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"Stop trying to make fetch happen" might be the most iconic line from Mean Girls, but this musical remake probably should have stopped trying to make itself happen.
The 2024 Mean Girls musical adaptation presents a curious paradox: it's a movie musical with songs so abbreviated they barely register and a storyline that somehow manages to lose all the sharp edges that made the original a cultural phenomenon. Where the 2004 film brilliantly captured the brutal social ecosystem of American high schools, this remake offers a watered-down version that neither satisfies as a musical nor works as a compelling story.
What's particularly frustrating is how the film squanders its potential. The Broadway musical version, which serves as the adaptation's source material, features energetic, memorable songs that effectively translate Tina Fey's razor-sharp observations into musical form. Yet the film presents these songs in truncated versions, often lasting barely over a minute before abruptly ending. The "Revenge Party" number and the Halloween costume song stand as the only fully realized musical moments, with everything else feeling like musical interludes rather than complete expressions.
Character development suffers similar shortcomings. The original film showed how Katie gradually transformed into the very person she initially despised - a mean girl herself - creating a complex moral center. In this version, Katie never convincingly becomes mean, removing the crucial character arc that gave the story its emotional weight. Similarly, Janice's character loses the fascinating duality that made her simultaneously sympathetic and problematic in the original. Even Regina George, perhaps the most iconic high school villain in cinema history, lacks the calculated cruelty that made Rachel McAdams' performance so memorable.
Despite these shortcomings, a few bright spots emerge. The actress playing Janice demonstrates genuine vocal talent, and occasional meta-jokes about the musical format land effectively. But these moments only highlight what might have been with more thoughtful execution. For those intrigued by the concept of Mean Girls as a musical, the Broadway soundtrack offers a far more satisfying experience than this cinematic adaptation.
Have you seen both versions of Mean Girls? We'd love to hear which you preferred and why. Join the conversation in the comments section below!

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