cut out roar because it is one of my favourite songs in the musical and it’s what made me love Cady as a person! It made me understand a lot more where she came from, what she was feeling and how innocent and genuine she was.
I keep seeing the defense "good thing it's not a musical, it's a movie"..... Yes. It's a movie adaptation of the MUSICAL. theatre "kid" here, been doing theatre since I was 11 I'm now 26. There has been so many other movie musicals that have Broadway or off Broadway counterparts and they don't fall flat. There's NO EXCUSE for this movie to do so.
the costume designers here FAILED to realize that actual teenagers would realistically wear y2k fashion OUTSIDE of school. they could've just thought of what they would have worn outside of school and not mind about how realistic they are.
i agree with a lot of what you said, like it felt so quick-paced that i didn't understand how we got form point a. to point b. and i do agree that a lot of the motives for these characters got lost and it felt lack luster, while i did enjoy the movie, there needed to be more to it, especially the COSTUMES?!?! this is one element that seriously lacked in the movie and i thought people were exaggerating, but they didn't 😳 they had ok bones to start with but lost the point, i did a whole video remaking the costumes and honesty they needed to exaggerate them more, its a musical, it doesn't have to be realistic and IT SHOULDN'T AT ALL! omg reginas were the worst and such a HUGE let down
if you’ve seen the musical, how does this movie compare??
oh, I've seen and I have a lot of opinions! First, I think what makes musical versions of classic movies “acceptable” are the songs that carry the story. We already know the movie, we know exactly how things go, but the songs are the fresh air and it is through them that the same story is told.
with Mean Girls they didn't care about telling the story through songs, but rather putting some musical moments and that's it. I felt that they wanted to make the movie a less musical as possible for those who don't like musicals.
22:37 claiming Regina isnt bright based on the idea that she misunderstood the word Lesbian with Lebanese isnt accurate. Thats a fan theory. She didnt like the fact that Janis was in her mind smoothing her. So the conclusion is that hey youre obsessed with me so might just be a lesbian.
I've seen the musical and both movies. In my opinion, the original movie does it the best. I love the musical, but I think that it has many flaws, and the movie musical enhanced many of those flaws. This franchise is so camp, and Tina Fey understood the assignment with the first one. I think that Tina really likes musicals but doing them kind of eludes her. I'm not saying anything bad about Tina Fey, don't get me wrong, she's FRICKEN BRILLIANT and I'm such a fan. As I was saying, the original movie knows that it's camp and leans into it, and that's why we love it so much. The Broadway musical tried to lean into the camp factor, and kinda failed in that regard, it came across as melodramatic camp. The musical is packed full of songs, and it is truly an *adaptation* of the 2004 movie. The 2024 "movie musical" was a remake of the original with a few songs tossed in here and there. I had so much fun seeing the movie, and I thought there were some baller performances and one liners. The 2024 version cut so many songs from the Broadway musical. There were a total of 21 songs in the musical (onstage), and there were 11 songs (not counting the ones that were written specifically for the movie musical). The lack of material made the point of the movie seem paper thin.
I'm going to end this comment by saying that I love all the versions of this franchise. There are some things that I found underwhelming about some iterations, but the immense love and respect I have for them outweighs the critiques by 10 fold
@@mlw9195 Thank you MLW. I was just going to mention that. I've watched a bunch of these Mean Girls 2024 reviews, and I can't believe how many of them think that Regina got lesbian and Lebanese mixed up. That happened in an episode of the TV-show The Golden Girls, NOT in Mean Girls 2004. It's a fan-theory that doesn't make any sense because we don't even know that Regina knew that Janis was Lebanese. It's not in the original script, deleted scenes, or anywhere. All we know is that Kevin G found out at the end.
It feels like this movie is embarrassed that it’s a musical. They always try to cater to those who hate musicals and it’s so frustrating :(
The plastics in the og movie dressed how wealthy teen girls would think successful women dressed. When Regina first invites Cady to sit at their lunch table, shes basically wearing the teen version of a power suit. In her mind, she's the CEO. Gretchen wears preppy clothes, the youthful version of lawyer. They very much did their best to seen above their fellow high schoolers.
Nah, even tho OG Regina is young, she knew what the difference between expensive and trying to look expensive was, she would choose the former, here, it's all so cheap looking.
@@Momofan69so you agree
@@Momofan69Lmfao the Momo with sapphire makeup werqqq
i can see what they were trying to do for the costume design for this, and the direction they wanted to go with for this regina, but i also see the other side. i haven’t seen the movie, but i think it would be cool if it was a truly modernized version and that would change the way the platixs acted and looked and how caddy and janice acted and looked and had their rises and fall. the way teenage girls and society act and think has changed a lot since the 2000s and i think it would be cool to see how that in a new mean girls.
i also just think rene is so hot and that maybe why i like her costume design
Regina never wears a suit. When she meets Cady, she's wearing a sweater over a button-up blouse, which almost looks like a private school uniform.
My biggest criticism of this movie is that it was made with the expectation that they audience already had watched the og movie.
It doesn't show Regina's true meanness bc they already expect you to know. It doesn't dedicate time to showing the Plastics' dynamics bc it already expects you to know how they work around each other.
That honestly seems to be the case with a lot of remakes these days. They don't bother with the subtext and characterization that was so integral to the source material because they expect you to have already seen the original and to just fill in the blanks yourself.
In their defense, what the hell is one doing watching the musical version without 1st watching the og?
I personally think that the real flaw is them simply marketing it halfway as a musical instead of as a full on parody/musical.
I personally never watched either musical but if they wanted to use the music to fill in all the blanks, then they have that right.
On the plastics dynamics: they cut most of the song meet the plastics which has verses on Gretchen and Karen’s personalities or their dynamic. In the movie they only did Regina’s verse probably cause it’s reprised in world burn.
@@cavalrystyles8776 They have that right; it doesn't make it good though. Having a right doesn't mean a thing really. People watched Lindsay Lohan's Parent Trap without watching the original. People watched 2003 Freaky Friday without watching the original. It's possible to watch the musical version without watching the OG. But you can only make a classic memorable fresh-feeling remake if you approach it as if you've never seen the original, but enjoy the concept.
Regina wasn't mean enough, I agree. She was mean to her friends but it didn't show her as queen bee.
honestly these characters would just get HORRIBLY bullied by the plastics for being such try-hard it girls
They’d be in the “desperate wannabes” clique in the original
@@caitlingill truee
I had a weird dream were all the “popular” girls in certain movies fighting over a lunch table .
The heathers
The 2004 plastics
And the modern day plastics,
I don’t remember much of the details but I know that the modern plastics got called tryhards Regina (2024) started fighting and the others ran off crying, cut to the blue heather (I forgot her name) and both Cadies were just watching . Occasionally insulting all of them
@@michellethompson2693 "The blue Heather" ....Veronica?
@@michellethompson2693 😭😭i'd kill to witness that
in reference to the costuming: as someone who's currently in high school their attempt to show Regina as a trendy teen made her look wayy older than she was supposed to be (which confused the hell out of me in her first appearance). I can tell you for a fact that no one our age dresses like that except for going out at night on weekends. it also made her look like she's about to go to a rave after algebra.
YES! i wish they leaned more into active wear, everyone wears sweats and active wear to school, they couldve put regina and the plastics into some high end activewear set and put everyone else in pjs or sweat pants or comfy clothes. Thats wouldve been better than the shein, cheap, honestly ugly, outfits they put the girls in.
I thought her outfits were totally what a popular highschooler would wear, maybe we just went to different schools lol
same all the mean girls in my school are fully decked out in lululemon, aritzia, and other high end activewear brands. put her in some tiffany jewelry and a pink lulu zip up jacket- then she'd look like a gen z bully.
@@flowersinantarctica8Great idea! They still could have leaned into Regina being a trendsetter like that too. Incorporate some balletcore or cutout workout wear.
No one dressed like the original movie in school either. Rarely do high schoolers in movie and show actually look/dress like actual high schoolers, usually
In this version, I feel as though the plastics are like a random clique instead of the rulers of the school. Like sure, they're pretty and dress nice but so do most of the ensemble. There isn't much of a difference between them and everyone else so it feels forced when they do those shots where the school as well as internet celebrities are reacting to Regina on social media. In the first version, the plastics really stood out from everyone else. They wore bright colors while everyone else wore dull and muted tones. The plastics had designer handbags and pumps while everyone else wore backpacks and sneakers. It gave them a status of being unattainable while now the plastics wear dated micro trends that anyone can replicate very easily. As a result, the entire movie feels forced and unrealistic.
