Mean Girls, lolita malgré moi

Acting is horrible. Cringe. It's basically trying to be mean girls with no originality and creativity. Would've been better with all new characters and plot. Taking from the original and having these actors portray the original was not a good call. Overacted and forced all the way. I felt embarrassed watching this with my husband. Nothing was funny. Also, why does all the high schoolers look like they are in their thirties. I want 2 hours of my life back. This was horrid. The musical part of the movie was hard to sit through too. It would've been much better with new characters and plot that identifies more to Gen Z. Just not funny or worth the watch.

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.

Cady literally could not hold a tune in this MUSICAL movie. Renee was phenominal as well as 90% of the supporting cast. However, I thought that the way they redid the iconic rock songs seemed lazy and the camp theme from the broadway musical just was not hitting the same. Really felt like they were holding back with the jokes and the meanness of the movie. Cady was more unlikable than the main mean girl which is really saying something. The casting of Cady really put a bad taste in my mouth the whole movie - they took the OG songs and gave her parts to other cast members because she couldn't even hold a tune. Whoever her agent is needs to be fired bc why would they put that poor girl in a musical.

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.