Meet the new Plastics in the latest adaptation of the 2004 cult classic ‘Mean Girls.’ The updated version incorporates 13 songs from the Broadway show, a brand new cast, and the return of some fan favorites.
Based on Tina Fey’s adaptation screenplay of ‘Queen Bees and Wannabees,’ the 2004 film was later adapted for Broadway in 2018, earning 12 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and more.
Originally slated for a streaming release on Paramount+, the studio decided on a theatrical release for the film following positive test screenings. ‘Mean Girls’ held its premiere in New York City on January 8, 2024.
‘Mean Girls’ has a runtime of 1 hour and 53 minutes. Didn’t get to experience the musical movie in theaters? Don’t worry. As of February 20, 2024, the movie was available to rent for $19.99 or purchase for $26.99 on VOD platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu. Currently, various streaming platforms have the movie on sale for $5.99 to rent and $12.99, so if you’ve been wanting to see the movie, take advantage of this deal before it’s gone.
While ‘Mean Girls’ features a (mostly) brand new cast, there are a few return fan favorites and cameos. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows return to reprise their roles as Ms. Norbury and Mr. Duvall, respectively. Ashley Park (‘Joy Ride’) cameos as French teacher Madame Park in the film. Park originated the role of Gretchen Wieners on Broadway and earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
It is also worth mentioning that Reneé Rapp also played the role of Regina George on Broadway. In fact, the role marks the actress’ Broadway debut, who played Regina from 2019 to 2020 before it was shut down due to the pandemic.
Lindsay Lohan, the star of the original ‘Mean Girls’, also appears in the film as the Mathletes Moderator.
‘Mean Girls’ will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD on April 30th. A two-movie collection set will be available, with both the 2024 version and the original 2004 version. April 30th also marks the first time the original film will be released in 4K.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Mean Girls’ below:
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The official synopsis for ‘Mean Girls’ is below:
From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.
Opening in theaters on January 12th, ‘Mean Girls’ is just the latest example of a movie that represents the latest evolution for a story that started as a novel, became a movie, transitioned to the Broadway stage for a musical and is now back on screens as a musical movie.
But as with every movie of this type –– see also the recent ‘The Color Purple’ –– the latest take has to make a convincing argument for it to exist in the first place. Why should audiences shell out more money to see a story they’ve previously experienced (and, in the case of ‘Mean Girls’ loved to endlessly quotable and meme-able levels) with the addition of different actors and a few songs?
‘Mean Girls’ exists in the shadow of the original, and it’s no easy job to follow what has long become known as a classic in the genre. Given the pressure to be a version of both the first film and the musical, you can understand why the new movie sometimes crumbles under that workload.
But fans will be relieved to know that if it doesn’t quite make the grade in every way, it at least serves as a successful comedy musical in its own right.
The new movie, on the writing front at least, represents the return of very experienced hands with Tina Fey –– who adapted Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book ‘Queen Bees and Wannabes’, which documented female social cliques in high schools into 2004’s ‘Mean Girls’. It’s story of a young woman swapping far-flung homeschooling with her scientist parents for the wilds of an Illinois high school and ends up falling in with the most popular/vindictive girls at campus.
Fey’s original script is beloved, a classic high school comedy with more than one line that has entered the pop cultural consciousness. She was also behind the book for the stage musical version, while her husband and regular creative collaborator Jeff Richmond created the lyrics.
They’re both back for the new movie, which means that the tone and dialogue is certainly up to scratch. The one issue might be that the musical numbers, on purely a written front, can be hit and miss. And if you know the movie inside and out, that’s the only thing that will feel new besides one or two moments and ideas (Cady, for example, only has one parent in this version, played by Jenna Fischer).
Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. make their shared directorial debut with the movie, taking over for the original film’s Mark Walters. They do an adequate job of staging the musical numbers and having the songs replace elements such as Cady’s voice-over.
One or two of the songs here –– ‘Revenge Party’, ‘Stupid with Love’ –– work really well, while the others are fine but nothing to get people dancing in the aisles.
With Lindsay Lohan playing the original Cady, Angourie Rice has famous shoes to fill. And she does so well, giving this new version of a life of her own, while not going too far away from what fans expect from the character.
But that’s nothing compared to Reneé Rapp, who has to embody queen bee Regina George, as brought to life by Rachel McAdams in the original. Rapp is a fantastic Regina, having the benefit of playing the role on stage for several months. Which means she has a fully-formed take on the preening, scheming character. And when Regina suffers her downfall, she’s just as able to land those comedy turns.