Unrealistic is a weird critique. How many high schools actually have a group of hot mean girls running the place like that vs just a random clique that thinks they run it?
@@violett874They mean that it's unrealistic within the laws of the Mean Girls universe, because it defeats the point.
this is soooo true
@@moonsigilI was just about to say the same thing. It seems the fool above you isn’t the only person trying to force this musical to be better than and out due the original when it’s clearly not. If it was why be under a video that’s critical than uplifting?
@@violett874It's not about whether they actually ruled the school. For me it was always about what it FELT like to people who were actually living through high school. Those popular cliques did feel like they ruled the school and they did seem like celebrities. That's why the movie was so relatable.
Janice in the original even says it herself. "At least me and Regina know that we're mean."
'I'd rather be me' is so tonedeaf storywise, considering it's about not caring what others think of you, and not giving in to petty games and revenge... When that's all Janice has been doing this entire movie.
I love that song, but I feel like it would’ve made so much more sense to have Gretchen sing it. She spends the entire time trying to be a carbon copy of Regina to win her approval only to fail spectacularly every single time. If she sang this song and decided to just be herself and start acting completely differently, I feel like it would’ve made a lot more sense
LITERALLY.
I've never even thought about that, but that's actually kind of genius.
@@christalcavanaugh I always thought katy should've sung I'd rather be me- but only in the sense when she said "I'm sick of your rules and games, I'd rather sit alone." like Janice has IAN its Katy who has to deal with the eventual fallout when it blows up in her face and in the OG movie it's HER who sits alone in the bathroom.
The original relationship with Janis and Regina was also a classic example of the real life scenario when one girl in a duo grown up faster than the other at about 13 years old and cares more about being cool than being decent. The new story seems farfetched. True there are different attitudes towards homosexuality 20 years later, but they could have tweaked the rumour without deviating from the story.
The movie creators didn't seem like they understood that Regina isn't just a mean rich pretty girl bully, she's a charismatic dictator and a celebrity of her high school at the same time.
Also they didn't understand the themes of girlhood and high school presented in a campy way and why they were so important and connected with so many people. So thank you for this review 💖 as I don't think I'm gonna be watching this movie
this is why they should've committed adapting the broadway musical route if they really want a musical movie (a lot of nuances were erased whis was disappointing)
Maybe in a few months? sometimes when it's fresh and all the promo and commentary is out it can be hard, but I do think it's worth watching
@finchthebird No, I'm just not interested enough. Tbh, I'll probably forget this movie even is a thing in few weeks 😅 I rather watch something else or read something else. Or rewatch the original. I just don't have time to watch mediocre media I don't think I'll even enjoy. That's why reviews are so useful.
you mean the directors, right? because the creator/writer of the movie wrote all three versions of Mean Girls
@@nitzeartlol you'll watch at least a 30min review of a movie you're already not into but not just the actual
The reason Janis seems more soft than the original is because she is. They took away the core aspect of what made her and Regina two sides of the same coin: her rage. Without that driving her to urge Cady to go as deep as she did, it feels more like a game she's playing, she's trolling Regina just to troll her rather than it being a personal vendetta to ruin her like she was ruined. Her lack of rage and actively wanting to stop at a certain point also takes away some of the blame from Janis's shoulders and shifts it over to Cady because Cady doesn't want to stop, actually, so it looks like she made the active decision to trade up, which makes the party betrayal hurt more for Janis, and makes her singing I'd Rather Be Me more justified than in the musical.
Janis being canonically a lesbian in this version makes her the only iteration of the character who could reclaim the slur that was used to ostracize her in the original, but due to the changes they made to her backstory, she never did, and as a lesbian who embraces that specific term myself that annoys me lol.
@Ks-101 no?? I’m just annoyed about the one thing?
The movie called her a dyke, and the problem was she wasn’t lesbian but Lebanese. The musical changed it to *space dyke*, but despite Barrett saying she played Janis as a lesbian, Janis’ sexuality is not explicitly confirmed or acknowledged within the show itself. Even though I personally agree with her interpretation, if someone asked me if OBC!Janis was gay, I wouldn’t be able to give a definitive answer. This 2024 movie musical has Janis as explicitly queer, so not only is all the power taken away from Regina calling her a lesbian at all, but this Janis can reclaim the specific word they’ve been using this whole time. And they didn’t let her do it. Now she’s a “pyro lez,” with more emphasis on the former than the latter. They changed it so not only does she not do it but now there’s no need. Why didn’t 2018 musical do that in the first place then? It’s not like they had to worry about messing with a rhyme scheme. That’s all.
@Ks-101 seeing as the comment I made won’t show up (I think I know why) I’ll just reiterate: *no*. I don’t know where you got that impression but the only thing I was annoyed with was what I said in the second paragraph. The first paragraph was an analysis expanding on a comment that was touched upon in the video. That’s all.
@Ks-101 it is a musical remake of the original movie whether you like it or not. They literally copy everything from the original movie, from set to costumes.
i agree soooo much, as a lesbian who had mean rumours about my sexuality in school... making janis a lesbian with the original rumour backstory would be such a good way to reclaim that experience and 1) show a very realistic form of homophobia in these feminine middle/high school spaces 2) actually allow a lesbian character to reclaim and deal with that experience, instead of just making it about how straight girls are ashamed of even being associated with lesbianness
@@Carolina-wz2qo exactly! Well said!
Like on the one hand, I’m glad Janis is canonically gay and it’s no longer an issue in and of itself. Times change, and it’s for the better. But on the other, I wish they didn’t erase such an important part of her history. Being a lesbian or not wasn’t what made Janis *Janis*, it was her rage. Without it, she’s no longer a Mean Girl. Which goes against the entire point of the OG movie: that *anyone* can be a mean girl.
Edit: TH-cam just deleted like... a majority of my comment :/ ugh
If they wanted to give Janice some fire and make her gay still, they could've said that Regina outed her before she was ready...not rly hard to spin that.
Idk, the backstory in the movie is already pretty brutal. It's still Regina outing Janis before she's ready but in a really horrible way and dragging out the bullying for months.
Everytime someone trots out the tired "Don't take it too seriously" argument, I'm reminded of a line from The Birdcage: "This may only be a drag show, but it still needs to be a _good_ drag show, if possible, a _great_ drag show." Just because something is primarily made for the sake of entertainment is not an excuse not to put genuine effort into it.
Yeah, especially if they expect us to pay money for it. If this was free, then you'd possibly have an argument not to take it seriously.
I love The Birdcage!! My fav movie😍
@@kendrickdinger Phenomenal movie. I want to rewatch it now. 😂
So frickin true
Same aspect has been brought up in regards to childrens media, too. We've regressed from Sesame Street helping to teach children essential pre-pre-k information like colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc. to substanceless brainrot skibidi cocomelon because people decided "they're babies, they don't care!"
One thing I've been noticing is that pacing in media made for younger zoomers is TOO FAST. Maybe because that generation is known for really short attention span and the writers and directors are doing their best to capitalize on the main audience's focus and interest
aw man that fucking sucks! hope they don’t continue that bc this movie moved WAYYY too fast! and this is coming from a person who has a very short attention span!
The pacing is fast because its a musical where half the movie is a song. So you have to give exposition and still tell a story while also having catchy tunes. So based of this alone, the pacing was going to be lightning faster than the original unless they made the movie 3 hours.
@@NinteddyRose but it's the same with most teen media curently. Not just musicals. Also there are plenty of musicals with good pacing out there
Trying to capture trends instead of the generation in general is a huge issue
There's really no pop culture references in the og
Most pop culture references date so badly so fast
@@MylingCyrus I don't think that's entirely fair. Pop culture refferencing and dating a piece is only bad when it supports bad jokes. Setting a piece in a particular time frame is a way to crystalize the era it was created for the future. The good, the bad and the ugly. Also og Gossip Girl is full of pop culture, history and literature refferences and it still is one of the best teen media to ever exist... regardles ofplot holes and other things.
