Inspired by the 2004 film directed by Mark Waters and the “Mean Girls” Broadway performance that premiered in 2017, the 2024 movie “Mean Girls” represented the culmination of these works in the form of a musical comedy film. This film introduced a new cast, starring Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. With much anticipation preceding the film’s release, viewers had varied reactions to the new film, especially due to the surprise that this film is a musical considering that Paramount did not market the new movie as such.
A common criticism amongst many viewers was the heavy marketing and obvious product placement. It was clear the musical comedy had many brand partnerships, the most apparent one being e.l.f. Cosmetics. Some fans complained that the movie was overtly displaying e.l.f. products, some even saying to the point where it felt hard to watch the movie.
“It felt like there were more e.l.f. ads than actual songs in the movie,” freshman Carla Yanez-Delgado said.
“I think the TV and Film industry has been pushing products in their works for a long time now and I’m sure companies like e.l.f. were thrilled to have product placement in Mean Girls, knowing it was going to be a huge hit with their target audiences,” art teacher Ms. Livoti said.
Comparing the original “Mean Girls” to the new musical film has been a trend for fans. Some wish the movie were more like the original, and others expressed that the movie was trying too hard to replicate the original.
“The ‘Mean Girls’ movie is one of the most iconic films of all time and the musical was pretty good, but nothing beats the original,” freshman Bella Bodenhorn said.
Along with this, many Broadway musical fans weren’t pleased with the amount of emotions that actors had while singing the Broadway hits, wishing they had more tone and expression.
“Some of the differences were that in the new version, they have a more diverse cast. Also, they incorporated the Broadway musical in this version. While I’ve seen the Broadway version, I personally have to go with the original movie. It’s an iconic teen movie and I appreciated how Tina Fey chose to make a film about how bullying affects people and how teens can rise above being mean to each other,” Ms. Livoti said.
The original “Mean Girls” movie made headlines, being an iconic and culturally impactful movie that created a blueprint for other teen movies to follow. Thus, the new musical was highly anticipated, and its modern twist on the original has generated mixed reviews at NHP.
