Mean Girls, lolita malgré moi

Too similar to the original, though the musical moments do help alleviate that.

I didn't necessarily like any of the songs performed in 2024's 'Mean Girls', but none of them grated on me - which is always a plus when it comes to musicals. I could've done with a slightly shorter run time, though the humour is decent - if a bit hit-and-miss.

Angourie Rice is a bit meh in the lead role, certainly a downgrade on Lindsay Lohan. I guess most of the cast are inferior comparatively, but I did enjoy the performances of Reneé Rapp and Jaquel Spivey... Auli'i Cravalho too. Good to see Tina Fey and Tim Meadows back again, whilst there's a great cameo at one point.

All things considered, it's fine. Can't wait for the 2044 remake.

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I love the original, and of course, i know this is a different movie, based on the Broadway musical based on the original (and all written by Tina Fey). Of course i know that there was no need for a direct remake, since the original was near perfection. However, this just didn't work. There was no chemistry, no motivation for the characters. I did like that it's done from Damian and Janice's point of view. But the rest of it feels flat.

The positives - Renee Rapp has a voice on her, as does Jeremy Spivey. For me they were the highlights of the show. There are some cute moments. Some new lines, but nothing really memorable or quotable.

So, meh. It was OK.

For those of you who are fans of the Broadway musical, here is a list of the missing music: "It Roars" (replaced with a song that's not as good) "Where Do You Belong?" (What were they thinking by leaving out this showstopper?!) "Meet The Plastics" (Only Regina's first few verses were sung. Gretchen & Karen's parts were cut) "Fearless" "Stop" (Again, what were they thinking by cutting out a showstopper?) "What's Wrong With Me" (reprise) "Whose House Is This?" "More Is Better" "Do This Thing"

This is supposed to be a film version of the musical, not a remake of the original fetch & flawless film. So, leaving out so many songs was a bad idea. The characters all suffered from this choice; they all seemed too bland.

Cady did not sing "Apex Predator." Instead, Damian sang "And though Janice is great, she does not have this power," while Janice shrugged. This was such a poor choice, because we didn't see Cady falling under Regina's spell. Gretchen's changing relationship with Regina didn't play out well. The actress who played Gretchen captured the character when she spoke, but when she sang "What's Wrong With Me" in Regina's closet, it just didn't make me feel for her. Something got lost in translation.

A lot of the comedy was lost in this version. Although "Sexy" was filmed well, Karen just wasn't as funny as she was in the 1st movie or the Broadway version. Damian wasn't as funny; without his biggest songs, he didn't shine.

"Fearless" may not have been the biggest hit song, but I felt the loss of it. There needed to be a sharply hit moment when Cady realizes she is the new Queen Bee, freed of her oppressive relationship with Regina. The original film used voiceover to convey that realization and the musical used the song "Fearless." The film musical kind of glossed it over.

Another thing that was missing was the image of all the plastics walking together, all looking beautiful and glamorous. "Being in the Plastics was like being famous." On Broadway, "Apex Predator" captured that feel, but in this movie, the song focused on Regina alone and lost the power of the clique.

The Plastics just weren't feminine enough. Everyone looked too tough. It was like this version took place at the "south side" school that the principal said he left in the original. Even the nerds didn't seem nerdy enough. Regina started out looking like she had already been eating Calteen bars for months and we didn't see her change after Cady tricked her.

The chemistry between Cady and Aaron also did not come through. Leaving out "More Is Better" and the Aaron's part in "Stupid With Love" didn't help.

"I See Stars" was a magical finale on Broadway, but this film did not end with musical magic.

What did I like? "Revenge Party" was still lots of fun and it was filmed in a colorful way. "World Burn" was done well, and "I'd Rather Be Me" had a great energy.

Wanna experience a headache caused by an avalanche of failed jokes? Try watching this flick for more than 15 minutes.

The bad: I tried, I really tried to watch it through, but what's painfully obvious from the very start is that the jokes all fall flat. I just didnt laugh once. What's a comedy without some solid jokes? But then again, comedy is quite personal, perhaps a teenage crowd wont mind the avalanche of lame jokes, that gave me a headache.

Not any good then? Tina Fey wrote this stuff. She often gets it right when it comes to comedy, I love some of her other work, but somehow this movie just tanked.

We decided to go see this even after seeing the subpar reviews. That's what it is, it is a worse but still not bad Mean Girls. Good for a reboot, bad for a Movie. I think that the casting for Regina is good, I was worried about Reneé Rapp but she was by far the best plastic. I think Gretchen was cast well, but Karen and Katy I think ruined the movie. The theater was empty. They should have gone all in on the musical aspect or not at all. There were maybe 4 songs that I remember but otherwise it was just them talking. It is almost the identical plot. Instead of watching this, or God forbid spending money on it, just watch the original Mean Girls again.