Written by Tina Fey
Directed by Mark Waters
Regina (to Cady): "Get in loser, we're going shopping."
With the musical remake heading into theatres this weekend, I thought it was time to go back and watch the original again. It's been twenty years since it's release and this has aged well as a movie.
Anyways, the premise for this highschool outing was simple enough. You had protagonist Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a homeschooled girl who used to live in Africa but now was attending an American highschool and it quickly became a culture shock for her.
Within the first half of the movie, not only was she the smartest girl in Ms. Norbury's (Tina Fey) maths class but she also managed to befriend outcasts Janis Ian (Lizzy Kaplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese) and through them, she was also introduced to the Plastics. Yes, the girls who made up the title of this movie.
Let's talk about the Plastics, shall we? You've got the worker bees - the rich and insecure Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chaberts) as well as the sweet but dimwitted Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried). As characters, both are fun but very easily manipulated. Then there's the Queen Bee herself, Regina George (Rachel McAdams), who let's be honest remains the best character in this movie, no matter how many times you watch it.
Yes, she's a stereotypical highschool bitch and one that McAdams played to perfection. Belittling her minions, spreading rumours about former friends, taking back her ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett) just to spite Cady. Needless to say, Cady along with Janis and Damian plotted Regina's downfall with a series of disastrous events.
As the movie progressed the lines between Regina and Cady began to blur with the latter becoming too much alike the former and eventually losing the run of herself. It's an interesting turn of events when Regina's "Burn Book" caused anarchy in the school with a lot of lessons learned.
As the movie headed towards it's conclusion, the Plastics were disbanded, Cady got the guy and her friends group back and even Regina got a healthier means to channel her aggression. All in all, it's a movie with plenty of mean moments along with rather sweet ones as highschool really can be a jungle.
- This movie was based on the book, Queen Bees And Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.
- Some nice supporting roles For Amy Poehler as Regina's mother and Tim Meadows, the school principal.
- Standout music: Jingle Bell Rock as well as Missy Elliott's Pass That Dutch.
- Chronology: The movie takes place over a school year, incorporating Halloween, Christmas and a Spring Fling Dance/Mathletes Competition.
Mean Girls remains a delight. It's aged well, it's outrageously funny and has some brilliant performances from everyone involved. It's also a reasonably length and the one liners remain quotable to this day.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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