The day that Mean Girls fans have been looking forward to is finally upon us, and no, I’m not talking about October 3rd. The new musical adaptation of one of the best movies of the 2000s is set to hit theaters on January 12, starring an ensemble cast that includes Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp and Christopher Briney, with Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprising their roles from the original. Critics have weighed in on the movie’s musical makeover and they’ve got some strong opinions about how it compares to its previous iterations.
First reactions to Mean Girls were pretty fetch, as Gretchen Wieners would say, though fans familiar with the Broadway production are upset that some songs have been cut from the film version. Let’s see what critics are saying about the movie overall, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Mean Girls. Our own Corey Chichizola rates the musical 4 stars out of 5, saying it’s an excellent combination of the 2004 classic and the stage show. Tina Fey’s new script makes the film feel super fresh while also delivering what the passionate fanbase wants. He continues:
Obviously the musical numbers are one way in which things are different than the last Mean Girls film, but the new script is also full of fun variations that are going to keep fans on their toes. Fey purposefully dips where the OG weaves and finds ways to subvert expectations and change up even some of the most quotable lines. Don’t worry, ‘She doesn’t even go here’ and ‘You go Glen Coco’ are still very much included… but they come alongside plenty of surprises. And that includes a cameo or two that is sure to get big audience reactions.
BJ Colangelo of SlashFilm rates the film 8 out of 10, noting that what makes girls “mean” has changed over the past two decades, which necessitated softening some of the 2004 movie’s edges. Tina Fey provides a new time capsule for Gen Z and Gen Alpha by perfectly evolving and combining her original script and the Broadway show. Colangelo writes:
Mean Girls is an entirely different animal compared to the apex predator of the original film, but it holds its own in the constantly evolving biosphere of teen cinema. When I left the theater, I thought I wished the film was as searing as the original, lamenting how ‘soft’ this story felt this time around. But as soon as the thought entered my brain, I thought about seeing the original film as a high school freshman and sitting next to my mother, who joked about Heathers being better and edgier. If this version of Mean Girls is an accurate reflection of the evolution of the cruel politics of high school, it’s a sign that we’re moving in the right direction.
Maureen Lee Lenker of EW gives the movie a B and says that in a musical remake with a “largely unremarkable score,” the Mean Girls cast is its secret weapon. Like the above assessment, this critic also notes that the 2024 version is less savage than the original, writing:
Some of the script’s more problematic aspects have been eliminated. Many changes are welcome (we’re fine not to make a joke out of a teacher sleeping with a student, even if Jon Hamm is wasted as Coach Carr). But to some degree, this robs Mean Girls of its teeth. The Plastics and their tactics are meant to be as feral as the African plains. But things like the notorious Burn Book pages calling Regina a ‘cow’ instead of a ‘slut’ are disingenuous. Part of the genius of the original Mean Girls was how it captured the downright viciousness of teenage girls, and some of that predatory bite has been muzzled here.
Kevin Harley of GamesRadar doesn’t quite buy that this “isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls,” saying it’s more remake than makeover. The cast makes the grade, however, and the critic rates the musical 3 stars out of 5, saying:
Even with songs, social media, and savvy casting added to the mix, this enjoyable but safe musical redo, coming via-Broadway, lacks that freshness: it’s the old Mean Girls with smartphones, essentially, with an attendant risk of redundancy. With plot beats so familiar you can set your hall clock by them, returning writer Tina Fey’s script offers tweaks to details more than bold rethinks. And despite co-directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.’s previous experience with shorts and pop videos, the film only fitfully summons the gusto that fans of musicals might expect.
Leigh Monson of AV Club says Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey steal the show as Janis and Damian, and the musical numbers are well-staged and performed. These highlights, however, are overshadowed by the film’s inability to stand on its own. While it makes sense for the Broadway show to make so many references to the movie it’s based on, it’s strange for the movie remake to be so self-referential, the critic writes, grading the movie a C+ In Monson’s words:
The musical numbers and callbacks to the memeable jokes of the 2004 film work well for a production that is couching its existence on fondness for, and familiarity with, a popular film; a whole subgenre of stage musicals relies on this exact conceit. But it’s bizarre for a film remake to couch itself so heavily on that same familiarity, recycling jokes enough times that it comes across as cynical. It begs the question of why you wouldn’t just watch the original again.
While some critics enjoy how Tina Fey has updated her material for a new generation, the movie based on the musical based on the movie doesn’t work as well for others. However, everyone seems to agree that the cast is giving their all, so if you can’t wait to see some grool musical numbers and a new take on a 2000s classic, you can do just that starting Friday, January 12. Be sure to also check out our 2024 movie calendar to see what other films are hitting the big screen soon.