Less effective are Bebe Wood, and Avantika Vandanapu as Gretchen and Karen, Regina’s sidekicks, though it’s no fault of the actors –– they’re mostly saddled with characters who feel like barely-tweaked versions of the original, and you have to wonder whether Fey and co. could have done more to make them stand out.
But if there’s one true MVP here, it’s Auliʻi Cravalho as the character of Janis, one of the “weird” kids that Cady initially befriends and who helps her get revenge on the “Plastics” led by Regina. Cravalho, best known previously as the voice of Moana in Disney’s animated movie, is superb here, breathing truly fresh life into the character and proving that she’s more than just a great voice performer.
‘Mean Girls’ certainly offers a solid level of entertainment, though that’s partly because the original is such a success. Fans of the film will find something new to enjoy, but for the most part, the pleasures come from revisiting what worked before, either on screen or stage.
And while the new movie isn’t a patch on the original, it does at least prove to be worthwhile.
‘Mean Girls receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Mean Girls?
Adapting the plot of the 2004 movie into musical form, ‘Mean Girls’ narrative feels familiar.
New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) gets welcomed into the top of the social food chain by an elite group of popular girls called the Plastics, ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs.
From multi-hyphenate B.J. Novak’s sly, underrated ‘Vengeance’ to the new darkly comedic Peacock series ‘Based on a True Story,’ starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, there’s no shortage of films and shows which use true crime podcasts (and America’s love of them) as a leaping-off point to explore both fandom and obsessiveness.
But the series which arguably helped kick-start if not fully cement the popular trend, Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ is coming back for another serving of dryly apportioned mayhem, with the first trailer for its 10-episode third season, debuting August 8th, both setting up the full arc of its new mystery and also giving fans a look at some its suspects.
Paul Rudd May Not Age, But His Death in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Provides New Life for Its Characters
(L to R) Martin Short as Oliver, Selena Gomez as Mabel, and Steve Martin as Charles in Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
Following the surprise death of actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) in the finale of the show’s second season, unlikely friends Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) find themselves thrust into an investigation of the tragedy that took place behind the scenes at Oliver’s Broadway show. It’s of course familiar territory for the trio, who first bonded by creating a podcast to explore the culprit behind a mysterious death at the Arconia, their shared Upper West Side apartment complex. “Who are we without a homicide?” asks Mabel in the trailer.
The solution? Another iteration of their podcast, naturally. “Finding this killer is the only way you’ll ever have a show,” Mabel tells Oliver, playing to his self-interest. With everyone in the theater being a possible suspect — including costar Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep) — the threesome sets out to uncover who killed Oliver’s leading man, and why.
Highlights of the trailer, which serves up brief glimpses of guest stars like Ashley Park and Jesse Williams, include Streep bumbling her way awkwardly through a table read, at least one white-room fantasy sequence, and Mabel admitting with a shrug that most of her conversations with Charles and Oliver revolve around murder “and how to connect Bluetooth — we talk about that a lot.” The trailer also seemingly points to no small amount of fun had at the expense of musical theater, touting original music from the composers of ‘La La Land,’ ‘Waitress’ and ‘Hairspray.’
‘Only Murders in the Building’ is co-created by writers Martin and John Hoffman, who also serve as executive producers along with Short, Gomez, ‘This Is Us’ creator Dan Fogelman, and Jess Rosenthal. Nominated for a total of seven Golden Globe Awards, along with six Emmy Award nominations in 2022 and three additional pending nominations this year, the series has proven to be a hit with critics, and therefore one of Hulu’s most recognizable and forward-facing shows.
Newsflash: Comedic Talent Attracts More Comedic Talent!
Meryl Streep as Loretta in Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ Photo by: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
The series has also proven a magnet for notable guest stars. For his role in “The Boy From 6B” in the first season, Nathan Lane won an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award. Sting, meanwhile, enjoyed some time trending on social media courtesy of his cameo as a fictionalized version of himself. Other high-profile comedic talent who’ve popped up in either guest or recurring roles include Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Amy Schumer, Jimmy Fallon, Shirley MacLaine, Roy Wood Jr., and Jackie Hoffman.
One can only hope that Streep — who’s had the chance to showcase some of her comedic gifts on the big screen in recent years with ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ ‘The Laundromat’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’ — gets the chance to fully deliver upon what looks like a richly silly character.
