When Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) moves from Kenya to Evanston, Illinois, she becomes part of two cliques. One is known as the plastics, and it’s run by the revered Regina George (Reneé Rapp). Life begins to come at these Mean Girls quickly, and the once innocent Cady is unsure of how to proceed.
Here we go again, another musical, another movie that I was bound to hate–and yet, I found myself enjoying this film. Mean Girls is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, written by Tina Fey, and it, like all of the others, incorporates song and dance into the film, allowing these things to play a major role. Let’s not beat a dead horse, you all know how I feel about musicals at this point, but Writer Fey and Directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. do something to shake things up and make the film interestingly enjoyable. The song and dance, for the most part, isn’t real, it’s a figment of the imaginations of those involved in the story. Through breaking the fourth wall, or simply poking fun at the idea of characters singing and dancing at will during their day to day, Mean Girls does all that it can to right a long-time wrong. Fey, Jayne, and Perez Jr. find it within themselves to make the best possible decisions for Mean Girls, and even in those musical moments, the film thrives.
Beyond the storyline that effectively follows the same story as the 2004 film of the same name (with some minor, well-executed changes), Mean Girls is a film clearly led by minds that know how to navigate cinema, know how to create suspense, develop storylines, and even better, create a breathtakingly, aesthetically pleasing experience for audiences. The thing that caught my eye in the opening moments was the transitions from set to set, as they were flawless, seamlessly pulling viewers from one place to the next. We felt present in the film, never disconnected from the characters or the story as a result of what this team is able to accomplish in this regard. From Africa to Illinois, viewers travel the globe, and Mean Girls never misses a beat along the way.
Lighting plays a pivotal role in setting the tone, in developing emotion throughout the course of Mean Girls–and like those aforementioned transitions, this aspect of the film is flawless. I was incredibly impressed by what Jayne, Perez Jr., and the rest of the crew are able to do with simple transitions and alterations in light. However, the lighting goes beyond just dark and light, it uses a series of colors to illuminate characters, sets, and whole storylines. Mean Girls is an artfully crafted film that does far more than I could have anticipated.
I guess if you’re reading a review about a musical, you’re at least a little curious about the music. The music ultimately left no impression on me whatsoever, which, for all intents and purposes, is actually a good thing. I didn’t love the soundtrack, but I also didn’t despise it–and the truly spectacular voice of Auli’i Cravalho (Janis ‘Imi’ike) kicks it up a notch. Her voice is enchanting, and had the songs been a little more catchy, I think Cravalho may have had the opportunity to completely steal the show.
I went into Mean Girls expecting a ridiculously stupid, unoriginal film that was incapable of entertaining. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I was honestly entertained from the moment the film began until it faded to black and the credits began to roll. I’m impressed with this film, truly–and with that I believe that it’s only fair to say the following: Mean Girls is actually fetch.
Directed by Samantha Jayne & Arturo Perez Jr.
Written by Tina Fey.
Starring Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey Avantika, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
