MEAN GIRLS (2024) (4K): Good Thing It's a Musical

MEAN GIRLS (Blu-ray)

2024 / 112 min

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Pepper the Poopy😼

I should state upfront that I’ve never seen the original Mean Girls. Even though the film is 20 years old and considered a modern classic, its appeal was decidedly outside of my particular demographic. So with no basis for comparison, I’m assessing this new version on its own merits…

…which is fine because it isn’t a remake in the purest sense. Sure, Tina Fey wrote this one, too, and returns to play the same character, as does fellow alum Tim Meadows. However, Mean Girls 2024 is a musical, based on the successful Broadway production. Maybe if more classics were reimagined as musicals, curmudgeons wouldn’t be so quick to condemn every remake as a cash crab. 

That being said, it’s a good thing the new Mean Girls is a musical, because the numbers are easily the best part of the movie. Bouncy, funny and occasionally sweet, not only are they well-integrated into the narrative, they’re arguably more effective in providing character exposition than the actual screenplay. The story isn’t nearly as engaging whenever someone isn’t belting out a snarky song, perhaps because we've seen it in plenty of other teen-centric movies and TV shows. 

"Oh...there's Waldo."

Now that I think about it, maybe that’s not a completely valid criticism because, for all I know, it’s those very same teen-centric movies & shows that are aping the original Mean Girls. Still, while the dialogue is occasionally clever and satirical, those scenes don’t have the same energy as the musical moments.

Overall, the performances are decent. As main protagonist Cady Heron, Angourie Rice does a good job taking the character from friendly new kid to one of the Plastics and back again. Regina Rapp is fitfully amusing as Regina, the bitchy leader of the Plastics. Of course, most of these characters are exaggerated caricatures, which is obviously intentional. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes annoying. 

But again, that could just be the old man in me talking. 2004’s Mean Girls wasn’t aimed at Boomers, so it’s no surprise that this one isn’t either. As such, this updated take on the same story (you know...with cell phones & everything) should amuse the younger crowd, while reworking it as a musical might pique the curiosity of those who carry a nostalgic torch for the original.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - A New Age of Mean Girl; Song and Dance; The New Plastics.

SING-ALONG OPTION - For certain songs.

MUSIC VIDEO - “Not My Fault,” featuring Renee Rapp & Megan Thee Stallion.

GAG REEL

EXTENDED SCENE

DIGITAL COPY