Starring Angourie Rice, Renee Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey
Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.
Music by Jeff Richmond; Lyrics by Nell Benjamin
This one actually began in 2002 with the parenting book Queen Bees and Wannabees. It detailed how teen girls form cliques and how to deal with aggressive behavior. Tiny Fey saw the book and thought it would make an interesting teen movie about a girl who was homeschooled overseas and suddenly found herself thrown into a world more feral than anything she encountered in the wild. Mean Girls with the then-wildly-popular teen actress Lindsay Lohen debuted in 2004 and became not only a blockbuster, but a much-loved touchstone among teens who grew up in that era. It became a Broadway musical in 2018, and probably would have run longer than two years if the pandemic hadn't hit.
The film version was announced in 2020, shortly after the Broadway show closed. It's been a hit all over again since its debut last Friday. How does the story of one girl dealing with the ins and outs of modern high school cliques look nowadays? Let's begin as North Shore High students Janis Imi'ke (Cravalaho) and Damien Hubbard (Spivey) relate "A Cautionary Tale" as they film their garage rock act for Tik Tok and find out...
The Story: Cady Heron (Rice) is newly arrived at North Shore from Kenya, where her mother (Jenna Fischer) did zoological research. She was homeschooled for most of her life and never had to deal with things like cliques or school rules. Damien and Janis warn her to stay away from what they call "The Plastics." Insecure Gretchen (Bebe Wood), silly Karen Shetty (Avantika), and controlling "queen bee" Regina George (Rapp) rule the school with pink-frosted iron fingernails, but Cady is fascinated by them.
After they invite her to sit with them, Janis suggests Cady reports on everything they say in order for Janis to get back at Regina for humiliating her in middle school. Cady is reluctant at first, but she goes all in after Regina steals Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), the boy she has a crush on, at a Halloween party. They do manage to dethrone Regina after an incident at the Christmas talent show, but Cady finds she enjoys the power a little too much and takes Regina's position as "queen bee." Damien and Janis aren't quite so amused, especially after she blows off their art show to have a wild party.
Regina seeks her own revenge by throwing the "burn book" she and her friends made with insults about most of the girls at school, including one Cady wrote in anger about her math teacher Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey), into the hall. The insults turn the girls against each other, and everyone against Cady. Cady's reluctant to take a stand, until she realizes what their hurtful words have done to their teacher, their fellow students, and each other. Cady finally discovers that love is a lot less controllable than a math equation, and that the best thing anyone can be is themselves.
The Song and Dance: The thing I most like about this one is the updates to bring this teen parable into the here and now. The obnoxious and dated racial stereotypes of the original film were replaced by a far more diverse and eclectic cast. (And at least they specified that Cady was from Kenya, and not just the random "Africa.") Some critics claim this has less bite than the original. I think the kids' constantly filming everything and sharing it online actually adds more, giving the film a dimension of online bullying that was only just starting to exist when the first film came out.
Cravalho and Rapp dance off with the movie as the tough art student who wants revenge in all the wrong ways and the controlling alpha female who will do anything to stay head of the pack. Wood has one of the most heartbreaking songs in the entire film as Regina's lackey who would do anything for her, and Spivey is adorable as Janis' sweet gay guy pal. Meadows and Fey get a few good moments reprising their roles from the original film as the math teacher who gets caught up in the girls' scheming and the principal who wonders when his school turned into a jungle.
Favorite Number: Janis and Damian open with their garage rock Tik Tok number in a literal garage as they relate "A Cautionary Tale." Cady sings about "What ifs" while dreaming of normal high school in Kenya. It becomes a wild chorus number when she arrives at North Shore and finds the fast-moving student body to be more feral than anything in Africa. "Meet the Plastics" is Regina's introduction to her and her friends as they reveal the ways they rule the school. Cady admits that she's "Stupid With Love" as the kids sing along with her in calculus. Janis and Damian claim Regina is an "Apex Predator" who destroys anything in her path. This plays out with Gretchen's heartbreaking "What's Wrong With Me?" when she wonders why Regina has rejected her in favor of Cady.
At the Halloween party, Karen and most of the students claim you have to dress "Sexy," or you're just not cool. Regina warns away anyone who would defy her, before "Someone Gets Hurt." Janis, Damian, and Cady imagine their plot to be a candy-colored "Revenge Party," with everyone dancing in the halls at Regina's dethroning. Damien's attempt at the theme from the Nickelodeon show iCarly comes off kind of goofy, while "Kevin G's Rap" offends the principal. The Plastics' "Rockin' Around the Pole" in the famous brief Santa costumes starts well, until they all fall out of step and Cady is the only one left standing.
Regina, angry and confused over Cady's betrayal, decides that she would rather let the "World Burn" than let go of her throne. Janis, however, admits during the session with all the junior girls Ms. Nordbury calls after school that "I'd Rather Be Me" than be a copy of someone else. Cady finally realizes that every person is beautiful in their own unique way, and that it's better to give support than shove someone down. "I See Stars," she says as she tosses pieces of the prom queen crown to every girl in the audience, including Janis and her girlfriend and the Plastics.
Trivia: Rapp was in the original Broadway cast.
Look for Lindsay Lohen in a cameo as the head of the Math Tournament.
While the Broadway version closed in 2020, the touring show has been out since 2019, and it's scheduled to open at London's Savoy Theatre in June.
What I Don't Like: In many ways, this is a rehash of the original film with a more racially sensitive cast and cell phones. Some shots are word-for-word and barely change a thing. In other ways, there's a lot of changes, and not just the race lifts and music. Cady and Regina both had fathers in the original film. They're not mentioned at all here. Coach Carr (Jon Hamm) originally warned everyone in his sex ed classes away from sex, while having sex with his female students on the side. I'm surprised they got away with that in 2004, and they certainly wouldn't do it now.
Not all of the performances land. Avantika is adorable, but doesn't come off quite shallow enough to make us believe this doe-eyed beauty would follow Regina around. Rice is a wonderful singer, but her Cady is far too dull to be a queen bee or a wannabe, or even someone Janis and Damian would ask to get revenge on the first two. She certainly won't make anyone forget Lohen's star-making performance. Briney is basically there as window dressing. And they apparently cut a lot of songs from the original Broadway show, including an ensemble number at the party, a duet for Cady and Aaron after he finds out she's been lying, a number at the Math Tournament, and one for Cady and the other Plastics.
The Big Finale: Like the heroine of this movie, I'm going to come clean. I never even saw the first film until I watched it after I got home from the movies today. I was an adult when it came out, and not really interested in teen movies. That said, maybe because I don't have that nostalgia and background with the original film, I really ended up enjoying this one. The cast is just as good, the music is decent, and the story works even better with the updating. Give these queen bees and wannabees a shot if you need something fun and uplifting to check out during these dark days of winter.
Home Media: Currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
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