Mean Girls (2024): Review

For every mid-20s something, "Mean Girls" is an essential pop culture artifact. I spent many late afternoons rewatching the high school comedy on TV during its nonstop reruns. In a world where most high school comedies are trite after-school specials, "Mean Girls" defined its own cunning wit while intermixing keen observations on adolescent social dynamics. The film understood its zeitgeist and consistently articulated its perspective with humor and compassion. 

By contrast, the 2024 "Mean Girls" remake belongs in the Burn Book. This is yet another tepid, flatlining remake that favors nostalgic gimmicks over any meaningful recontextualization. 

I know most disregard remakes whenever they are announced. Personally, I saw promise in the new "Mean Girls." Leaning into the Broadway show's musical spin while also transitioning the material's themes into the social media age boasted promise on paper. In some ways, "Mean Girls" flirts with imprinting a new stamp, but it ultimately feels far too content going through the motions. 

Many scenes in "Mean Girls" 2024 are nearly identical to the 2004 film, except this time jazzed up with grand music numbers. Unfortunately, the music numbers are a nonstarter. Each song sounds like any artificial and overly confectionary pop song you would hear on the radio today. They are admittedly well-performed yet rarely infuse new life into the proceedings. 

The screenplay is similarly beige. A bevy of self-referential zingers and modern gags rarely exhibit the sharp perspective that the original personified. It all leaves viewers stuck in a constant state of deja vu. I would say the same about the cast, who are spirited although lacking the stature of 2004's ensemble (Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Poehler and Lizzy Caplan, to name a few). 

"Mean Girls" does not earn a seat at the "good high school movie" table. It is a thankless retread that rides exclusively off the creative fumes of its illustrious predecessor.