Mean Girls

I have to admit that despite being a straight, 22 year old guy I have always had a weakness for teen films so I was looking forward to Lindsay Lohan's (who really impressed me in 'Freaky Friday' and the much underrated 'Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen') latest.

It exceeded my expectations.

Lindsay is on great form, instantly likable as Cady and believable both as a regular girl and a "regulation hottie". This girl is one of the best comic actresses of her generation and has created a fully rounded character it is difficult not to root for. Not that she carries the film alone.

Of the adults Tim Meadows does sterling work in translating his character with relatively few lines. Neil Flynn (familiar as the Janitor from 'Scrubs') is even better with some great facial expressions as a father as much at sea in suburban America as his daughter. As for Tina Fey... a terrific performance of course and she is still as cute as she was on Saturday Night Live but where she really shines is in the screenplay which sounds real enough (at least for a teen film) and has some razor sharp areas (like Coach Carr's 'lessons').

Of course the key group is the titular Mean Girls themselves - Regina (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried). Rachel McAdams creates a memorable High School tyrant, malicous, power mad and cruel but not entirely virtue free. She'd screw you over in a heartbeat if you stepped on her turf, but the nonthreatening Gretchen is allowed some reward for loyalty. Gretchen herself, played by the delectable Lacey Chabert is a character of her own, not just a cardboard minion to follow orders. Neurotic, shallow, desperate, beautiful, loyal and rather uncertain she is perhaps the saddest and most sympathetic of the Plastics - a girl who certainly has the looks and money to make it to the top of the pyramid but who lacked the will or the certainty. Not a problem with Karen (Amanda Seyfried) who has an admirable certainty of herself and her abilities. In one of the films best lines after a telling off from Regina, Cady tries to comfort her:

Cady: You're not stupid, Karen.

To which Karen replies thoughtfully (without a hint of bitterness or anger):

Karen: No, I am, actually. I'm failing everything.

Indeed she is. Karen is an airhead, and if not actively proud of it, at least accepting. She doesn't seem cruel herself, possibly because she is simply too shallow and dense, but she doesn't seem a bad person. Which for the second minion (Gretchen outranks her) to the villainous is quite a remarkable achievement.

Finally I must mention Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese as Janice and Damian respectively, the outsiders we are rooting for, in theory. They do good work, though I found them slightly dry next to the endlessly dysfunctional Plastics (though that may be something to do with me finding Lacey Chabert much more attractive than Daniel Franzese!)

Overall a very good piece of work from all concerned. If you like teen movies then you'll find this a very good one. If you don't, well hold your nose and try it anyway, you might be pleasantly surprised!

"Mean Girls" feels perfectly suited to Lindsay Lohan's talents. As the new girl in school (Cady Heron) who is trying to fit in, she is extremely likable. She becomes fast friends with Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan, who nails her performance. If you are not familiar with singer Janis Ian, check out her hit single "Seventeen") and Damian (Daniel Franzese), but gets sucked into a three-girls clique called the Plastics. With her allegiance split between the two factions, she finds herself becoming a person she does not like.

This film is notable for the break-through performances of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried. McAdams plays Regina, the queen of the Plastics. It is a role that is similar to many that preceded, but still holds up.

Speaking of precursors, one might consider this film to be a rip-off of others that came before. Or it might be considered as merely referential. Or perhaps an homage. But however you chose to view it, it has definite references to "The Breakfast Club", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Clueless", "Risky Business", and other John Hugh's films.

The screenplay (adaptation) by Tina Fey is, at turns, clever and unsubtle. But it is a solid entry in the canon of teen comedies.

This movie is an easy one to enjoy over and over again. I think how funny you find the story is relative to your age. As someone newly out of high school, I can tell you that the high school clicks portrayed in this film are a bit far-fetched. I have never heard someone say "you can't sit with us" or of being called "too gay to function". This movie is still simply witty and smart with a story line that is far different from the main stream movies that come out today.

I thought this a really entertaining film. With a spirited cast, a very good script, a good soundtrack and a nice romance what more could you possibly want? Lindsey Lohan is lovely as Cady Heron, better than she was in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. She is given great support from an excellent supporting cast, from the likes of Tina Fey and Rachel McAdams. The script was dark and humorous, my favourite bit was when all the girls start fighting after they discover that they are being badmouthed in a book. And there is always time for a romance that doesn't always interfere with the story. In fact, my only real complaint is that it gets a little sentimental, but apart from that, an enjoyable and engaging film, with a 8/10. Bethany Cox

My boyfriend has this on DVD so we put it on last night and watched it together. It is still good and has not dated at all.

The clique is indeed mean and one wonders whether high schools are like that today. I graduated high school a decade ago and don't remember such a mean environment, but then again that is the appeal and story of the film.

The girls are really hot and they flaunt it. Gretchen is the prettiest to me, but of course they are all handpicked to be pretty especially during their stage show.

In short, funny, mean, sexy and anyone who has attended high school is bound to identify to some degree. Fun film