The issue, to me at least, is failing to grasp the timing for things, when to do it and how far you go. The parts simply don't conect in the right way
I liked what you said about “telling us” vs “showing us”. I find modern movies nowadays keep telling us what has happened rather than show us. So the scene of Jingle Bell Rock made me so confused because I didn’t see Cady be charismatic. She was also hidden in the back most of the dance.
I also find Cady didn’t not have the charisma as the original. She is supposed to be able to look both good and innocent and then transform into a mean girl but I couldn’t see that. She just looked normal? Like she needed more charisma so that when she transforms to a mean girl then it’s obvious why people would follow her
100% this. Cady single-handedly saved the performance by turning a lame dance number they'd seen a hundred times already into an accapella cover that got everyone reinvested after witnessing the routine implode. She proved her value to the group and justified why Regina should both keep her around AND keep an eye on her. She is popular now. She's even more of a threat. But instead of that, we get someone who lingered in the background just being praised for doing absolutely nothing and stumbling her way to the top.
This is a thing that is a direct result of following the Broadway version too closely. In live theater, the actor's voices tell the story. While, in film you see the story happen. This convention is a basic rule when it comes to storytelling within these mediums, so I have no idea what happened here.
i feel like although mean girls is camp, the politics of popularity and girl problems are subtle. you see regina being calculated and manipulative, but it's underneath the surface - because that's how a lot of teen girls fight. They can't be openly aggressive and also be liked and "girlie/feminine". in the 2024 version it's all on the surface, where she's aggressive and verbally mean - which loses the entire point
This!!
They had the same issue in mean girls 2. They introduce Regina as a bitch. Why would the protagonist be taken in by her when she is outright mean? Why would anyone seek her approval when she never gives it?
100% relational aggression is a huge deal in the Queen Bees book & OG film. Cady was smart enough in the OG film to quickly recognize how the rules of girl world/ teen human behavior operated compared to what she saw when observing the animals interacting in Africa. She admits "in girl world, fighting had to be sneaky" pretty early into the film. In the musical & musical adaptation, she seems rather dumb in everything other than math instead of a bright girl (with exceptional math skills) who is merely ignorant of high school dynamics in the US.
The whole point of the movie is about how restrictive femininity and standards are, especially for teen girls who are hated and criticised whatever they do whatever they like. And its about how that warps people and how they react to the pressure by working to be perfectly girly and acceptable and good for all purposes and appearance, and expressing their rage and helplessness in backwards manipulative backstabbing ways because theyre not able to outright be mean or throw a punch without breaking "like, the rules of feminism". The rules of being a woman of being a teen girl. Also with the fashion, its not just that the plastics are aspirational, like someone said above theyre dressing like mini respectable-but-sexy adults because you cant be too prude but you also cant be too sexy. Cant be too anything or not enough anything. There's no winning. But theyre trying really hard to.
I was hoping that we'd get your two cents about the musical movie, and you didn't disappoint! While I'm a huge fan of Angourie Rice, she felt miscast as Cady, and it was obvious that she didn't have the same musical background as most of the other cast members. As the main protagonist, Cady is supposed to act as a surrogate to the audience, but when she's surrounded by more colourful characters such as Regina, Karen, Janis and Damien, then she comes across as bland in contrast.
i swear u see i see you everywhere on all my favorite videos lol
agree! I truly wonder why they made this casting decision. while Angourie is so sweet, Cady needs a voice as strong as her character. at least we have Renee
I love how you're everywhere I am Trinaq
@@All-ze9cl you're Trinaq?
@@eyeromniumyou need to add a comma in your interpretation of the comment above
"where I am **,** Trinaq"
While I appreciated that they left out Coach Carr's inappropriate relationship with his teenage students, they could have at least given Jon Hamm more to work with. Same goes for Jenna Fischer and Ashley Park, though I did like the small reference to Principal Duvall and Ms. Norbury being in a relationship.
But why take it out? Because it’s a nasty reminder of reality? It happens every day in the news, even more with women teachers and male students (maybe not more but it certainly gets more attention when it’s this dynamic). The fact that audiences laughed was a way of holding a mirror up to people and reminding them that teenagers still need guidance, because there are predatory adults even in environments that are supposed to be safe. It’s subversively thought provoking imo. Things shouldn’t be removed because they are ugly and realistic. If it was ugly and totally unbelievable I’d agree.
@@BB-ed4omgood point, i agree
@@BB-ed4om I’m sure they took it out because 1) the teacher/underage students thing was mostly a joke and 2) the students were written as Asian stereotypes. It was probably easier to just not touch that plot for the ‘24 version, especially in a post-MeToo world and with a cast that now has AAPI actors in lead roles.
That said, in the ‘04 version the Plastics write about Coach Carr being with the Cool Asians in the Burn Book, and after that rumor was proven to be true post-Book Reveal, THAT’S when they investigate Ms. Norbury for the rumor that Cady wrote, which leads to Cady owning up to her mistakes. In the ‘24 version, that plot was removed and wasn’t… replaced with anything? So Ms. Norbury being investigated feels kinda random? And that (along with the removal of her voiceover) kinda cheapens Cady’s moment of growth.
It’s kind of similar to a lot of the other changes to “update” the plot, where instead of being clever and actually subversive and thought-provoking they opted to either something watered down or just not addressing it and hoping no one notices. Like Janis not being ostracized for being (seemingly) gay, or the Plastics not being as mean or fashionably intimidating, or the characters not going to the mall. It’s more respectful and “realistic”, but since they don’t add anything to fill those pieces it feels smaller and watered down???
Not saying that Mean Girls 2024 needed the same problematic stuff as the ‘04 one, but since it didn’t do anything interesting with it (like Coach Carr just being there to say his abstinence joke) the movie feels empty. Hell, even an actual moment where they pause the goofiness and singing to seriously address the Coach Carr issue with care and sincerity for the young people watching would’ve, I don’t know, be SOMETHING memorable.
I feel like if the movie made the teenage students young adults it in a way would have made more sense to laugh since they are more of age and not underage.
@@BB-ed4om God, thank you! I'm so tired of people thinking that showing something must mean youre supporting it
as a fan of the musical, what left me very disappointed with this movie was the fact that they really wanted to hide that it was a musical, not only in the advertising but in the movie itself, cutting out so many important songs.
I feel like avantika would’ve been better as Karen in the stage musical. Her dumb acting was so over the top that I found it really weird to watch on screen. It would’ve worked great on the stage though.
yessss this💯
Yeah, I keep hearing reviews that say she was their favorite part but I don’t get it. I haven’t seen her in anything else so I don’t know how she is overall as an actress but she really over acted this part and it was not believable at all.
Right? Like the original Karen was stupid but like… subtly. You really wouldn’t know she was stupid until she opened her mouth. This Karen is all around weird. Vacant gazes, mouth agape nearly all the time…
I agree! She’s cartoonish. She almost came off like she had a mental delay, which made it look worse, like Regina was taking advantage of a girl who didn’t have all of her faculties.
I think she was really over the top in the first half but I grew to really like her in the second half of the movie. Her looks in the beginning were really strange and unrealistic. But her song is by far my favorite song in the film.
I feel like Regina was too aggressive in this movie. Instead of having these subtle backhanded comments or manipulation, it was more just her saying it to their faces and just being verbally mean idk
I mean I get they wanted the fashion to be more current but WHY did they for y2k when there is old money, hidden luxury and clean girl aesthetic? That would have worked so much better for the plastics
P.S. When I say Y2K, I mean the 2020 fast fashion version of Y2K.
There was probably a lack of 20 year old fashion girlies in the costume crew
What's weird is that they nailed this look on Renee Rapp in The Sex Lives of College Girls. She basically was Regina George in the first few episodes of that
I honestly feel like the original movie portrayed the plastics with a sort of old money aesthetic, so I think it would've been a great choice to use the modern version of the trend when designing costumes for this new version. It feels like the movie was trying too hard to make the plastics seem normal, and instead they just ended up generic
@@mossballroll lol were you even alive then? Old money girls were not wearing that back then.
@@violett874I feel like Gretchen has kind of an old money feel to her look.
Controversial opinion: for as much I love representation and movies having a more diverse cast. I feel like making the plastics anything but skinny white women defeats the point of the Plastics and what they represent. Yes, these women are pretty, they absolutely are gorgeous- prettier than me even.