(L to R) Selena Gomez as Mabel, Martin Short as Oliver and Steve Martin as Charles in Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ Photo: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Only Murders in the Building’:
Go on a girls’ trip of a lifetime in Adele Lim’s comedy ‘Joy Ride,’ filled with hilarious and raunchy jokes and tons of heartfelt moments. Receiving glowing reviews after its premiere at SXSW, the film will hit theaters on July 7th.
The story of ‘Joy Ride’ follows Audrey, Lolo, Kat, and Deadeye as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international trip. While in China, Lolo convinces Audrey to search for her birth mom, but a series of mishaps throws everything off-course and tests their friendship.
Based on the red band trailer for ‘Joy Ride,’ one may go into this movie thinking it’s a comedy in the same vein as ‘The Hangover,’ ‘Bridesmaids,’ or ‘Girls Trip.’ The film has plenty of hilarious and shocking moments, but at its core, it is about the strength of friendship and the journey of self-discovery. This movie will have audiences laughing out loud and crying their eyes out, all at the same time.
The screenplay written by Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, and Teresa Hsiao hits the perfect balance of comedy and heart. We have seen it in many road-tripping comedies – a group of friends go on a trip of a lifetime, a series of unfortunate events throw everything into chaos, and hilarity ensues. But ‘Joy Ride’ doesn’t put jokes in it just for the sake of being raunchy or shocking. Yes, there are moments that’ll make you belly laugh and slightly uncomfortable, and it’s what makes this movie fun. But Lim knew when the jokes had run its course and didn’t feel the need to rehash it until it was no longer funny.
Some of the best moments to watch for are the interaction between the four friends – Audrey, Lolo, Deadeye, and Kat. The four leads have fantastic chemistry and comedic timing, which elevates the movie. Lolo is Audrey’s childhood best friend and is going on the trip as her interpreter since Audrey doesn’t speak Chinese. Lolo’s unapologetic personality directly juxtaposes Audrey’s “play-by-the-rules” nature and sometimes causes the group to get in trouble. Then there’s the tension between Lolo and Kat – Audrey’s best friend (and roommate) from college who is a famous actress in China. The two constantly bickered and tried to one-up each other for who was a better friend to Audrey. This leads to a hysterical moment at the bar where Audrey is supposed to close her business deal.
(L to R) Stephanie Hsu as Kat, Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, Ashley Park as Audrey, and Sherry Cola as Lolo in ‘Joy Ride.’
Sabrina Wu’s Deadeye is perhaps the quietest member of the group – and the funniest. Their quirky and shy disposition almost makes them the outsider of the group, but it’s also their sincere and earnest demeanor that makes them the heart of the group.
As most of the film takes place in China, plenty of Chinese is spoken. And as someone who is bilingual, hearing Chinese in a film always feels comforting, but hearing the jokes in Chinese got some of the biggest laughs out of me.
An R-rated comedy about a group of friends going on a road trip isn’t new – but having four Asian female leads being raunchy and loud breaks the stereotype that Asian women are reserved. In ‘Joy Ride’, the women take the rein on their sexuality and identity, unapologetically.
In ‘Joy Ride,’ the story centers on Ashley Park’s character Audrey. As a Chinese adoptee growing up in a mostly-white town, she never connected to her roots. Her business trip to China allows her to look for her birth mother, and at Lolo’s behest, she agrees to look for her.
As the film goes on, we learn that Audrey often feels she doesn’t belong – she doesn’t feel Asian because she doesn’t speak the language or have any other connection to her roots. Her friends joke about her being white, except that she’s not. “I don’t belong anywhere,” Audrey says in the movie as her frustration finally gets the best of her.
Audrey’s struggle with identity rings true for many Asian Diaspora, often being told they don’t belong here or there. Navigating this space can be quite lonely because no matter how close-knit the family or circle of close friends, they’ll say, “You’re not really Chinese” because they’ve grown up in the United States or vice versa. For me, seeing the character go through that experience feels validating, and it gave the movie an unexpected but welcoming emotional tone.
Final Thoughts
‘Joy Ride’ is the funniest movie of the year. The jokes are well-timed and hilarious, and the tender moments between the friends will tug at your heartstring. Lim, Chevapravatdumrong, and Hsiao know when to get raunchy and when to get serious without it feeling cheesy. They struck the perfect balance between comedy and emotional moments, and it’s so satisfying to watch.
