If you had asked me as recently as seven months ago which film, proclaiming to be steeped in “pink” and “plastic,” would star-struck me more, choosing between one—the social spectacle starring Margot Robbie written and directed by visionary filmmaker Greta Gerwig and two–the 2024 version of Mean Girls based on a musical based on a movie based on a book, I would have laughed at the idea that the answer would be anything other than Barbie. Although the 2004 Mark Waters film never dreamed of reaching the stratospheric box office results that Barbie achieved, the twenty years since its release have firmly embedded Rachel McAdams, Lindsey Lohan and company at the pinnacle of cult classic status. With quotable lore visible anywhere you come into contact with movie iconography, Regina George and her A-list clique of Plastics have an undeniable staying power that resists even the strongest aversion to its early-2000 comedic approach.

Enter 2024, two decades and a Broadway iteration removed from the day Cady Heron first stepped foot into high school fresh off returning from Kenya (not Kentucky), and directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. find themselves tasked with developing a movie musical adaptation of the Mean Girls stage show. While plot beats and even direct dialogue often remain one-to-one despite twenty years of separation, Mean Girls (2024) thrives on the subtle shifts that modernize the approach and presentation without ostracizing its pre-existing audience.

In this evolution from cult classic comedy to vibrant musical spectacle, fans will find minimal departures from its lineage of adaptations beyond the distillation of select humor and a compromised selection from the musical’s soundtrack. While these limited but visible departures may be most apparent to fans of previous iterations, the most successful disparity lies in the subtle alterations of character dynamics that manifest through the medium of song and dance. Regina George may still be the queen of North Shore High until the meteoric rise of the new girl in town, but despite the built-in expectations and lore surrounding each character, the fresh cast of talent is able to reframe and recontextualize their social position in a world now expressed through social media. 

One of the challenges to social longevity with Mean Girls (2004) is the ethical quandary stemming from the audience aligning to the perspective of the protagonist’s complicity in mean girl behavior. Tina Fey immediately acknowledges this in explicit terms by providing an external perspective, allowing us to perceive all characters, including the protagonist, from an outside lens through the narration of Damian (Jaquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli’i Cravalho), two stars in the making. This is one of many small but significant shifts that affords greater depth to supporting characters and recognizes a recontextualized point of view as a necessary deviation for today’s audience. 

Despite the reprisal of Fey as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall, the adult characters are largely relegated to the background in order to make space for the musical numbers as the shining heartbeat of the film’s reimagining. This shift in focus highlights the collective musical talent of the cast while also accenting the unique features of the young cast that subtly differentiate themselves as their own versions of their respective characters. Though maintaining fidelity to the original plot, decisions in delivery ranging from Renee Rapp’s modern edge, Angourie Rice’s inherently nerdy demeanor, and Avantika’s exaggerated commitment to the bit add a richer understanding of the characters and their social implications in a 2024 high school environment (not to mention this batch of North-Shorers look like high schoolers relative to the original adaptation). With more nuanced portrayals that transcend caricature, this shift revitalizes a well-known narrative and establishes a robust platform for disseminating its underlying messages and themes. Unlike the original film’s reliance on a brand of absurdism that resonates with a subjective reading of comedy, the musical format successfully channels this absurdity through a lens of theatricality, creating a mutually reinforcing synergy between genre and material. 

These subtle alterations in character portrayals and the infusion of contemporary elements such as a more diverse cast and Tik Tok-look-alike camera filters, align the plot with a modern sensibility. While recognizing the existence of social media, the cinematography tastefully incorporates the technology without becoming the film’s entire gimmick. This Gen-Z style advancement, coupled with the inclusion of emerging performers who shine in choreography and song despite their limited screen experience, elevates the presentation beyond the confines of its original acclaim. Offering a refreshing perspective on the familiar while subtly enhancing the depth and significance of the source material, the film’s success lies not only in its musical prowess but also in its ability to seamlessly integrate contemporary elements, providing a relevant and impactful experience for audiences in 2024.

In this reimagination, Tina Fey treads a delicate dance between nostalgia and innovation. Moments of fan service occasionally disrupt the immersive stage of the musical, briefly pulling the audience out of its contemporary setting, but these instances are outweighed by the film’s overarching commitment to elevating its presentation and introducing a fresh perspective to the Mean Girls universe. A showcase of choreography, singing, and musical staging, the elevated production value captured through fluid camerawork emerges as a driving force that propels the narrative forward. Regina George and Cady Heron, along with the supporting cast, may not cure sex cancer, but they do undergo a nuanced transformation that sheds their previous caricature identities, lending depth and a contemporary ethos to the absurdism of its high school experience representation. 


Not only vibrant in song and script, Mean Girls (2024) revitalizes the mythos of gossip culture in the social media age, managing to remain true to its origins while also updating its universe in a necessary and meaningful way. In a Hollywood dominated by existing IP, Tina Fey, Renee Rapp and crew prove that once in a while, a fresh take on a cult classic can be pretty fetch.

Review Courtesy of Danny Jarabek

Feature Image Credit to Paramount Pictures via CinemaBlend