The Mean Girls musical movie took the world by storm when it was released on January 12, 2024. So what should you know about the movie and what are people saying about it?
It’s important to know that this is a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, also entitled Mean Girls, that opened in 2018. This musical was based on the 2004 film written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried.
The 2024 musical movie stars Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Bebe Wood, and Avantika Vandanapu as Cady Heron and “The Plastics”, respectively.
While there has been online discussion about the casting choices, the decision to cast Rapp was one that has not caused any controversy. Rapp is a self-proclaimed theater kid who made her Broadway debut in Mean Girls as Regina George in 2019 and since then has released music and acted on television.
“[Rapp]’s vocals especially during ‘World Burn’ definitely show why she was casted as Regina on Broadway and why she was picked to reprise the role,” a Reddit user wrote.
On the other hand, the decision to cast Rice has been highly debated on social media. Rice, best known for acting in the MCU Spider-Man movies, has been facing criticism concerning her singing in the film. Most comments focus on her voice in the songs “Stupid With Love” and “Revenge Party”.
One Reddit user said, “I felt like [Rice] played a socially awkward but super endearing student really well and her chemistry with Aaron [Christopher Briney] was fire BUT her singing was disappointing.”
Other people have pointed out that Rice is actually a good singer, but just cannot be compared to the voices of her counterparts in the film.
“She was a great Cady but having to sing right after Reneé Rapp delivers a vocal masterclass is a big big set up,” an X user wrote.
Some people have complained about the inclusion of songs at all, which can simply be explained by acknowledging that the movie is based on the musical, and is not a general remake of the original 2004 film.
Broadway fans of the musical have been missing certain songs that they think would’ve been necessary in the movie. However, only so many songs can fit in a feature-length film, and not everything from a theater stage can translate into a movie.
Overall, the 2024 Mean Girls movie is a campy and fun combination of the original movie and the Broadway musical. Go into it expecting to laugh and have a good time, especially after seeing a certain cameo that shocked everyone, and you’ll leave the movie theater satisfied.
Freshman Emily Myers is a Staff Writer. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.