But meangirls was supposed to be a critique on on the exclusivity culture in fashion and the problems that generated. Like the clothing being ridiculously expensive or made in small batches in a limited amount of sizes, makeup never being made with any skin colour but white in mind; certain facial features and body types being overly represented above others and any deviation or attempt to show any body that didn't fit the strict beauty standards being met with vitriol because "fAsHiOn Is MeAnT tO bE a FaNtAsY": basically all problems that existed when Meangirls was made in 2004 and still exist to this day.
The point of meangirls was to address how the fashion/ beauty industry absolutely deserves to be torn down and how we should all apreciate the beauty in everyone hence the scene where Cady is snapping the crown into pieces and throwing it to everyone in the audience. I guess that scene fell on deaf ears...
No, I agree with you
Totally agree... I think of my own high-school experience and new Regina would not be the popular girl, and I feel bad for saying that but it's the truth sadly we live in a world where if you don't look a certain way no matter the talent and style, you are not the hottest Chick in school. And that's what makes it feel disconnected. She is gorgeous and talented but with the original that Regina was just perfect, she was manipulative mean,brutal, had the best clothes, nicest car, into the hottest music, like it was what you'd expect. I get they wanted to open the role up but let's be real, who gets tiktok and insta famous "the perfect chisled jaw, long blonde hair, perfect body" girlie
This deserves more likes because it’s absolutely true.
absolutely. sorry but I don't think I'd be intimidated by this Regina. But also Cady is so bland. They all look like Wish versions of the characters tbh.
If they wanted to add diversity to this story, I think a better fit would’ve been Cady. It would’ve been able to convey the message of the exclusivity of the fashion industry.
Cady’s expressions/mannerisms remind me of Debby Ryan in Radio Rebel
screaming at this
Yessss I tried so hard not to think it poor girl 😂
Her acting style in this movie was very much reminding me of Disney channel or riverdale
I thought she reminded me of someone 😅
I’m radio rebel
“We want it to be realistic.” BISH YOURE A MUSICAL?! ACT LIKE IT!!! Give us theatrical costuming!!!
I didn’t watch the movie, but from these clips, it took me a while to realize that the actress playing Gretchen wasn’t just Cady once she’d had her ‘glow up’ 😭
Ikr? They looked the same, especially in the Jingle Bell scene.
Cady never had a big glow up. She wore basically the same thing the entire movie. She wore a different dress at her party, but that was pretty much it. There wasn’t the popular scene of her being one of the plastics coming down the hall dressed just like them and falling into a trashcan. Even when she wears the heels Regina gave her she was wearing them with jeans and a flannel.
You’re so right about Janice being queer. They should have made Karen or Gretchen queer because that would have fit with the narrative of don’t stereotype.
YES like for gretchen it would’ve made so much sense because she’s so obsessed with regina and it’s obvious. She wants to do everything for regina even at the cost of her own happiness. Karens feelings about Regina are never really candidly mentioned. I think a good twist could be Regina is straight, (cuz she is, dumba##) and Gretchen wants her but can’t have her and Regina is totally clueless
@@anastasia.noelleomgggg this would be so good
Both Gretchen and Karen would've made such good queer characters! Gretchen being a closeted lesbian, obsessed with Regina and intentionally going after Jason as the guy who can never like her back so that she never has to actually be in a relationship with him! Karen being poly and really owning her sexuality similarly to the original by happily flirting with everyone, regardless of gender! I also honestly don't know why they didn't make the reason Regina hates Janice that she thinks she's a lesbian? I know someone said it's cause homophobia isn't really around anymore, but... it is? That's still a totally realistic reason instead of the confused pyromaniac thing?
I got strong “Gretchen is in love with Regina but also deserves better” vibes
and they missed the whole joke about it
I wish Sabrina Carpenter had been cast as Cady since she’s talented and didn’t get her full run cause of Cady
I have to wonder if anyone asked Sadie Sink because she would’ve been a great Cady
@@treefish008don’t think they asked anyone with red hair cause they seem to really wanted to make that dumb “firecrotch” joke about lindsay
@@treefish008 yes I would have loved her too
@@miraza.that really pissed me off. how are you gunna hate on lindsay in a movie partly based on the movie that SHE MADE. Lohan in 2004 was the reason people went and saw it and was the heart of the movie. Mean girls 2004 was had star power from all the cast. This one not so much. Maybe 1/2 the cast.
Sabrina would have been sooooo good
Re the costumes: EXACTLY! I saw people try to praise the decision to have the plastics look like regular high schoolers but they’re not meant to be.
And a styling thing from the original is Cady in the original dresses like a hybrid of the other plastics and when she’s the new queen bee she dresses just like Regina
They don’t even look like regular high schools. Everything Regina wears makes her look older, but what was that pink body suit thing? She looks too grown.
The Mean Girls Walmart Commercials was better than this whole musical movie.
literally no they weren't, you just prefer them because they had the original cast.
@@D4NIELXOXOI’m saying this fr - these people are actually just salty. Like I 110% LOVED the commercials and binged every single one of them (they’re a cool nostalgia trip and worldbuild), but the new movie isn’t downright atrocious 😭
apart from the memes it’s a silly turn-off-your-brain movie to watch with your friends.
@@D4NIELXOXOyes they were why are you so upset.
@@D4NIELXOXO literally yes they were.
@@Ryanmichaelmac how
This movie was SO bad I hate how they changed some of the lyrics ESPECIALLY the “I expect to run the world in shoes I cannot walk in”
@lunastein9351 ITS TOO ICONIC TO CHANGE
There were a few lines I understood why they changed them, but some of them completely baffled me like this one!
It felt so unnecessary to change too!! I just imagine a bunch of writers sitting around and hacking away at the lyrics for no reason. That line being changed did nothing??? Why change jt???
I didn’t like how they made the rumor about Janice true as well. First of all setting people’s belongings on fire is actually pretty serious and dark, at least in the original the rumor about Janice was in the grand scheme inconsequential. Also making it a true rumor takes away the motive for her to seek revenge because it makes it look like she was more in the wrong. Also I just thought that story was too complicated I barely remember how Damien explained it because it had so many moving parts in the OG movie I love how it’s Regina who tells Cady and we get the sense that Regina isn’t self aware about how wrong she was to start the rumor which shows how manipulative she is.
Yeah! And in the musical, Janis’ parents pulled her out of school!
No I don't actually think the rumour being true takes away her motivation for wanting revenge she was abandoned by her friend who then outed to the school and bullied by her and yeah the arson was objectively too far but the toy was a gift from Janis to symbolise their friendship that Regina was now using to bully her for a significant length of time and iirc it was 6th grade so these are 11-12 year olds so honestly I'm not all that surprised that a kid would react like that in her situation and on top of that we don't get much insight into what exactly the fallout was from everything but it probably wasn't good
Also in the musical Janis' sexuality is left ambiguous but the fandom pretty much agreed she wasn't straight so I understand why the decision was made to have her be lesbian in this iteration due to the current society being quite open
@@Evelyn-rb1zj Yeah, especially in the 90's and early 2000's being outed was a really big deal and actually ruined queer kids lives. I think that is a really important thing that this movie could've expanded upon if it really wanted to. Being outed AND BULLIED in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is plenty of reason to want someone taken down. Regina is canonically homophobic, everyone can understand why that makes her an awful person. Therefore Janis's rage is justified and saying that she'd "Rather Be Me" could be symbolic of her finally coming out of the closet on her OWN terms, and will no longer be quiet about it. Literally taking back power. I really don't resonate with the arsonist angle nearly as much, that's literally dangerous and a serious concern, unlike kissing women.
@@cythulhubuthebegamin4902 Even more recently while I was in school (predominantly 2010s) especially my time in Catholic school even though the people I was around weren't explicitly homophobic, the excessive amount of heteronormativity just made me fall deeper into the closet the subtle things like "Which boy do you have a crush on?" with responses of "Ew no, boys are gross!" (being 10 or 11) As well as similar "Oh you and your male childhood friend you mentioned once are totally going to get married when you grow up" really did add up I at one point started trying to imagine this alternate version of myself that might date him but it was never something I could see seriously
though apparently I was never that subtle about my last of interest in boys as a whole since a few years after I left that school my estranged ex best friend from then reached out to me and part of it was something like to the effect of "do you have a boyfriend now or do you still hate boys, or maybe you're into girls now?" It was pretty funny since at the time I was questioning whether I was lesbian or aroace (and still am to an extent but that's neither here nor there) I don't know how much would've changed if I was more out earlier on but I'd rather be me has definitely been my anthem since I discovered it
I think that while Renee Rap can sing...she lacked the commanding influence that Rachel McAdams had.
