Mean Girls: The Musical hits theaters tomorrow, bringing the familiar story we all adore, but with a twist – it’s now a musical. Surprisingly, some people are still in the dark about this, thinking it’s just another reboot of the 2004 classic starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams.  

In movie trailers, Mean Girls [2024] boldly declared “This Isn’t Your Mother’s Mean Girls”. After seeing the film, I am trying to figure out what part they are talking about lol? Is this supposed to be a good thing? 

For instance, let’s take a trip down memory lane to the 2004 Mean Girls, which was teetering on the edge of an R rating due to the risqué nature of certain jokes. To ensure it stayed within the PG-13 boundaries, the filmmakers had to tweak some jokes. Remember when Amber D’Alessio made out with a hot dog? The initial Burn Book joke was intended to be “Amber D’Alessio gave a blow job to a hot dog,” but it was changed to secure the PG-13 rating, resulting in a change that, in my opinion, added even more humor and turned it into an iconic quote.

However, such daring alterations are noticeably absent in the new Mean Girls. Understandably, it’s a different era; this show made its mark on Broadway, demanding a more refined approach. With Gen Z labeled as a sensitive generation, cautious steps are taken to avoid potentially controversial content that could lead to cancel culture. This herein lies one of the problems because it lacks the bite of the original film.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I appreciate some of the changes in the new version. I won’t spoil everything but Damian’s [Jacquel Spivey] performance in the Christmas talent show is so funny and updated. Additionally, the alteration from “you can’t join mathletes; that’s social suicide” to “that’s socially ruinous” is appreciated. But like, can we get a little mean?  

Renee Rapp shines as Regina George, stealing the show with the best songs. Her ‘Meet The Plastics’ entrance is pure gold. Regina takes the spotlight, while Gretchen and Karen are more like minions without standout moments. Regina stealing Aaron Samuels [Christopher Briny from The Summer I Turned Pretty] at the Halloween party, singing ‘Someone Gets Hurt’ – was cinematic brilliance. The Halloween party scene is my absolute favorite.

Damian and Karen, played by Jacquel Spivey and Avantika Vandanapu, are other stars. Avantika’s ‘Sexy’ at the Halloween party is a standout, and Karen delivers some of the best laughs. Jacquel Spivey as Damian is a breath of fresh air, delivering iconic lines like a boss. Seriously, I wish he was in the 2004 version. 

Fashion-wise, it kinda looks like what teen girls would wear, I guess? Janice, played by Auli’i Cravalho, takes the crown for best outfits that actually fit her character. Auli’i may be too pretty for Janice, but baby girl can SING so I get this casting choice.

There are two surprises for classic fans (no spoilers!), and they got audible gasps during my screening. Hopefully, TikTok doesn’t ruin it for you.

In the grand scheme of things, if you haven’t had the chance to experience the original – and believe it or not, this occurred on the red carpet – a guy asked me what a Burn Book was. My reaction? Shutup. SHUTUP. I told him to immediately go home and promptly watch. If you too have been living under a rock just go watch it. It’s a classic that probably didn’t need a remake until we are all grandparents. 

If you’re a musical girlie like myself go just to hear Renee, Auli’i and Jacquel SANG. The songs are fun and cute and I’ll be obsessively playing Renee’s version of “Someone Gets Hurt” for  months to come. 

Pros: Renee Rapp, Jacquel Spivey, Avantika, fun social media integration 

Con: It’s not mean or nasty enough