I want to preface this post by saying that I've never watched the original Mean Girls film, just a few clips here and there, so this cinema experience was a brand-new one for me.
At first, upon seeing the trailers, I was sceptical. The film seemed dated, rehashing old jokes, telling a story out of a book that's already been read and put back on the shelf to gather dust. There wasn't any singing in the trailers, a fact many have pointed out. This, too, left me sceptical; would it be a bad vocal performance? Was this going to be a so-so retelling, following the recent trend of retelling old favourites.
I was wrong to worry.
Mean Girls, the musical, is a fantastic movie with a great story that teaches the dangers of being anyone but yourself. It's an old story updated to actually reflect its inclusive message with a diverse cast; which the original was lacking. It has laughs, suspension, and heart, which leaves you smiling by the time you're walking out of the cinema.
We meet Cady Heron(Angourie Rice), home schooled and reclused, at the start of her journey into mainstream school. She's a smart, somewhat awkward girl who's finding it hard to fit in. Roll in Damien(Jaquel Spivey) and Janis(Auliʻi Cravalho), outcasts, to teach her the ways of high school and the cliques it offers, followed by the plastics, led by the infamous Regina George(Renee Rapp), she's in for a ride.
At first, I wasn't too enamoured by the actress playing Cady, not that I think it was a role miscast, I just didn't instantly warm to her. Her first song was somewhat catchy, enough to draw you in, but I was rather cold in reception. It wasn't the introduction she deserved; why should I like her? The first action we actually see of her is a moment in which she blanks her mother. Though, as the narrative unfolded, and with the help of her phenomenal supporting cast, she became the protagonist we wish to follow.
The true star of this movie, though, is Renee Rapp. Slipping straight back into the character, whom she has played so many times on Broadway, she took off running and didn’t slow. Her vocals were on point, and her acting was believable. She has a star power from which you can not look, oozing talent with every moment on screen. And, as a queer man, I've never found a woman so sexy, the confidence she expelled enough to quicken the heartbeat of anyone; no matter orientation.
My favourite scene of the whole movie was the World Burn sequence, in which we see Regina's path to revenge. With Renee's vocals, amazing editing, and brilliant choreography, it's a scene that's exciting to watch. In some ways, whether the intention or not, we're almost drawn into Regina's anger and ache for revenge alongside her. It's an effective scene which I won't be forgetting for a while.
One fault of the film is the pace of the narrative. Everything moves so quick, time flying by like a car with no breaks. I think it's one of the reasons it took me so long to warm to Cady. Within a few minutes, she was already pushing her new friends aside from what seemed like a cooler group. And the insta-love, as fun as the trope can be, didn't really seems all that believable. Maybe if they were both great at maths, if the were given a common love, but all it took for Cady to fall in love was an average looking guy turning his head. Insta-love is fine, but give it foundation.
Overall this is a great film, which I'm told pays respectful homage to the original, that deserves a watch if you have the inclination. It has encouraged me to go and watch the source material, and also made me a huge fan of Renee Rapp.
3.5/5
Writings Of A Queer Mind 