Alejandra Mato

Based on the original Mean Girls movie (2004) and the Mean Girls musical (first performed in 2017), the long-awaited Mean Girls Musical Movie was released on January 12, 2024. 

Similar to the original, the movie follows Cady Heron, a new North Shore High School student as she is welcomed into the exclusive clique, The Plastics, with head queen bee, Regina George. Cady and her friends, Janis and Damian, try to halt her reign over the school. In the meantime, Cady develops feelings for Regina’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels, and tries to break them up when they get back together. In this process, Cady starts to become Plastic herself and eventually takes the role of the head “Mean Girl.”

Since this is a modern remake, the film tackles technology and how it affects the school environment and students’ social status. It addresses women’s empowerment and girls’ struggles in high school. The musical aspect was also interesting, as it added more scenes to the plot to develop the story further.

One of the most surprising things about the remake was the appearance from Lindsay Lohan as the mathletes competition moderator near the end of the movie. Another endearing detail that was added was that Mr. Duvall, the school’s principal, and Mrs. Norberry, Cady’s calculus teacher, were officially in a relationship, while in the original movie, it was only heavily implied. 

An element some people were unhappy with was the wardrobe, especially for the Plastics. Specifically, Renee Rapp, who plays Regina George, received a lot of backlash for the outfits, such as cargo pants and a tie-dye shirt. Some commented that the styling did not fit Regina George, while others argued that the clothes were not good enough for a movie like Mean Girls. 

Students have mixed opinions: “You probably have to enjoy musicals to understand the movie; you have to understand what’s going on. Maybe watch the movie before to get the story,” said Isabella Carratala ‘27.

Other students criticized the movie’s product placement  “They weren’t subtle about their sponsorships with brands such as e.l.f. They just dropped a lip gloss on the floor and said, ‘Look an e.l.f. lip gloss,’” said Anna Calderin, ‘27. 

According to Rotten Tomatoes, despite criticism, the Mean Girls Musical Movie made 33 million dollars on its opening weekend. That sum is over 28 million more than the 2004 original movie. Will the movie musical end up just as memorable as the original? Only time will tell.