***Spoilers Ahead***
Keep in mind, this is all my personal opinion!
I first watched the original “Mean Girls” in middle school, and it instantly had me hooked. Soon afterward, I discovered the Broadway musical and was instantly obsessed as well. I first watched this version in 2020 with the cast of Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Barrett Wilbert Weed as Janis and Erika Henningsen as Cady Heron. As an ex-theater kid (exposing myself here), I fell in love with every aspect of the musical, especially the songs. When I discovered the movie musical was coming out, I instantly bought tickets and began re-listening to the Broadway soundtrack. As a huge Renee Rapp fan since watching the play in 2020, I was so excited to hear about her return to the role of Regina.
This musical reignited my obsession with songs from the “Mean Girls” soundtrack, and the 2024 movie offered modern spins on the Broadway classics while maintaining the iconic vibes of the original. While the backing tracks of many songs have changed completely, the aura has remained, and honestly, I am enjoying the new twists. While I have seen the movie musical receiving backlash on TikTok for some of the songs, I think they did the Broadway musical justice, and I thoroughly enjoyed the modern twist to the songs.
The original Broadway soundtrack included 21 songs, and counting the closing credits, the movie musical version included 13 songs. Movie musicals tend to include significantly fewer songs than a Broadway show, and the movie largely maintained the storyline with fewer songs. While this slightly hurts my theater-kid heart, the movie did a fantastic job incorporating the songs in a way that non-theater people can still enjoy. Many people were surprised that the movie included musical numbers, and I definitely heard some scoffs from people in my theater. However, I believe the movie perfectly incorporated the Broadway classics with a mix of musical and movie storylines. It brought a more modern feel to the classic 2004 story, with some songs beginning with a recording on a phone, the use of social media and even some TikTokers appearing to voice their opinions. One of my favorite changes was to “Revenge Party” as they used lyrics that Wilbert Weed (Janis) and Henson (Damian) wrote while they were starring in the Broadway musical.
All of the movie’s costumes were incredible and represented every character correctly. Cady began wearing safari-style clothing and, after several changes, ended the film in a perfect medium of her unique style, symbolizing her growth as a person. Regina looked angelic in all her costumes, especially the actual angel costume she wore for the Halloween party. The wardrobe perfectly portrayed each character and their growth throughout the movie.
Reneé Rapp, once again, absolutely ate as Regina George. She felt terrifying to watch and delivered an excellent vocal performance. Angourie Rice was amazing as Cady Heron as well and excelled with the changes to her songs. Avantika Vandanapu played Karen Shetty and portrayed the perfect balance of oblivious and hilarious. Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners was perfection; she brought out Gretchen’s more raw side incredibly. Auli’i Cravalho made an excellent Janis and, as always, made every song she was in fabulous. Jaquel Spivey was Damian Hubbard and proved both hilarious and euphonious. Further, the movie had terrific continuity with the band that played every number, even joking during the apologies scene.
The movie included stars such as Tiny Fey as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows as Principal Duvall. Ashley Park, who played Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway production, returned to play a French teacher in the movie. They even included a surprise guest appearance from none other than the original Cady Heron, Lindsay Lohan, as the host of the math championship.
The only issue for me was Aaron Samuels. While Christopher Briney is talented, he did not give me the emotional football player that I hoped for, especially when acting across from the iconic Reneé Rapp.
Overall, I loved the movie and the changes to the original soundtrack, and I thoroughly recommend watching the film! It is a great feel-good movie, and I left the theater still grooving to the songs. The movie truly reignited my love for the soundtrack; since my first watch, I have not stopped listening to it. The special features of the actors from the original movie were great surprises and made the experience even better. If you are on the edge of deciding whether to watch or not, do it!