Two decades after its predecessor’s release, a modern Mean Girls movie returned to theaters January 12. It remains as relevant to young high school audiences as ever. Ms. Tina Fey, comedian and former head writer of Saturday Night Live (SNL), originally based the screenplay on Ms. Rosalind Wiseman’s nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes. After the film’s success, Ms. Fey took the plot to Broadway in 2018. Now, she has adapted the musical numbers back to the movie screen into a contemporary and evolved Mean Girls. Following the lives of teenage girls, Ms. Fey’s new adaptation engages her audience with the American high school experience by updating the humor of the original version and including social media. These changes succeed at embodying the timeless teenage experience with a modern twist.
Ms. Wiseman originally wrote Queen Bees and Wannabes as a book for parents to navigate and address teenage girl behavior, according to goodreads.com. When Ms. Fey was head writer for SNL, she seized the opportunity to adapt this book into a satirical screenplay appealing to audiences of all ages. The film proved its success in 2004, earning $130 million at the box office, according to The New York Times.
Over a decade later, as viewers recited memorable lines such as “fetch” and “the limit does not exist,” Ms. Fey brought the film’s success to Broadway in 2018. She kept the initial storyline, converting it into musical numbers with the help of her husband, composer Mr. Jeff Richmond, according to The New York Times. While the popular plot remained mostly the same, Ms. Fey worked to make the new script relevant and relatable to her modern audience by evolving certain jokes and incorporating the role social media now plays in teenagers’ lives.
The original plot centers around main character Cady Heron. After attending homeschool for her entire life, Cady navigates her first high school experience with the help of two social outsiders, Janis Ian and Damien. The Plastics, a group of popular girls, led by “queen bee” Regina George, guide Cady through the social scene of their public high school where she quickly learns the consequences that popularity brings.
It is quickly evident that the new film takes place in a world of social media as the opening scene begins with Ms. Auliʻi Cravalho and Mr. Jaquel Spivey embodied as Janis and Damien respectively, taking a video of themselves singing, which sets up the theme for the rest of the musical film. While most of the audience may know the popular plot by heart, the new film includes diversity among its characters, as well as comedy relevant to Generation Z (Gen Z) teenagers that keeps them entertained.
The entire high school idolizes Ms. Reneé Rapp’s character Regina in the new adaptation and it is prevalent when the world freezes around her once she begins her musical number. Her popularity is clear when Janis, Damien, and Ms. Angourie Rise as Cady attempt to sabotage her by setting off the sprinklers on the football field during her homecoming queen acceptance. In the original movie, Cady and her friends’ sabotage is cutting holes in Regina’s shirt, but the group still fails in the 2024 film, as Regina starts a “wet look” trend. Ms. Fey’s pattern of slightly adjusting the original scene without removing its initial plot serves to keep her audience hooked.
In this iteration, social media acts as a medium for spreading rumors, in contrast to the original film’s burn book and narration. In fact, in the 2024 movie, teenagers spread misinformation online, naming it cancel culture, and this marks Regina’s downfall. Social media’s significant role in the new adaptation attracts younger generations as the film features appearances from familiar social media influencers such as Mr. Chris Olsen and the Merrell Twins. Additionally, Mr. Tom Broecker, the costume designer for the Mean Girls remake was purposeful with the wardrobe. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Broecker explained why the new film did not include costumes similar to those in the original version.
“When I saw [the original Mean Girls] then, I thought, this is high school in 2004,” Mr. Broecker said, according to The New York Times. “But that’s 2024 eyes looking at 2004… but you look at it now and realize that the world has changed.”
In attempting not to exactly recreate the original film, Ms. Fey aims to achieve stand-alone success for her new adaptation. While the plot remains the same, viewers should not compare the two, as Ms. Fey wrote each of them specifically for different generations. Ms. Fey expressed how she felt returning to her beloved material two decades later.
“I have so much gratitude that this movie seemed to stick with people,” Ms. Fey said, according to The New York Times. “When I look at it, I am reminded of how hard I worked on it in the first place. I feel like the bricks and mortar of it were the absolute best possible job I was capable of at the time. It’s not perfect, but it holds water.”
Featured Image by Camila Oliva ’24