Regina Gorege is the walking definition of Gate keep, Gas light, Girl Boss. I felt like they were focusing so much on how hwat Regina is- you lose the manipulation and control that is essential to her character.
Amy Adam’s? Huh? Completely different actress
@caitlingill crap! Sorry I wrote that at like 3 am. Have edited to name the proper actress.
Exactly! In the new movie, they focused way too much on how “iconic” Regina is. That’s why they cut out the slurs that Regina used in the original. They wanted the audience to know how mean Regina is, but also have her be so lackluster that fans still look up to her. I think they wanted a “Maddie Perez” vibe but failed miserably, since that isn’t how Regina is.
I actually think Renee does have the chops to personify Regina, the script was simply bad
What frustrates me about the musical is that the mean girls have been defanged. You can feel the writers fretting over the content. The plastics can't say anything that's [thing]-phobic, even though that's what both the 2004 movie and IRL girl world are actually like and that is what Mean Girls is a commentary of. They can't be too mean in general. Yeah, they're saying awful shit. They are awful. That's the point.
mhmmm. I feel like if they made regina sort of ignorant instead of just straight up rude it wouldve worked really well.
The Musical actually felt like an homage to the original story but with songs to make it more fun! I was excited for this movie but it was very disappointing because they cut so many songs and it just felt like a cheap knock off of the original. The Broadway show was good and all they had to do was adapt that to a screen with more lifelike settings but they decided to cut corners and pander to nostalgia
I completely agree! The musical made small tweaks to update the original for a new generation, but the movie musical feels like they tried so hard to appeal to gen z that they lost the OG cult following and those experiencing mean girls for the 1st time
i mostly wish we could’ve gotten a pro-shot :/
@@lustforlimerence yess omg we deserved one at the bare minimum
they didnt include Whose House Is This? and im still mad about it
I’m in the (what i’m learning is unpopular) camp of liking the musical better than the original. I thought that it actually improved on a lot of the critiques i had of the original film and i loved that the songs added to each of the characters and gave them more depth. It was able to hold its own as a musical while still clearly being a love letter to the film. The MOVIE MUSICAL was so disappointing because it was the worst of the two. They took out the songs that made the musical so valuable and able to stand on its own. The movie musical lost not just music but the story that was told through that music, without any way to compensate. Which, as a fan of the musical is extra disappointing.
I was going into high school when the first mean girls came out and saw it in theaters. The fashion that was shown in the first movie was what everyone was wearing at the time and felt super realistic. (Some girls would wear heels and espradilles to school and in 2009, I would even see girls wear it to college.) but I feel like the fashion in this one is what I don’t see girls wearing to school. But maybe I’m wrong? Im curious to know what gen-zers think about the clothing.
It feels weird that Janis is wearing some of the trendiest outfits in the movie
you wouldn't see any middle or high school girl wearing something simliar, unless they are like super into it. Some outfits i can see but the clothing aspect didn't go as well as the 2000's movie. Janis was def the most alike to 2024 fashion with the ripped jeans, cropped knit sweater, baggy shirt and more even though she was alternative and supposed to go against the main trends oftenly seen. I feel like they played too much into the fashion aspect, meanwhile most girls wear basic clothing. The background characters were the most alike.
@@hi-mk6rh ooh thanks for clarifying !
I can totally see the outfits being worn, why am I one of the only people who think the styling was totally fine lol
there was something off about it, i think there were lots of pieces that individually were quite accurate, but there was something about the way it was put together, combined with the actors who were obviously adults, that looked like they were trying to hard to make these grown adults look like teenagers?? I don't know
The Aaron problem is actually both. They were so desperate to get Chris Briney in the role that they cut Aaron’s songs because he refused at first due to it being a musical. It’s not specified what was cut but at some development point, Aaron sung.
they were desperate for him?? he barely did anything at all and he’s not ugly but he’s certainly not believable as the hottest guy in school
@@oatmilg Not sure how to respond, all I know is Chris Briney at first, turned down the role because he had to sing, so they changed it to accommodate him. That’s a fact.
@@oatmilgtheres this joke I've seen that Gen Z doesnt have any hot actors that looks like the old Aaron 😂
How do you know this?
It feels like certain directions, lines, and scenes that the musical movie took did a disservice to the message of Mean Girls. The film kinda forgot what it was trying to say in the first place.
I actually enjoyed the movie and of course Renee Rapp was easily the best part of it. Was it a terrible movie? No, was it a great movie? No, was it as good as the original movie? Absolutely not and the latter is what makes it understandably disaapointing
I agree! I enjoyed this movie but didn't love it.
Yes! I thought it was a fun time, but probably wouldn’t watch over the original.
Exactly! I feel like the only reason people really hate on this movie is because the original and the musical were so iconic, but even though it wasn't perfect or as good as the original movie, it wasn't bad at all. It esspecially couldn't be with Renee Rapp's performance as Regina George! 😍
@@_Ms.Sakuraher performance fell flat, idk what you mean
20:20 makes sense!! quick rant: in an interview, aaron’s actor (i think chris briney) talks about how aaron is just… there, which is a misunderstanding of his character. he’s a voice of reason!! if you wanna act a character well, you have to know the layers of whoever you play, and i think that’s what was missing for him specifically
It baffles me how they cut It Roars from the movie ost when… that literally gave Cady so much character. Using her knowledge of animals from her time in Africa and comparing them to the student body was always interesting. A damn shame it’s not in the movie.
I played Kevin G. in a local production of Mean Girls and my boy doesn't get a lot of screen time that he deserves. He represents the part of Cady that just wants to be a nerd and flex a bit, but unfourtunely she gets told that she'll be bullied just as hard as Kevin is if she does. While Kevin is never embarrassed of who he is, living life like no one is watching. Their dynamic is so funny, but it's so hard to follow in the Broadway musical version.
He has two minor lines at the very beginning that are so easily to forget that it's laughable, and then the first times you really notice him are his rap solos at the talent show and Cady's party, which make you forget that he's a part of the mathletes at all. Then at the VERY end he's revealed fully to be a rapping mathlete and the playwrights are just begging that you even kind of remember the face of the actor, so that Cady's character arc makes sense by the end.
Don't get me wrong, the role is the most fun I have EVER had in a musical, but I didn't even realize that the main mathlete and the guy rapping in "Whose House Is This?" were the same character (or actor) when I watched the show to study for the audition.
I have also never seen the original 2004 movie (but I have seen Barbie Diaries, so close enough), so I assume everyone who understood who my character was while watching were big fans of the film. (Idk man, I just like rapping, that's why I'm here). So props to the film for writing a silly, thematic, weirdly complex character that gets forgotten way too often.
YES. FINALLY SOMEONE SAYS THAT ABOUT JANIS!!! It annoyed me soooo much that they made her a lesbian in the new movie, and not because I’m homophobic (which I’m not, I’m literally a lesbian myself.) but because it completely messes up her character!!!!! Everything you said was exactly what I’ve been saying😭😭😭
real. i’m also a lesbian and it made no sense to me, i thought the whole point was to fight stereotypes? not making the girl who is unpopular and alt a lesbian?
i dont actually think tina fey was a woke icon trying to Break Stereotypes (the whole movie is full of them), i think it was just a huge Lebanese ≠ Lesbian punchline.
i think a better way to write janis while still remaining true to the original story would've been to not have the stupid arson plotline and just have the exact same thing. lesbians and bi girls get accused of liking every girl they meet, esp in grade school. she could easily get ostracized for that. it could still tell a message about false assumptions and stereotyping without having the implication be "isnt it fucked up that they called her a yucky lesbian when shes in fact just a quirky straight girl? you should only bully her if she is ACTUALLY gay, but shes not, so shes fine!"
like i said, i dont actually think the original story was meant to be about breaking stereotypes, but if it was then its a Dhar Mann style dont judge a book narrative that lowkey insults whoever theyre being compared to, like how half of his videos are "dont be mean to homeless people... bc they could actually be rich!" when the message should just be "dont dehumanize homeless people because theyre people"
I think they missed the point about Regina being a mean girl. It seems like they wanted her to be a girl boss that audiences would want to be like. And that's not the point. Regina is problematic and not a good person.
