The original “Mean Girls” that was released in 2004 set high standards for every subsequent sequel and spin off, and unfortunately the newest remake doesn’t quite hit the mark. Based on the Broadway musical version of the raunchy, hilarious movie, the new “Mean Girls” felt very off-key.
To start, there were many abrupt shifts into musical numbers rather than a smooth flow. I personally think that musicals and movies should be kept separate — except for a few masterpieces like “High School Musical.”
The iconic main character, Cady Heron is played by Angourie Rice while Regina George is played by upcoming singer, Renée Rapp. While Rapp’s voice encapsulates Regina’s queen bee attitude, Rice’s missed the mark of Cady’s. In general, Rice’s character lacked emotion and expression throughout the film, minus the minor musical number “Revenge Party” where she shows a hint of spite for Regina…finally. Otherwise, it seems like she may actually have a crush on clique leader Regina and doesn’t know what to do with that emotion, or lack thereof.
But there is, however, an interesting spin on the side character, Janis ‘Imi’ike played by Auli’i Cravalho. In the original movie, Janis angrily plays into Regina’s rumor of being a lesbian. But in the 2024 version, she embraces her identity. Although like every other aspect in the movie, it felt like a forced inclusion of diverse sexualities and relationships. It was almost too cliche.
The trailers were more exciting, in all honesty, than the actual movie. But these trailers, however, attempted to pull viewers in by highlighting Lindsay Lohan’s minor role in the film. I thought she was going to be much more involved, along with other characters from the original cast. To the audience’s disappointment, the other previous actresses were not included.
The original Mean Girls included many sexual innuendos and utilized female sexuality as a main draw of the film, but the new version took it a step too far. Karen, played by Avantika, was hyper sexualized to the point where it seemed too lax to call her a “dumb blonde.” She was overtly clueless and added none of the comedic relief that previous actress of Karen, Amanda Seyfried, seamlessly worked into her performance. Avantika’s solo song “Sexy” Avantika didn’t add much to the movie.
Alongside Karen, Regina’s sexuality felt forced. Rapp didn’t flaunt Regina’s beauty as well as Rachel McAdams did, but rather she shoved it in the viewer’s face. Gretchen Wieners, played by Bebe Wood, fell alongside Avantika in feeling overdone. She didn’t add the same iconic drama that Lacey Chabert did.
This movie had unfulfilled potential. It could have been well done had more of the aspects of the original Mean Girls been incorporated. I think it’s safe to say keep movies and Broadway musicals separate…at least in this case.
