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.
If you’re Universal, and you have Steve Carell as the main voice in your big new animated family movie ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’, how are you going to exploit that?
Well, if you also have beloved sitcom ‘The Office’ as one of your big titles on streaming service Peacock – a show that just so happened to be one of Carell’s big breaks – you look to employ a little corporate synergy. Literally, in this case.
It also helps if it’s actually fun, which this video is, recreating the ‘Office’ credits while swapping out Carell’s Michael Scott for his Gru character and putting the various main Minions in place of the ‘Office’ characters played by the likes of John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer.
‘The Office’, of course, was adapted from the UK show created by Ricky Gervais, and brought to the US by Greg Daniels. It’s the story of the employees of Dunder Mifflin, a paper sales company where Michael Scott is the branch manager.
He’s the sort of boss who thinks he’s more fun than he really is, a good-natured sort with a terrible taste in jokes and references, who is perennially upbeat. Around him are a staff of different types – the rule-following martinet weirdo (Wilson’s Dwight Schrute), the talented but unfulfilled everyman (Krasinski’s Jim Halpert) and the sweet, thoughtful receptionist (Fischer’s Pam Beesly).
Courtesy of ‘The Office’ YouTube channel.
Then there’s the supporting cast with their own quirks, including Angela Kinsey’s Angela Martin, an uptight, cat-loving accountant, Brian Baumgartner’s slobby fellow finance team member Kevin, Mindy Kaling as enthusiastic customer service representative and Creed Bratton’s Creed, a supremely strange man with a mysterious background.
While there were initial concerns about being able to replicate the success of the British series, and critics complained when the first episode largely replicated the UK version, ‘The Office’ grew into a huge success, running for nine seasons and expanding its fanbase thanks to time on Netflix and now, Peacock.
As for ‘Rise of Gru’, the latest extension of the ‘Despicable Me’ movie universe acts as a sequel to the 2015 ‘Minions’ spin-off movie and a prequel to the original ‘Despicable Me’.
Carell is back to voice the strangely-accented Gru, here portrayed in the 1970s as a child with big supervillain ambitions. But when he’s invited to interview for an open slot on his favourite villain team The Vicious Six, he’s mocked by the gang for being a kid. Yet after Gru steals the special Zodiac Stone that the Six intend to use to become more powerful, the chase is on.
It’ll end up involving an acupuncturist who teaches kung-fu, a wronged former leader of the villain gang and a chatty new Minion called Otto who is, if it’s possible, even more of a nuisance than the likes of Kevin, Stuart and Bob.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is in theaters from tomorrow.
Courtesy of ‘The Office’ YouTube channel.
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This past season was ranked the lowest rated of the network’s scripted series.
ABC also pulled the plug on “Splitting Up Together” (starring Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson) and “The Kids Are Alright,” about an Irish-Catholic family trying to raise their eight kids during the 1970s, which featured “The Walking Dead” alum Michael Cudlitz.
It has been nearly six years since the last episode of “The Office” aired, and still its stars have a special bond.
Jenna Fischer (Pam) was a guest on Busy Philipps‘s late-night talk show, “Busy Tonight,” on Tuesday, so the host called on Fischer’s former co-stars to send early birthday presents for her to open on camera. Fischer seemed to love them all, but it was a gift from Steve Carell (Michael) that brought her to tears. He really nailed it, as you’ll see below.
As touching (yet also scary) as Carell’s surprise was, we’re impressed with the others as well. “The Office” cast clearly bonded during their years together, much like their Dunder Mifflin counterparts did. It’s not surprising that there’s always talk about them reuniting for an “Office” revival. We could see it happening someday.
New episodes of “Busy Tonight” air Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. ET/PT on E!.
What’s better than “The Office” reunion? “The Office” reunion with waffles.
Several cast members from the dearly departed NBC comedy got together for brunch and the reunion has reignited talk of a revival or reboot — which star Steve Carell recently shot down.
Well, maybe Carell isn’t on board (and he doesn’t appear in the brunch photo). Still, it’s great to see so much of the gang back together: Rainn Wilson, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, showrunner Greg Daniels, Phyllis Smith, Oscar Nunez, and Ed Helms. The brunch was hosted by Daniels.
“I turned to Ed and said, ‘I feel like we are at a family reunion,’” wrote Kinsey while posting the pic on her own Twitter. “He smiled and said, ‘We are.’”
Not everyone could make brunch. Notably missing are Carell, John Krasinski, Craig Robinson, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, Ellie Kemper, and Kate Flannery.
Still, the mini-reunion caused fans of the “The Office,” which ran from 2005 to 2013, to make stronger calls for a revival or reboot. This, despite what star Steve Carell recently said in his monologue on “Saturday Night Live.” Most of the bit was centered on Carell rebuffing the idea of a reboot.
“I just don’t think it’s the best idea. I think we should just leave it alone,” he said.
Steve Carell has been starring in dramas for so many years now that his return to comedy as the host of this past weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” was mined for laughs in the show’s promos. But the actor will always be Michael Scott from “The Office,” and Carell couldn’t help but get fans’ hopes up about a possible return to Dunder Mifflin during his monologue — with a little help from his former co-workers.
Of course, as has been reported many times before, no such reboot has been officially announced by NBC just yet, though rumors have been flying for a while now. Carell addressed those whispers head-on — on his former network, no less — on Saturday, echoing recent comments he made about his doubts that the show would work today.
“Let’s get that money, Steve!” Kemper urged Carell.
“You wouldn’t have to do all those sad movies anymore,” Helms noted of the financial windfall.