I understand Tina Fey wanted to have Regina NOT be homophobic or racist, cuz that would mean she would be canceled nowadays. But they could've twisted it to be that Regina is in fact those things behind closed doors. And that could've been her downfall. She could've parodied apology videos to show how fake she is.
Also, the whole gaining weight plot was inadequate because nowadays, because of body positivity.
Regina *should* be cancelable. I don't know what utopia people live in, but this past year I worked with a lot of Gen-Zers, and they openly say some of the most controversial stuff I've ever heard, and I'm from a time when all the -isms and the -phobias were the norm.
I agree with everything you said, btw. I'm just tired of this narrative of "this character who's supposed to be an absolute f*ing a*hole said something politically incorrect!!!1" like, yes? that's the point?? Sociopaths don't care about anyone's feelings??
Also, let's face it, the reason why this movie doesn't address the toxic femininity of the first, is because it doesn't pander to the current narrative of men and the patriarchy being responsible for everything that's wrong with the world, another trope that's becoming exhausting.
@miaferrari958 ya the whole conversation in the bathroom was unnecessary when she brought up "what'd I be called if I was a man" lol but good thing it was a joke
But still confused
@@jessicanoelle2012jp The worst part is in the musical, the line actually makes sense. The issue is Tina Fey decided to cut any trace of slut shaming from the girls (which completely kills the message of the first movie which was don't slut shame women because it encourages men to do it, too, but I digress) and the line was supposed to be a dig at how women get called bitches for being strong and men just get called by their first names. BUT because the context was neutered, the line doesn't hit the way it should.
The fact is people are still homophobic nowadays. They are especially Transphobic. And no one gets canceled. Look at Dave Chapelle. Regina could have made a lie about Janis looking at and touching girls in the locker room inappropriately. Not only would homophobes use that to justify their homophobia but they would also use it to ostracize Janis "correctly" if she did actually touch a girl in the locker room (just not inappropriately). And people are still fatphobic. Look at how they treat Lizzo. And to be honest, the most popular Tik Tok stars are White, pretty, and skinny, girls that can pull off crop tops. People haven't changed, they just parrot modern talking points while subconsciously following tradition.
i think she couldve totally been done like do revenge did it, she couldve been very problematic, and made a public apology with some performative bullshit, not unlike what real people do nowadays
honestly i think it boils down to renee & angourie being nowhere near the acting level of rachel mcadams and lindsay lohan. they feel like they're acting the idea of regina & cady, not the characters themselves
I’ll be honest I disagree with the Renee Rapp portion of this comment only because if you watch the sex lies of college girls, I think she was a perfect casting considering she was also in the musical on Broadway but I totally know what you mean about the other girl!
@@Kalise1djust because somebody was the role on broadway and was in one good movie doesnt mean they'll be a good fit for the film adaptation. Stage acting is literally a WORLD of difference between screen acting, and some people will be shit in some roles and good in others.
@@Kalise1dRachel McAdams was one of the best actresses in the 2000s, starring in a plethora of movies and showing a range of character diversity. Trust me, although Rapp is well liked, she is nowhere near the level that McAdams was in the original.
@@xxxmaysilssss690y’all act like Rachel gave an Oscar winning performance 😭 she didn’t. Her and Renee just played two different Reginas. Renee has always played her with more of an edge and more queerness-esque to her.
@@nativenewyorker3144 are you serious? Rachel acted her ASS off as Regina, and you people are acting like Rapp’s performance was in any way close to McAdams’? Please. And I don’t care how Renee plays her on Broadway. That is an entirely different medium to acting that requires a much different skill set. She had absolutely no subtlety as Regina needed for screen and wanted to act more “edgy” than anything. That isn’t Regina. It misses the entire point of her character. McAdams was better by miles.
Actually writing a review on this movie for a journalism class assignment. Your timing couldn’t be more perfect lmao 💖
hahah so happy to help 😘
To me at the end i really didn't felt like anyone learned anything. Like the speech Cady did wasn't giving me the same weight like in the OG. I enjoyed it but it felt like we weren't really show anything new to the story or even as meaningful.
now somebody should write a mean girls book so we can go full circle
There is a mean girls book! Write in the mid 2010s by Micol Ostow
I thought the original movie was based off a book? I could be wrong.
I’m surprised that the replies don’t understand what you mean 😭 But yeah I agree with you, a book that is based on the musical film needs to be written 😂
@@hellod4036 There is a mean girls book! Write in the mid 2010s by Micol Ostow (but it’s based on the og film)
@hellod4036 oooo that sounds cool 🤔 are there other books Based off Musicals? I know of musicals based on books, but that sounds like a really Interesting read, any recommendations?
I am so certain that Angourie Rice was miscast, like if they'd cast someone who could actually sing the score that would've made a big difference. I'm so certain that they didn't give her It Roars and completely screwed up Stupid with Love because she couldn't sing either. They also needed to cast an Aaron who could sing so that they'd actually be able to do More is Better.
Why *did* they cast her in this movie? I don't know what they saw in her because she can neither sing nor does she have Cady's overall vibe. She looks like a wholesome girl next door but she doesn't fit the mean girl transformation. Does she act well? I can't tell
@@beepbop1762 I think she's a nepo baby or something
I read smth that said they didn't wanna make them look like Euphoria girls and honestly that might've been their biggest mistake (with the costume design anyway). Not that they should've imitated Euphoria, but in the sense that they need to make them stand out and dress the way all teenagers wanna dress but can't
As someone who liked the musical
They BUTCHERED the song "sexy"
It's more sexy but it lost the energy of it and the whole point of the song and karen as a character
It's stupid and fun like karen
Sexy is just sung with so much energy and they lost it in the musical
They turned
I CAN BE WHO I WANNA BE AND SEXY
To
*I can be who i wanna be and sexy*
Like the fun is lost
it's literally one of my favorite songs in the musical 😭 i think avantika is very pretty but the film vers. of the song just comes off too soft and unenergetic as u mentioned.
maybe they wanted to focus more on choreography but i wish it could have been more of a britney-coded type of performance of the song (esp since they did mention taking inspiration from pop performers in other aspects of the choreo) just smth fun, sexy, but still energetic and more upbeat
honestly after watching/listening to Cady sing I was really into all the other songs so it didn’t feel as bad for me, i was prepared for a pop softened version of the broadway songs but not cady’s plain voice 😅
The issue is they made "Sexy" too sexy. Instead of a cutesy bop, they decided they needed to sexualize high schoolers and do nothing to critique Halloween culture among high schoolers like the first one did with the line "Halloween is the one day where a girl is allowed to dress like a total slut" line. Like MA'AM YOU ARE SEVENTEEN.
The weirdest thing about this new version vs the original nobody is talking about: Tina Fey is still writing, producing and playing Ms. (Mrs?) Norbury in this one. It's beyond me how there was this much misunderstanding between the two adaptations when you had the same person linking both movies.
Also I think making Janice openly gay changes the dynamic between her and Regina. I think with neither of them being openly gay suggests that maybe something romantic actually happened in their past
Oh they totally did a little experimenting on one another!
I think with Janis not being gay at all in the original, it shows how influential Regina can be because she doesn't have to try that hard to convince the student body that Janis is gay (even though she isn't). Regina's lie exposed other people's homophobia, causing them to ostracize her, proving that it's not just Regina that's mean, but everyone around her. It also stopped Janis from actually finding a love interest she desires. I mean, even you thought Janis was gay. Why? Based on stereotypes and the fact that Regina said it was so. So now somehow Janis is coded. That's realistic because in our real world people get stereotyped all the time for the way they dress or behave. Dressing frumpy, having a name similar to a lesbian, and valuing female friendships over boys automatically makes someone gay in people's minds, not the fact someone actually likes girls. I don't find Regina to be good gay representation at all. The closeted mean girl is a tired trope and actually untrue in the real world. Real homophobes exist, and Regina is meant to be that alt-right hateful character. This is why it worked in the original. Because girls like that really exist.
I like your point that you made abt the team not understanding the purpose of the talent show scene because even in the broadway musical when Regina gets embarrassed and runs off stage, Cade continues the performance with the other two plastics
I'm so glad you added that character explanation about Janis. It does change the story between versions slightly, and I love that you also picked up on it!
