Mean Girls (2024)
★★★
This is a hard movie for me to judge. The original has been a favorite of mine since 2004 and the two versions are so similar, it's hard for me to mentally separate the two. Yes, this version is a musical, but I kept trying to gauge my thoughts about this film as if somebody was going into this material brand new. Am I a bad critic for admitting that I'm too close to the original source?
Though I was entertained by this version of Mean Girls, there was an overall flatness. The jokes weren't as funny. Is that because I could recite them all before they were delivered? Some of the performances weren't as good. Is that because when I visualize the Plastics in my head, I see the original cast? Am I going through a mid-life crisis where I can't understand why they completely recycle old material with new faces? Possibly so.
All this to say, I think everyone involved had a thankful task. My personal feelings are not a result of their effort. I have been a fan of everything that Angourie Rice does and she is a perfect Cady. As well as Reneé Rapp, who embodies Regina George without trying to do a Rachel McAdams impression. I also appreciated the modern social media edits, but the pallet still seems like paint-by-numbers and I would like to have seen some more creative choices made. It's neither the best musical nor the worst one, and all personal feelings aside, this reiteration won't garner the same fervent fan base as the original.