Fischer even tried to use the show’s own plot to convince Carell, revealing the realfinal words Pam said as she bid Michael a tearful farewell in his last episode: “Steve, don’t be a d*ck, do the reboot!”
Carell seemed to be swayed by this last admonishment, calling his castmates to the stage.
“I am proud to announce, officially, that… we have a great show tonight!” the actor said, eliciting an audible groan from the audience. Michael Scott always has to make jokes, doesn’t he?
Maybe next time John Krasinski should join the gang to encourage Carell to reconsider.
What do you do if the dress you intend to wear during a TV interview inexplicably pops a zipper? If you’re Jenna Fischer, you make do — and don a towel instead.
That was the actress’s practical, albeit somewhat silly solution to that exact problem on Monday night, when she showed up to “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote her new sitcom, “Splitting Up Together.” Unfortunately, Fischer first had to contend with a last-minute wardrobe malfunction.
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) April 3, 2018
“I waited a little too long to get dressed, and then my zipper broke, and I panicked,” the actress told Kimmel, after she walked out onstage wearing jeans and a white bath towel wrapped around her torso, and carrying the offending garment on a hanger.
“You know, I am a Missouri girl, and the show must go on,” Fischer said of her quick thinking to fashion a makeshift outfit out of what she had on hand. As for how it felt to wear a towel on national television?
“I’ve never been more comfortable,” the actress declared, before qualifying that statement a bit.
“I am mentally a little freaking out that I’m on a talk show in a towel,” she admitted, “but I’m physically very comfortable.”
We think the artistic Pam Beesly would be proud of Fischer’s creativity. But we also think the actress will probably be traveling with a backup outfit from now on.
There’s still been no official confirmation from NBC about the The Office” that’s reportedly in the works. And according to original star Jenna Fischer, the show’s cast is also in the dark about the project.
Fischer was asked about the revival during an appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Monday, where she was promoting her new ABC sitcom, “Splitting Up Together.” Answering a query about whether her job on a rival network would prevent her from reprising her role as Pam Beesley Halpert, the actress said she wasn’t sure — mostly because she had yet to even be asked to participate.
Here’s the exchange in question, per TheWrap:
Reporter: With you working on [ABC’s “Splitting Up Together”] and you wanting to step away a bit from the Pam character — does that mean you won’t have a part on ‘The Office’ revival?
“I don’t know anything about ‘The Office’ revival,” Fischer began. “I know as much as everyone else. But no.”
“I think that’s for networks to figure out if I were to be asked,” she continued. “But I haven’t been approached about it.”
Fischer concluded, “But I love Pam, oh my God!”
The rumored revival, originally reported by TVLine last month, would continue the adventures of the Dunder Mifflin crew at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the struggling paper company. Steve Carell, who played boss Michael Scott for seven of the show’s nine seasons, will not return; instead, NBC is reportedly currently casting for a new branch manager. Some original cast members are apparently being courted to return, though it’s unclear who.
While it wouldn’t make much sense story-wise for Pam/Fischer to return full-time, since the Halpert family relocated to Austin at the end of the original series, we hope that if the show does come back, she can somehow be included in a cameo (alongside John Krasanski’s Jim, of course). Stay tuned.
During the season two premiere of “The Office,” Pam Beesly had a little too much to drink while attending the annual Dundies celebration at Chili’s, and was permanently banned from the chain. Luckily, though, the character can now breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a well-timed tweet from her offscreen alter ego, and a hilariously perfect response from the restaurant itself.
Actress Jenna Fischer, who played Pam for nine seasons on the NBC sitcom, took to Twitter this week to share a photo of herself outside of a Chili’s, asking her followers, “Should I go in?” The actress was obviously referring to Pam’s dicey history with the chain, but whoever was running the Chili’s Twitter account was definitely in favor of the actress taking a chance, replying, “we hope you felt God tonight,” a nod to Pam’s Dundies acceptance speech.
But the fun didn’t stop there. On Tuesday, the chain tweeted out a press release announcing that it had officially lifted its ban on Pam, and “welcomes her back to any #Chilis restaurant.”
Here’s the full release, featuring a statement from the Chili’s president herself:
Effective immediately, Chili’s® Grill & Bar has removed the longstanding ban on a Scranton, Pennsylvania woman who allegedly caused a disturbance during a company awards party held at a Chili’s near the Pennsylvania town of Scranton.
The woman, Pam Beesly Halpert, received a prestigious award for having the whitest sneakers in the company.
After thanking her shoes and coworkers, the woman declared, “I feel God in this Chili’s tonight.”
“After reviewing the good conduct of Pam, I have decided to lift the now 11-year ban,” said Kelli Valade, President of Chili’s. “Pam is an inspiration to many and we welcome her with open arms.”
Fischer followed up that announcement with yet another reference to that fateful night at Chili’s, tweeting, “OMG! Second drink!!!,” a nod to what Pam affectionately dubbed the melted ice in her glass.
We definitely feel like raising a second drink to this delightful news, too. Cheers to Pam, Chili’s, and Fischer for making social media a little more joyful this week.
What do you do if the dress you intend to wear during a TV interview inexplicably pops a zipper? If you’re 
There’s still been no official confirmation from NBC about the The Office” that’s reportedly in the works. And according to original star 
During the season two premiere of “The Office,” Pam Beesly had a little too much to drink while attending the annual Dundies celebration at Chili’s, and was permanently banned from the chain. Luckily, though, the character can now breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a well-timed tweet from her offscreen alter ego, and a hilariously perfect response from the restaurant itself.