It sounds like the creators were like: "Gen Z has the attention span of a peanut. Make the movie faster in pacing!"
I feel like I’m the only person who thought Avantika was not right for the role. She was overly and irritatingly dumb. The original Karen was a believable “bimbo.” She asked questions that an uneducated person would ask. Avantika’s eyes bothered me throughout the whole movie and her song while cute did not show if she had any vocal ability. It sounded like her voice was edited to the god’s. I also agree that Cady’s whole personality was liking Aaron samuels. That’s all she cared about. In the original yes Cady did really like him but it was not her whole personality. Overall I’m feeling this remake was really bland and misplaced.
agreed!
totally agree!
I agree, I didn’t like her portrayal of Karen. Her performance felt more like a skit on an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race than a character I could see genuinely existing in a high school. In fact, a better version of Karen would be a girl who pretends to be stupid for attention instead of a girl who is actually stupid (that’s realistic!)
Agreed
Yes!!! I’m dumbfounded by the praise for this version of Karen - she literally acted brain dead and that thing she kept doing with her eyes was so aggravating.
And them trying to steer away from seeming like Euphoria and Gossip Girls with the costumes just shows how out of touch they are with teen dramas and the aesthetic of them. We don’t want to relate to these characters! We want to be inspired by them, feel like wow this shit feels like a fantasy. It needs to feel EUPHORIC
I understand that they changed things to be with the current times - "not your mothers mean girls" - but i think the issue is they took out all of the emotional depth and manipulation of everybody. Also while i think it is fair that janis is a lesbian or isnt - both sides have merit - i think you are right that there needed to be a real reason that janis was looking for revenge on regina, and also i love the whole fact that "janis is an arsonist" meanwhile regina sings world burn
THEE only review i NEEEDED thank you
hehe hope you enjoy! 💗💗
With the Janis thing, she’s also the opposite of Regina. She’s the toxic “not like other girl” girl I think muddies the water how some girls go the opposite direction. And I worry that means people with think alt or non conforming lgbt are just “going thru a phase”
I think this is what I love most about the original because it was really ahead of its time with starting that conversation about 'not like the other girls' vs the typical view of the fake and unrealistic other girl. That's a conversation that wasn't fully had until 10 years later at least I think so it would've really worked if this next version had fully expanded on that more than the original could which would've been a great way to elevate and modernise the story. Plus in general we need more non black and white stories, with messy real life grey area
I never saw Janis acting like a NLOG in the original movie. Her style was pretty alternative, but having an alternative style is not being an NLOG.
@@t3hpenguinofd00m She was the stereotypical NLOG, especially in the musical, which is why in the musical she got the song "Rather Be ME", emphasizing how different she is from the Plastics (when she's really not). A NLOG is someone who is counter feminine culture, proud of it, but also puts down other girls who are not like them. She put down the Plastics and anyone like them quite a bit in the original, even though she herself was just like them.
@@GenerationNextNextNext she put down the plastics because they were morally atrocious, not because they were feminine
@@t3hpenguinofd00m it wasn’t entirely that. Damien liked a lot of what the plastic were into but Janis gave him grief for being interested in it. It’s not the fact she’s alt that makes her NLOG it’s her behavior towards their stereotypical feminine-ness that she blamed on their behavior.
But Karen never really did anything wrong. She was one of the only people that was genuine but because she hung out with Regina, Janis still put her down.
One thing that disappointed me was when the musical came out, it was criticized because they remove the "mean" part, if I remember. And instead of thinking "ok, we misses that on the stage, but we can fix it in the movie adaptation", they just... didn't.
This just shows again how impressingly complex the original mean girls actually was.
Every character added something. Even the extras are known and cherished
Something that drives me crazy that I haven’t seen anyone mention, is that in the scene where they tell Regina she can’t sit with them, Karen says she was rejected for wearing a vest. That whole conversation Gretchen is literally wearing a vest.
Maybe her vest wasn't as disgusting as the one Karen wore?
I'm literally watching Mean Girls (2004) this evening, because of you; I watched your Jingle Bell Rock video which made me think "man, I should rewatch Mean Girls" and now this has sealed it. Nostalgia quest ahoy!
Seeing Renee with bangs, as well as her fashion in the INMF music video greatly shows how Regina would look in the 2020s, imo.
i hadn't even considered that point about the costuming - but you are so right. Regina is supposed to be setting the trends not taking part in them, great analysis.
All they needed to do was make Regina spread some kind of rumor that Janis is homeles (because of the way she dresses) or has some kind of disgusting illness (STD prefferably). Because another part of how the rumor ruined her life was that no guy wanted to date her, because they thought she was gay so that could add that (Regina thinking she has herpies, but she ment she's a herbalist?). Or a rumor that she's a drug addcit because of ther clothes and music she listens too and her beeing an artist (the joke could be that she only drinks Coke or something...) SOMETHING. Like, come on, but beeing an arsonist? Really? That would not destroy anyone's life in High school, there are groups of kids that would think it's actually cool or something.
I think part of the reason they probably struggled to maintain the message of the original of “be yourself” and “don’t care about what other people think” is because that is a lot of what social media is. Everyone has a curated image, if you don’t your image is not being curated. They probably struggled to make a story out of that without sounding like “phone bad!” And they probably didn’t want to be laughed at for that.
So what’s the solution? Move in the complete opposite direction, remove anything that makes the moral make sense, and lean into the social media aspect so hard that you pull something
Oh my God, yeah - that’s exactly what ran through my head.
Your loosely outlined rant is BETTER than most peoples' tightly scripted essays. Thank you!
i think regina was meant to come across like the bad girl archetype but the fact that karen and gretchen dont have that vibe makes it far less obvious
I am not even disappointed by this movie, i'm just confused by it's existance. So I guess my question is: Why does it exist?
What is the point and goal of retelling this story a decade later when it is the same story with the same principle and the same narrative? It's not even like gen z or even gen alfa are unaware of the cultural significance of mean girls, so this movie does not reintroduce a younger audience to an incredible story, because that story still permeates the cultural imaginary.
I understand the musical existing because it is a different media with a different format and experience, but a movie of a musical of a movie of a book? what? why?? it's giving High School Musical: The Musical The series and honestly *that's* so disappointing.
It's all about milking the idea for every cent that they can. They do it with everything these days. I was hoping that Tina Fey was above that. Boy, was I wrong.
@@mylesmarkson1686 yeah, for sure, late stage capitalism bathing in the glory of neo liberalism, it's very that.
I haven’t seen the musical movie yet but I’ve seen the 2004 movie, I’ve seen the musical (online and in person), and I love your videos. This video greatly illustrates (just like your jingle bell rock video I watched) the point of mean girls and how complex girlhood is.
In my opinion, if they weren’t so insecure (geez Gretchen much) and just did a movie musical with the same songs and good cinematography, pacing, and outfits, as a musical fan “that would be enough”.
What baffles me is that, according to what I read during the press for this movie, Tina Fey herself was part of the creators and writers of this movie. Like she was for the OG Mean Girl and in part for the Broadway musical. She also admitted that some jokes of the OG movie would not work today so she changed them, but lilke you said, a LOT of the 'mean-ness' of the Plastics is gone.
Ugh. Your analysis of this film-especially breaking down the show/tell difference between the two films-is sooooo good 😩 thank you for this vid
Also i feel like all the girls weren’t mean enough, like Janis was so mean in the movie to show that all girls can be mean.
Another thing that I didn't like that much about the movie is that the product placements, sponsors, etc were sooooo obvious. They weren't even attempting to be subtle. Like anyone with two eyes and a brain could tell it was sponsored by elf. Unnecessary.
