{"id":67688,"date":"2024-01-10T14:26:37","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/10\/mean-girls-movie-musical-is-fun-and-fetch-review\/"},"modified":"2024-01-10T14:26:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:26:37","slug":"mean-girls-movie-musical-is-fun-and-fetch-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/10\/mean-girls-movie-musical-is-fun-and-fetch-review\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical Is Fun and Fetch: Review"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Bebe Wood plays Gretchen, Renee Rapp plays Regina and Avantika plays Karen in Mean Girls.<\/span> Jojo Whilden\/Paramount<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s way-too-tempting to declare that the new Mean Girls<\/em> movie<\/a> is so fetch. Except that if high school toaster strudel heiress Gretchen Wieners can\u2019t make \u201cfetch\u201d happen, then neither can a measly movie review.<\/p>\n

So how about this: Mean Girls<\/em> \u2014 an adaptation of the Tony-nominated 2018 Broadway musical \u2014 is a delightful confection that expands on the original comedy thanks to a modern-day POV and catchy numbers. Think of it like a great cover song remix with special guest Jon Hamm<\/strong> as the health teacher\/coach.<\/p>\n

Get in, loser, and enjoy the ride.<\/p>\n

But first, send a big thank-you to screenwriter Tina Fey<\/strong>. Two decades ago, she picked up a nonfiction book called Queen Bees and Wannabes and turned it into one of the best films about high school girls ever. This was a golden feat at the time and continues to be a minor miracle considering that most turn-of the-Millennium teen comedies focused on the art of landing the love interest. (No offense to She\u2019s All<\/em> That<\/em> et al.) This young heroine isn\u2019t obsessed with romance; she just wants to fit in and ideally not eat lunch in a bathroom stall. That is, if she can stay true to herself.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>The Most Fetch Looks From the \u2018Mean Girls\u2019 2024 Premiere<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tMean Girls is back \u2014 and more stylish than ever. Members of the OG cast, including Lindsay Lohan (who played Cady Heron in the original movie) and Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), attended the premiere of the musical remake in New York City on Monday, January 8. They were joined by cast members of the new [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

All these years later, that message still resonates to painfully funny degrees.<\/p>\n

Fey didn\u2019t mess with the timeless story in her 2.0 version. Cady Heron (Angourie Rice<\/strong> from the recent Spider-Man<\/em> trilogy) \u2014 her first name is pronounced like \u201cKaydee,\u201d not \u201cCaddy\u201d \u2014 is an introverted math whiz who\u2019s just moved with her mom (Jenna Fischer<\/strong>) from the Kenya savannah to suburban Chicago. Despite her time in the wilds, she\u2019s ill-prepared for the untamed behavior of her fellow students. Welcome to the jungle!<\/p>\n

First Cady befriends snarky outsiders Janis (Moana<\/em> actress Auli\u2019i Cravalho<\/strong>) and Damian (Tony-nominated actor Jaquel Spivey). Then, unexpectedly, she\u2019s invited to sit at the table of popular girls named \u201cThe Plastics.\u201d As Janis puts it, they\u2019re all hard, fake and shiny. Beeyotchy Regina George (Sex Lives of College Girls<\/em>\u2019 Renee Rapp<\/strong>) is the queen; insecure Gretchen (Bebe Wood<\/strong>) and dingbat Karen (Avantika Vandanapu<\/strong>) are her loyal princesses.<\/p>\n

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At the urging of Janis and Damian, Cady hangs with the group to shake things up from within.<\/p>\n

The problems start when Cady crushes on hunky Aaron Samuels (The Summer I Turned Pretty<\/em>\u2019s Christopher Briney<\/strong>), who happens to be Regina\u2019s ex. This development, along with Cady\u2019s burgeoning popularity, pits Cady against Regina. The curious surfacing of a tell-all \u201cBurn Book\u201d ultimately lights the match.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Everything the ‘Mean Girls’ Cast Has Said About a Sequel to the 2004 Movie<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe beloved 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls has had a direct-to-DVD movie sequel, been adapted into a Broadway musical and now, has a new movie based on said musical \u2014 but fans are still waiting on a sequel with the OG cast. Lindsay Lohan, who starred as innocent-homeschooler-turned-Plastic Cady Heron in the original film, reunited [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Much of the above dialogue and plot unfold via original songs composed by Fey\u2019s husband, Jeff Richmond. (Nell Benjamin<\/strong> supplied the lyrics.) They\u2019re all jaunty fun on a visual level, not unlike the candy-colored performances in Barbie. The numbers also help move the surprisingly tight narrative along as opposed to bogging it down. (Um, that may or may not be a knock against Wonka.) If anyone deserves a dramatic entrance, it\u2019s Regina with her rendition of \u201cMeet the Plastics.\u201d The main players all get the chance to vent in \u201cRevenge Party.\u201d A personal favorite: Janis and Damian\u2019s \u201cApex Predator.\u201d Guess who that describes.<\/p>\n

Though it takes a beat to adjust to relative newcomers in these iconic roles \u2014 the petite Rice bears little resemblance to Lindsay Lohan<\/strong> in the Cady role \u2014 they do deliver. Surely it helps that Rapp steps into Regina\u2019s designer clothes for the second time after portraying the character on Broadway. Upon realizing that Cady has been feeding her calorie-laden bars, she lets out a shriek like someone trained to reach the nosebleed section of the theater. (One quibble: This Regina is not quite as prickly as Rachel McAdams<\/strong>\u2019 characterization.) Two originals return, too, with Fey reprising her role as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows<\/strong> doing the same as Principal Duval. He\u2019s still sublime as he uncorks those dry one-liners. Let this poor man retire already!<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Moments the 2004 \u2018Mean Girls\u2019 Cast Supported the 2024 Remake<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe 2004 Mean Girls cast is happily supporting the 2024 actors who took on their roles. Jaquel Spivey, who plays Damian Leigh in the Mean Girls movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, was seen hugging the OG actor, Daniel Franzese, at the New York City movie premiere on Monday, January 8. The duo embraced each [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Maybe the true beauty of the Mean Girls<\/em> franchise is that it brings the web of teen emotions to life \u2026 just with, you know, snappier one-liners and more attractive people. Only the technology has changed since 2004. Truth: The original film was released back when Mark Zuckerberg<\/strong> was still tinkering with his software at Harvard. Now all the OMG moments generate rabid Instagram and TikTok views, which amplifies the angst and cringe. Smart.<\/p>\n

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