A revival of a classic film with more tunes.
This is a retelling of the original Mean Girls film this time as a musical. It was brought back by Tina Fey and she is included in the film looking like she hasn’t aged a day. Another surprising cameo is Lindsay Lohan which was great to see. There are many new cast members but I feel like they all did the original characters justice. The story is mostly the same as the original. However, it does elaborate some more on certain moments through song and then is forced to speed along others.
The movie had interesting press to begin when it was first announced I didn’t even know it was a musical. I saw a video online of people echoing that sentiment which may have hindered it slightly but as someone who does enjoy a good musical, I think they should have put it more front and centre. but to get more people to see it maybe that’s why they did the exact opposite.
The musical numbers were absolutely fantastic and a few are definitely going on my playlists. Not only were they just good songs. They were visually appealing as well. Breaking out of reality and adding spectacle to some moments. For example, during the song Apex Predator, the whole school acts like animals and is really fun.
The movie also embraces some modernity by including more smartphones and social media as to how word got spread around about certain events.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic film although I don’t think it outshines the original. I think you should watch Mean Girls (the non-musical) and then watch Mean Girls (the musical) as a companion piece. There are times when the movie expects you to know certain things and it really adds to it if you have that knowledge. You can check out the trailer below if you want to see more.
I Give it 3/5 Candy Shakes
-Jared Gomes