From the trailer and movie clips, it is hard to tell who is Gretchen and who is Karen. In the original movie they had unique styles.
i think this movie is just confused. there wasn't enough balance between songs and dialogue, which is great for the stage, but doesn't translate to the screen. compared to the broadway musical, the songs are dull, and some of the vocal performances leave something to be desired. in my opinion, a pro-shot of the broadway musical would have been way more well received
Something interesting I learned from an interview is that the movie was barely PG13. Because of all the middle fingers in "I'd Rather Be Me" they actually had to make sure they didnt have too many so it didn't bump the rating. I feel like this is part of why the mean is so different. Another part of the mean being different is the mean being focused on the power of the court of social opinion. In the musical, Regina is mean and this makes her the apex predator. But she also holds power because her peers let her hold it. She gets away with being mean because people let her. The rocking around the pole scene is the turning point at the end of act 1 because people fall out of favour with Regina and give it to Cady instead. This robs her of her power. They do this in the movie musical as well but they don't include Janice and Damien's narration that contextualizes it and also Damien's song Stop that shows Cady is obsessed with the social validation from the internet. This is one of the things that Cady did not understand about girl world before she came because she was from "Kenya with one phone". So they took out the underhanded meanness from the movie and also the truly vile things they say. But they also removed a lot of the subtext around the brutal nature of social media and how it warps you
Tina Fey & Paramount should’ve gave us a Mean Girls Reunion Movie with the original cast instead of this musical movie.
The Walmart commercials were better and understood the characters and how to do subtle callbacks. Wild
@@indiefairy09 I agree
My husband and I are Gen Z and we both work in film. We watched this on streaming because friends in the industry had talked about the many issues in this film. The pacing gave us whiplash. I am a film editor and work in television, film, and music videos. One thing that executives do not understand about Gen Z is that we DO have an attention span. Just because we like TikTok doesn’t mean we don’t also love long form entertainment. Love it or hate it, Euphoria has had a chokehold on Gen Z and that show took its time with storytelling. It’s an insult to the audience to assume that since your viewers are young, you need to dumb down your film. Young people are not stupid, and that’s something that execs have been misunderstanding for literal decades. It’s amazing that it’s still happening.
Edit: AND, one of the beautiful things about the original 2004 Mean Girls is that it’s one of the few teen films that understood its audience and didn’t condescend to its young viewers!!
i'm glad I have found your comment, because I 100% agree on the attention span part: It drives me nuts that all older generation seem to be able to relate to GenZ and Gen Alpha is "oh look, these children with their diminishing attention spans" while said adults are PRODUCING MOST OF THE CONTENT!! I mean sure, TikTok and such exists but movies and other media are created by older generations pandering to what they think younger generations want/ need, only to then go back to critizising these generations for supposedly being the issue.
THANK YOU for talking about Janis! they totally missed the point of her character. I am all for retelling characters to be queer but the ENTIRE point of Janis's character was that she wasn't a lesbian! that Regina essentially ruined her life over her own ignorance and Janis wants revenge.
Literally everything you said in this video was what was going thru my head watching the film. Cady is unmemorable, Regina is rude, not mean, Gretchen is just anxious for no real reason, and Aaron has zero personality.
It’s crazy how Tina Fey missed the point of her own character because so many people missed the point of the character and made the same ignorant mistake that Regina did
I’d love to hear your opinion on Do Revenge and Not Okay, the only modern day movies about teens/young adults with excellent costume design that is accurate, original, an homage and some how also aspirational. Please please please tell us what you think of them especially compared to what bad costume design assumes about gen z
she's made shorts on do revenge but only on costume design
THISSSSSSS i have been comparing it in my head to do revenge since i saw it bc that’s one of my fave movies & it hit all the marks as a gen z staple
Hey so I know this post was from a while ago but if you all still want to watch that Do Revenge video search her channel! She made it about a year ago.
Hope it helps!
A thing that they cut from the Movie that was in the musical was that Cady constantly brake the fourth wall talking directly to the public like in stupid with love she is singing to the public not to herself, or before fearless (the end of the first act in the musical) in the you can’t seat with us part Cady turns to the public and realizes that she is the one who has the power and then go back to the scene and tell Regina that rules are rules
I wish they kept Regina as mean and outspoken as she was in the original movie. Regina had little to no filter and she used language that in todays world is not acceptable, which would've made her meaner. Also Aaron is mid. Also if Avantika and Reneé Rapp are not invited at the MET gala I'm gonna cry.
Aaron is not ugly bro 😭😭 Aaron is quite attractive
@@random.x0 I think compared to the 2000s movie, this Aaron appears rather bland and boring. Not necessarily ugly, but also not like someone interesting
I wouldn't call him ugly but he's so plain. Same with Cady
As someone who isn’t a fan of this version of Aaron there is no reason to insult someone’s looks. That is completely uncalled for.
@@random.x0be ducking fr he looks hideous
2:35 my middle school did mean girls a few years back, and the music was SUPER difficult. Half of us were dying at the end, and that show killed my voice. (It wasn’t better until like a month after the show) these songs are super hard.
thank you for the commentary on janice in particular! i agree with every point you underlined
6:47 Idk how they didn't get this given the most iconic scene for the heels (The one shown here) literally shows the Plastics and Cady are the only people in this scene in heels 😂
What I’ve realized with time is that the original was a perfect storm of talent, not only was Tina’s script sharp, the actors were perfectly matched to the characters, the direction was constantly creative (honestly a bunch of shots starts beautifully composed, I still remember the shot of Regina trying to close the pink dress, is so dynamic), the costume design is well thought out and effortless, the editing is energetic and seamless, the soundtrack, the side characters… it’s honestly a miracle, I think the new one has a clever script but all other aspects has weak points, so it’s inevitably inferior, but the original mean girls… “there shall never be their like again”
I was PISSED when I realized there would be no moment where Cady saves the talent show. Ruined the whole movie for me.
13:18 This is actually another thing I had a problem with, in this new movie she never mentions to be homeschooled to the plastics when they met. How is Regina supposed to be impressed to the point to make an experiment with Katie just because she's from Kenya? 🙄 She could've went to a regular school there though, so... If I was a casual viewer and didn't know anything about Mean Girls and saw this new movie before the original I would be lost in the plot and wondering why is Katie so special to everybody to begin with lmao.
P.S: 22:36 This is not confirmed, it's just a fan theory. I hardly doub Regina would be that dumb. She literally assumed Janis was a lesbian because she felt Janis was obsessed with her.
Good point Tomas. Had Regina thought that Janis told her she was a lesbian, she definitely would've included that in her Janis-story.
There was no camp, and they took out all the “offensive jokes” which were part of the reason that made the original so funny. Coddling the public is and has been ruining everything
It's the outfits that are burning me tbh.
Pleaseeee watch thirteen!! It’s such a good movie about the toxic and desperate friendship between two girls and how they slowly destroy each other. One of my all time favourites and the visuals are stunning
I think the main problem is that the directors had the mind set of “oh everyone’s seen the original mean girls and already understands the story so let’s just do what we want and not put too much detail into it” which definitely seems like that’s what they thought. As you mentioned, they missed so many little details that was super important to the story that just made the movie less enjoyable. As a musical theatre person I was super excited for this movie but I was so disappointed!! Cady was just not the right choice at all her energy didn’t capture Cady (musical version) at all!! In the musical she was so full of energy and was so optimistic about things and her voice was powerful and high but the Cady in the movie didn’t give me that energy AT ALL! I agree with you that the only parts of the movie I liked was Sexy, Somebody gets hurt and World Burn. I was SO SAD when they cut out roar because it is one of my favourite songs in the musical and it’s what made me love Cady as a person! It made me understand a lot more where she came from, what she was feeling and how innocent and genuine she was.
I keep seeing the defense "good thing it's not a musical, it's a movie".....
Yes. It's a movie adaptation of the MUSICAL.
theatre "kid" here, been doing theatre since I was 11 I'm now 26. There has been so many other movie musicals that have Broadway or off Broadway counterparts and they don't fall flat. There's NO EXCUSE for this movie to do so.
the costume designers here FAILED to realize that actual teenagers would realistically wear y2k fashion OUTSIDE of school. they could've just thought of what they would have worn outside of school and not mind about how realistic they are.
i agree with a lot of what you said, like it felt so quick-paced that i didn't understand how we got form point a. to point b. and i do agree that a lot of the motives for these characters got lost and it felt lack luster, while i did enjoy the movie, there needed to be more to it, especially the COSTUMES?!?! this is one element that seriously lacked in the movie and i thought people were exaggerating, but they didn't 😳 they had ok bones to start with but lost the point, i did a whole video remaking the costumes and honesty they needed to exaggerate them more, its a musical, it doesn't have to be realistic and IT SHOULDN'T AT ALL! omg reginas were the worst and such a HUGE let down
when I say I BEGGED that you make a video on this movie I mean it
my exact thoughts on "more is better"!
I like listening to your rant. You're very passionate and I enjoy your takes on things ❤