By Madison Kwo and Lily Stern
Lily Stern: I’ll personally support Reneé Rapp in anything she ever pursues, so even if the movie had been a 0/10, I would’ve enjoyed myself.
Madison Kwo: I’m defending her until the day she dies, not that she needs it.
LS: She was the best part of the movie, and it was absolutely a star vehicle for her. All the promos advertise Regina George as the main character, and thinking about “Mean Girls” in pop culture today, she definitely has become that.
MK: Her career has progressed so methodically in terms of starting on Broadway and transitioning to TV, then to pop music, and then returning to her roots in a musical, even though she’s so huge now. I went into this movie knowing I’d love her, but I was surprised by how much I liked some of the other members of the cast.
LS: I was obsessed with Avantika’s Karen. It’s a deceptively hard role to act WELL, but she was amazing. I was shocked when she could also sing, and “Sexy” was actually one of my favorite songs. She just turned 19, which is insane.
MK: She just needs to be in everything. An unexpected highlight of the movie for ME was Bebe Wood — not that I thought she’d be bad, but I didn’t expect to like her so much, especially her unique characterization of Gretchen. I don’t think she got enough screen time.
LS: I identify as a huge Gretchen. She deserves much better. Auli’i Cravalho was perfectly cast as Janis too. Aside from Reneé, she has the best voice of the cast, and I was glad to see Janis made canonically queer. Jaquel Spivey was also a fantastic Damien. No notes.
MK: Do we want to talk about the actual musical part? Let’s just say this — let musical theater adaptations be based in actual theater. So many of the instrumentals dropped the ball for the big songs, even with the strongest singers and the ensemble delivering on vocals and dancing.
LS: Part of it was because they cast the weakest singer as the lead. Angourie Rice is a great actress, and she has a fine voice. But she wasn’t the right choice for Cady, and it shows in how they wrote new songs and changed whole arrangements because she couldn’t sing the originals. I feel like there are so many talented MUSICAL actors we could’ve sourced out for this, even on a Paramount budget.
MK: And to overcompensate for that, they used way too much autotune, and the end of “Revenge Party” was scarring. The 0.5 camera view as her autotuned voice sang a strange low harmony because she can’t belt? Yeah… anyway, should we discuss Aaron Samuels?
LS: I’d rather never speak about him. Just kidding… kind of. I’m sure the actor is a lovely guy, but I personally needed them to cast someone who wanted to sing. And who was attractive to me. Whoever decided to push him as Gen Z’s heartthrob is not my friend.
MK: “Someone Gets Hurt” was reminiscent of the Cameron Dallas run on Broadway — in how Reneé Rapp literally sang and acted circles around both men. I would’ve loved to hear “More Is Better,” but I understand why so many songs, had to be cut.
LS: Surprisingly, I agreed with most of the cuts based on the realistic skill of the cast. But I continue to mourn “Meet the Plastics” with all three girls since Avantika and Bebe can both sing. But I understand the draw of the song being Reneé’s big film debut. My only critique of her was that I wish she sang in a more theatrical style versus pop vocals, but I understand the constraints of a mass-marketed musical, especially trying to draw in audiences who hate them.
MK: I have such beef with the masses who inexplicably hate musicals. Why do you hate fun? And despite what people say, it wasn’t marketed as a 1:1 remake in advertisements. It was very clear it was something different. The things that were different often worked better than the things that tried to make a tongue-in-cheek reference to the original, like the “fetch” joke.
LS: We all know the lines from the original are great because we’ve all seen them. What I haven’t seen is Damien singing the iCarly theme song in French. A hysterical choice.
MK: And despite Tina Fey reprising her role in the movie, it was different enough, especially her new comedic beats, that it still worked with the new cast. The “horrible singing” bit she did in a literal movie musical is killer.
LS: I will say I thought the use of social media was well done. Like yes, teenagers do film themselves getting ready, and cancel culture would (try to) find Regina, and Chris Olsen would probably comment on it in real life too. It was admittedly funny to see TikTok pop up during pivotal moments, and you can tell the creator’s teenage kids helped it stay realistic.
MK: I personally didn’t love the Chris Olsen cameo, but Megan Thee Stallion popping up DID make my entire life. I think I shrieked in the theater.
LS: Wait! I love Busy Phillips. That’s all.
MK: Sure, there were some not-so-great parts, but you’re seeing a movie musical adaptation of “Mean Girls.” If you’re expecting a cinematic masterpiece, and not in a camp way, you’re gonna be let down. But it was fun, and it was cute, and it made me giggle, and sometimes, that’s all a movie has to do.
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