Mean Girls 2024 review — Get in losers, we’re going singing

Mean Girls has big shoes to fill. The original is a classic that holds up today (our review), and there were plenty of changes made to the formula. Is it possible to update an already great movie for a new audience without ruining the original? Well…surprisingly, yes? Mostly? Let’s get into the details about the 4K version of the film, then we’ll trust-fall into the story.

Every one of the 4K films that Paramount has put out in the last year has followed a similar pattern – H.265 HEVC encoding at a native 4K (2160p), and with Dolby Vision and HDR10. That’s true here as well, bringing the crazy scenes of confetti, flashing lights, and chaotic singing and dancing routines that happen in Mean Girls. One scene in a school hallway paints the room red as Reneé Rapp belts out one of her best tunes. Coupled with my Govee lights, this scene filled the entire room. It’s a rock-solid demonstration of why HDR10 is a must-have these days, as is the color mélange of the various outfits the characters wear in their school classes. I don’t have a Blu-ray to compare it to, but I’ll say it’s a dramatic improvement over any streaming platform – yeesh. Regardless of where you watch it, it’s presented in a standard 1:85:1

For a musical to work, you need a rock-solid audio presentation and this disc delivers that in a huge way. The English track is full Dolby Atmos, giving my entire theater a massive workout. If you’ve got solid subwoofer game, this movie will rattle you out of the room. The German, Spanish, and French versions of the film are stuck with Dolby Digital 5.1, but that’s hardly unusual. The overheads aren’t going to get as much of a workout, but voices are pushed forward, keeping it all very clear and crisp. It’s the music that really envelopes the room, though – a real technical highlight in addition to being rock-solid performances. We’ll get back to that.

If you want to update an original like Mean Girls, the first thing to do is hire the best person for the job to rewrite it. Turns out, Tina Fey can now add “Stage Musical writer” to her “Screenplay” credits this time around, giving the movie a complete overhaul for 2024. The movie gets the Glee treatment from the start, opening with a musical number and pretty much staying on that gas pedal the entire time. Let’s get into the specifics.

The story beats of Mean Girls are familiar, albeit with a few twists. Cady Heron and her mom (no dad in the picture this time around) have recently moved back to the United States as her mother (played by Jenna Fisher) wants her to have a more “normal” upbringing. Her welcome to high school goes precisely as expected, being told almost immediately “Bitch, move”. Shortly afterwards she gets to see the inner workings of High School as her new friends bring her up to speed on the various cliques. Soon she’ll have to decide who to sit with for lunch – a critical decision that’ll run her down a path of revenge, mean spirited pranks, and far worse.

Reneé Rapp does an absolutely magnificent job as Regina, but that’s because, well…she already is Regina on Broadway. When she proudly declares “this whole school humps my leg like a Chihuahua” I can imagine her being a nightmare in real life, but what do I know, I was sitting with the band geeks at lunch drumming on the table, much to the chagrin of everyone around me. Auli’i Cravalho plays Janis (She sings plenty as the voice of Disney’s Moana) and Jaquel Spivey (Won Outstanding Actor in a Musical for the Broadway play A Strange Loop). Avantika plays Karen Shetty, turning off her brain completely, but bringing the funny with every line, as well as a fun ditty about Halloween. Angourie Rice does a great job as Cady Heron and also sings all of her parts. She’s already got singing credits, having sung on the soundtrack for Mare of Easttown. Whether or not you like the move to musical comedy, you cannot argue that these folks are fantastic singers. If the original Mean Girls was made stronger by the all-star cast, then this remake is made stronger with strong vocal talents across the board.

There’s a lot of fun cameos and returning characters in this film including Tim Meadows returning as Principal Duvall, Tina Fey as Mrs. Norbery, and even a quick cameo by Lindsay Lohan as Mathletics Judge. John Hamm plays an essential bit part as Coach Carr, tasked with the impossible job of teaching High School kids about sex education – hard pass.

Truthfully, the only downside is part of the necessary updates – the inclusion of social media. It shines a light on the real-world awful things that occur there as the pendulum swings from hero to villain and back again in the blink of an eye. It’s all done in a fun way, but I couldn’t shake the feelings I’ve seen kids go through when facing the real thing. That was a bit of a wet blanket on an otherwise solid comedy. I don’t precisely know how to fix that, or if it’s just my personal problem, but it gnawed at my brain just the same.

This movie is filled to the brim with funny moments. Lines like “Are you trying to make us look dumb?” “No, it’s just happening” or “I think of when I’m staring at your face” are going to stick. The missus and I already quote entirely too many movies in our lives, and there are more than a few that’ll make the list from this remake.

There are a handful of extras on the disc – about 30 minutes worth:

• A New Age of Mean Girl (HD 5:47)
• Song and Dance (HD 11:38)
• The New Plastics (HD 8:13)
• Extended Scene (HD 1:18)
• Gag Reel (HD 3:46)
• Not My Fault – Music Video Renee Rapp/Megan Thee Stallion (HD 2:53)
• Mean Girls Sing-Along with Selection Songs

If you enjoyed the film, you’ll likely enjoy the extras. It’s nice that they are all also in HD, so you don’t feel like you’ve gotten something less than stellar for the 4K version. The gag reel feels less like a gag reel and more promo material – I do wish they’d caught a few more fun moments and focused less on making it more like something specifically made for YouTube.

As a fan of the original, I was already primed with an axe to grind – when do reboots ever work? It turns out, with the right team, and the right talent, it really can. A fun romp from start to finish, this movie hits the right notes. Your ability to smile and enjoy a musical smack in the middle of it might push your personal score up or down, but for me, this 2024 version of Mean Girls is plenty fetch.

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