Mean Girls [2024] (3 Stars)

Netflix Thursday #45

Mean Girls (2024) is not a simple remake of the 2004 classic but a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, itself based on Tina Fey's original screenplay. Co-written by Fey and directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr, the film attempts to translate the story of Cady Heron and the Plastics into a contemporary, social media saturated high school landscape while embracing the conventions of a modern screen musical.

The most immediate and divisive change is the musical format. Characters now express ambition, jealousy and insecurity through song, often in heightened, stylised sequences that lean heavily into TikTok aesthetics and pop choreography. When the numbers work, particularly those centred on Janis and Damian, they add emotional clarity and a sense of theatrical fun. When they do not, they can feel like interruptions rather than narrative propulsion, breaking the sharp pacing that defined the 2004 film.

The cast is uniformly likeable, with Auli'i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey emerging as highlights. Their expanded roles benefit from the musical structure, giving them space to develop beyond comic sidekicks. Angourie Rice's Cady is more subdued than Lindsay Lohan's original incarnation, and while this fits the ensemble driven approach of the film, it also blunts the impact of Cady's moral decline and eventual self realisation. Renee Rapp's Regina George is more openly vulnerable, shaped less as a pure antagonist and more as a product of image culture and constant online scrutiny.

Social media is central to the film's worldview. Reputation, popularity and humiliation are no longer confined to the school cafeteria but are instantly broadcast and archived online. This is one of the remake's smarter updates, even if it occasionally feels too eager to signal its relevance rather than letting the satire speak for itself.

Where the film struggles is in its humour. Many of the original's most caustic lines and risky jokes have been softened or removed entirely. The result is a film that is kinder and more inclusive but also less quotable and less sharp. The bite that made Mean Girls a cultural phenomenon has been replaced with a smoother, more agreeable tone.

Ultimately, Mean Girls (2024) works best when viewed on its own terms. It is a glossy, energetic musical that reflects contemporary teen culture with sincerity, even if it lacks the ferocity and precision of its predecessor. It does not replace the 2004 film and does not try to. Instead, it offers a reinterpretation shaped by different priorities, audiences and cultural norms.

Key Differences from Mean Girls (2004)

Musical format

The 2024 film is a full musical, adapted from the Broadway stage version, with characters regularly breaking into song to express internal states and advance the plot.

Social media as a narrative engine

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram play a central role in spreading gossip, enforcing hierarchies and accelerating Regina's rise and fall.

Cady's home life

Cady lives with a single mother rather than two parents, and their relationship is given more narrative emphasis.

Softer dialogue and humour

Several iconic lines and insults from the original have been removed or rewritten to align with contemporary sensibilities.

Revised clique presentation

The cafeteria tour of high school stereotypes is streamlined, with fewer caricatured or racially coded groups.

Regina and Janis backstory

The history between Regina and Janis is reframed to avoid implications present in the original film and to give Janis greater emotional legitimacy.

Talent show sequence

The "Jingle Bell Rock" performance is replaced by a different musical number, and Regina's public humiliation is amplified through social media reaction.

Ending structure

The 2004 film includes brief epilogues showing where characters end up. The 2024 version ends more abruptly at the Spring Fling.

Greater diversity and representation

The cast is more racially diverse, with queer characters written more affirmatively and less as punchlines.

Removal of certain iconic scenes

Moments such as the four way phone call are absent, replaced by texting and online communication.

Success Rate:  + 0.9

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