Production studios love disguising musicals as regular films as long as possible. Lucky for them, I love musicals. Mean Girls (2024), a musical inspired by the Broadway musical—is nothing but a good, sexy singing time that has a multitude of faults. Even with the faults, it was fun to watch.
First, I would like to start by saying do not watch if you’re not a fan of musicals, period! Yes, the musical note was in the “A” of the title, but it didn’t market itself as a musical. However, I got it the first time I heard Miss Renee spit, “My name is Regina George.” Continue reading if you are a fan of musicals.
Mean Girls (2024) is a musical and theatrical telling of the Broadway musical that includes a nostalgic cast with some up-and-coming faces. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows re-debuted to the screen, reprising their roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall. Adding to them, Miss Lindsay Lohan made a cute little cameo to let the girls know she is still here. Pop singer and actress from the MAX Original show, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Reneé Rapp (the main reason why I went to see the film), makes her big screen debut as THE Regina George. More notable cast members like Auli’i Cravalho (Moana, 2016) as Janis, Tony award winner Jaquel Spivey as Damian, and Australian comedic actress Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys, 2016) as Cady Heron joined Renee on screen.
I want to start by saying that it didn’t make a significant impact as a musical film that debuted in theaters like previous musical films. Even with that being said, it wasn’t a bad film; it just suffered from too much music. You’re probably like, “Well, duh, a musical film has a lot of music in it,” but this film took it to the max. Mean Girls (2024) suffered from playing a musical number almost every 3 minutes, which didn’t leave much time for dialogue or for an audience member to take in the movie. It felt like another song began as soon as one ended. There were also moments in the film where the musical number felt out of place or taken away from the plot, and not in a good way.
Although the film suffered from too much music, it was hard not to bop along to most of the hits. The music was music-ing! I was in my seat, wine-drunk, hitting a cute yet seated 4-count (LOL). Adding to the hits that stick like grits, many hilarious and meme-able moments were a part of the film that kept me tuned in.
Go watch Mean Girls (2024) if:
- You’re a fan of musicals.
- You’re a fan of the Broadway show.
- You’re a fan of the 2004 film that’s interested in the musical take.
Even with all its flaws, Mean Girls (2024) is a great film that would have been better suited for streaming services instead of a theatrical release. I give this musical film a solid 6 out of 10, or 7 if you are a little tipsy. Catch Mean Girls (2024) in theaters now!
Stay gay and geeky,
Michael
