The ‘Mean Girls’ reboot misses its musical mark
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Like any devout high school theater kid, I was both nervous and excited to see the new “Mean Girls” movie. The movie was a fun, modern tribute to the original early 2000s cult classic, but as someone who grew up in the arts, the actual “musical” part of it missed the mark.
The transition from on-stage musicals to movie musicals isn’t always a clean one, as seen in Russell Crowe’s cringe-worthy Javert in “Les Misérables” (2012). But at the same time, the move to film has showcased performances such as Meryl Streep’s in “Mamma Mia” (2008), which, while pitchy, was definitely breathtaking. When it came to “Mean Girls,” a piece which was already a recreation of a book into a movie into a musical and now back into a movie, there was some cause for concern.
The new “Mean Girls” movie is a screen adaptation of the musical “Mean Girls” written by comedian Tina Fey – who also wrote the original 2004 “Mean Girls” movie which she based off of Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book, “Queen Bees and Wannabes.” Are you still confused? Me too.
While I did at times enjoy watching the movie, the fun of the film was not enough to make up for the cast’s severe lack of musical talent. The primary issue was with the film’s star, Angourie Rice, as protagonist Cady Heron.
Rice’s vocal performance in songs such as “Stupid with Love” or “Revenge Party” very clearly did not measure up to the talents of Broadway performers who sang the songs in the past. Rice’s vocals sounded extremely autotuned – not what you’d expect, or want, when watching a musical.
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However, throughout the movie, Reneé Rapp reprising her role as Regina George and Jaquel Spivey as Damian outshined the rest of the cast. It shouldn’t be surprising then that the two were the only ones in the leading cast with Broadway experience.
With her rising fame and the release of her album “Snow Angel” in 2023, Rapp’s performance was highly anticipated online. Fans of Rapp will leave theaters happy with her typically flawless vocal performance and her sassy, brutal, but somehow still lovable, portrayal of head mean girl Regina George.
While many of the vocal performances were mediocre, the leads’ acting was enjoyable and fit their previous characterizations in other versions of “Mean Girls.” Avantika Vandanapu, who played the iconic Karen Shetty, did a fantastic job embodying the lovable idiot that audiences expect from Karen.
Any fans of the 2004 “Mean Girls” movie will also enjoy seeing some familiar faces, like Fey reprising her role as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows as Principal Duvall.
The movie reaches its peak when Janis, played by Auli’i Cravalho, realizes she doesn’t care about fitting in and sings pop power ballad “I’d Rather Be Me.” While the vocals don’t exactly measure up to the Original Broadway Cast recording, the song’s empowering feminist message always manages to provide chills and a smile.
The film embodies the silly and fun sensibilities that audiences love about “Mean Girls” while giving some dialogue a more modern twist. My beef with the movie is not so much with its actors, but with the casting directors who chose to cast people that couldn’t sing in a musical.
