So, let me start by letting you know, I’m not discussing actual mean girls, however, as a middle and high school teacher for the past 30 years, I can tell you PLENTY.
No, I’m discussing the latest iteration of Mean Girls. A movie based on the Broadway show based on the movie based on the book, “Queen Bees and Wannabes.”
Let me also say that there are…spoilers…I guess, if you don’t know the book/movie/show/movie at all.
Full disclosure, I’m an enormous fan of the original movie, and before it left Broadway, I was at 3 viewings. Am I a fan of how the original movie portrays teachers? No, I am not. But, as a teacher, I’m aware that they can’t all be “To Sir, With Love,” or “Dead Poets Society.”
The original movie, starring Lindsay Lohan, was a straight up movie. The Broadway show was a musical from top to bottom, and this movie, based on the Broadway show is also a musical. There are bound to be differences between a Broadway show and a movie, and people seem to be having a tough time with the differences between these two…this writer included.
I’ve listened to the Mean Girls Broadway soundtrack more times than I have, perhaps, ever listened to anything, over the years. Okay, that may be a stretch, because my childhood record collection, and later cassette definitely got workout, (#80skid, #80steen), but you get the point.
I was well aware, going in, that this wasn’t going to be a direct stage to screen translation of the show, however, I think I wasn’t quite as prepared for all of the differences.
Some of my favorite numbers in the show are favorites because of the volume and the pure power and force behind them. They bring chills to your skin as you are bathed in the strength of the voice you are listening to and there is nothing you can do but listen in awe.
In this movie, however, they reworked much of the music, I would assume to accommodate the different voices, but some of these big moments just didn’t work as well. They would use half of a song, instead of the whole song, or just make it more understated. Perhaps a first time Mean Girls initiate would be fine with it because it was all that they knew, this fan didn’t love the choice.
For example, I love a good cafeteria singing montage, (High School Musical, I’m lookin’ at you, kid), and the Broadway version of Mean Girls does NOT disappoint. The movie version pulled out much of the song, turned it into dialogue, and it just felt…underwhelming.
Even the opening number, which is a high energy, fast moving song that brings us from Kenya to North Shore high was different. The movie gives us this slow, pensive piece that just doesn’t give me the opening that I craved.
I think a TikTok that I saw the other day describes another musical choice best. The song “Revenge Party” was fairly well done, but they wrote parts of the song differently, again, most likely because it’s hard to match Erika Henningson’s range. The TikTok shows the person who made the video lip syncing the lines “I can’t even watch when she touches his hair, and I watched a snake eat a cow.” The first time, she mouths the words, it’s to the Broadway version, and the second time, it’s to the movie version. The side by side comparison just hits. One gets you riled up for Cady. The other? Not so much.
Same thing with another TikTok video. This one with “Stupid with Love.” When they play the Broadway version, you can feel the bloom of first love. But, over the movie version are the words “After a lobotomy.” And I’m sorry, but it’s true.
It’s not the fault of the actors. I think they cast it well, and don’t even get me started on Renee Rapp. The last time we saw the show on Broadway, she was Regina George, and I was nervous because I loved Taylor Louderman. My fears were unfounded. And she slayed as Regina, again, in the movie. Absolutely slayed. (And I hear she is killing it on the interview circuit as well.)
And, poor movie Karen. Her one song, “Sexy,” was auto-tuned through the roof, and they made her character almost unlikeable instead of lovable.
There were some changes that I liked, but then they didn’t follow through with, so that was confusing. For example, in the song where we are introduced to our villain, Regina George, she sings a song where she says “…and I never weigh more than 115.” They took that out, and I don’t remember what they used to take its place, but I was like “Okay, I like this…body positivity.” But, then later, they still ran with the storyline where Cady tricks her into eating nutrition bars that make you gain weight and she can only fit into her sweatpants. Sooooo…still focusing on girl’s weight?
I don’t know. It was okay. Would I watch it again? Maybe. But I’d actually opt for the original, non-musical version over this one, and we all know that I’m all about the music. So, I feel like that’s saying something. But, for people who are being introduced to Mean Girls through this movie, I guess this will be their canon and they’ll look at Broadway and the original and cheap imitations.
After all, don’t they all think they discovered Kate Bush through Stranger Things? Sorry kids…weep your way through “This Woman’s Work” in “She’s Having a Baby” and then we can talk.
