“Mean Girls” has always been one of my favorite early 2000s comedy movies. Whenever I have a long day, am feeling down in the dumps, or simply can’t find anything to watch, “Mean Girls” is always the first movie that I turn to.
Given my love for the original, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that a musical remake was being released. With music, a script written by Tina Fey, and a cameo from the original Cady Stanton, what could go wrong? A lot, apparently.
This was one of the first films that I have ever wanted to turn off midway through. Normally, I am able to get through a bad movie or show; however, this remake was nearly insufferable. Nevertheless, I watched with disdain until the end to write this review, and hopefully persuade potential viewers from ever wasting their time on this movie.
To begin, the music in the film was far from exceptional. Instead of adding to the plot, the singing simply distracted viewers from the main point of the film. The actresses’ voices were average at best. Despite being advertised as a musical, vocal talent was clearly not a priority. The singing was also supported by terrible acting. It appeared as if the actors were forcing their roles instead of immersing themselves in it.
I also found that the film strayed from the original in slight, yet confusing, ways. Since the film was advertised as a remake, I anticipated it being nearly identical to the original, with the exception of the songs; however, this was not necessarily the case. For example, in the original, Tina Fey’s character, Ms. Norbury, sparked a relationship with the school principal near the end of the film; however, in the remake, the two were already married. I found this to be an odd choice, as the development of their relationship played quite the role in the original.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of the film was the lack of humor. In my opinion, one of the best parts of the original “Mean Girls” is the comedy it includes. Though the jokes were often inappropriate, I find that it truly helps to portray the fact that there are truly “mean girls” running the school. I expect that the humor was likely changed due to the fact that many of the jokes in the original would likely be considered offensive today, I think that it proved to be detrimental to the film. Instead of emphasizing the cruel reign that “the Plastics” had over the school, Regina George and her posse simply came across as stuck-up, rich girls. Had the original humor stayed, it may have helped to distract from the awful acting.
Though the musical film remake of “Mean Girls” at first showed promise, it ended up being a colossal disappointment. With cringe-inducing acting, songs that get stuck in your head for all the wrong reasons, and middle school level humor, this movie is truly not worth the 1 hour and 52 minutes needed to watch it. Like many other film remakes, you are better off sticking to the original.
