Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard that the new Mean Girls movie released on Jan. 12th. Unlike the original 2004 classic, this newest rendition of the film is based on the Broadway musical. Many theater girlies flocked to movie theaters to see this fun, lighthearted show brought to the big screen. However, fans were left incredibly disappointed and ran to TikTok to express their distress.
One of the biggest complaints that fans of the musical were claiming was the tempo and music were not up to par with the Broadway version. It’s especially noticeable in songs such as “Stupid With Love” and “Sexy”. The upbeat and quick-paced songs were slowed down and lacked much of their usual accompaniment. It took away the energy that made the musical so fun to listen to. Many videos highlighted the comparisons between the original Broadway cast recordings and the movie version and the differences were shocking. For the sake of the movie, many of the original songs were cut which, as a theater girlie, was a little disappointing. This includes songs such as “Meet the Plastics”, “Where Do You Belong”, and “Stop”.
In terms of actual performances, fans were not happy with the casting choice of Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. They felt her overall vocal performance was not very strong and could not be compared to her co-stars Renée Rapp and Auli‘i Cravalho. Many TikTok users have also placed side-by-side comparisons of Rice’s “Stupid in Love” performance to that of Erika Hennigsen who originated the role of Cady Heron on Broadway. Although it’s easy to point blame at one individual, it can be said that there are numerous reasons why the music is not up to par with the Broadway version. While many believe that Rice was not the strongest choice for Cady considering she was working alongside Rapp who played Regina George on Broadway, it also seems like there were multitudes of errors on the musical director’s side. The changing of the background track and slowing it down took away from the spunk that fans of the musical cherish. It also seemed to cause Rice’s vocal performance to be weaker as well.
One thing that made the original movie Means Girls so iconic was the Y2K fashion that left a cultural impact for years. Despite the 2024 film being set in current times, many fans of the original were hoping for better and more memorable fashion choices. Unfortunately, the outfits felt very flat and fast-fashion-like, and nothing that Regina George would wear. Overall, the outfits looked very cheap and flimsy. They stuck out like a sore thumb, not to mention that e.l.f made it known that they sponsored the film. It felt as though we were watching an e.l.f ad for over an hour.
Though there were many complaints about the movie, many people overall enjoyed the performance. It kept a lot of the charm and wit that made the 2004 film such a classic. Rapp left fans speechless with her incredible vocal performance and she has begun gathering an even bigger fanbase. Avantika Vandanapu, who plays Karen, wowed audiences with her entire rendition of “Sexy.” Many moviegoers were even more shocked to find out that she was only 17-18 years old during filming.
Mean Girls (2024) is for sure something to check out if you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted watch. Don’t go in expecting it to be a copycat of the original or the musical because you will leave feeling disappointed. Despite the flaws that left many fans upset, Mean Girls should still be on your 2024 watch list, especially if you’re a musical theater fan.