Review: Mean Girls (2004)

'On Wednesdays we wear pink.'

★★★½

I'm sure we've seen them all. The kinds of movies that settle around teenagers. Most were stupid and chessy, but this is a kind of movie in which I feel like does an excellent job.

"Mean Girls (2004)" follows Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a teenager who moves from Africa to a U.S. high school, where she experiences the complex social dynamics of cliques. Initially befriending outsiders Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese), Cady gets involved with the Plastics, a popular but manipulative group led by Regina George (Rachel McAdams). As Cady tries to navigate friendships and popularity, she gets caught up in a scheme to sabotage Regina, only to find herself becoming as mean as the "Plastics."

What makes this movie good is because it's about something. The idea, sure, cannot be taken seriously because of its teenage, high school setting. If one has never heard of "Mean Girls," one may think it's something along the lines of "Not Another Teen Movie (2001)." But this movie offers a sense of familiarity; it's about friendship, it's about building self-esteem, it's about teaching us what kind of people may be out there in the world, even if they're teenagers. However, as we learned from Regina George's lifestyle at home, the parents, well, in her case, her mother, can have a big influence on the person, regardless of age. Have you noticed Regina's sister? What parent lets their child watch adult TV shows? Notice how the girl flashes like the women on TV did?

Even if it takes place in 2004, the type of people never change. I was in high school from 2017-2021, and nothing changed. You have your typical jocks, nerds, racists, hippies, emos, literally any kind of person. Sadly, there are still girls like that. The leaders are usually the one that picks on others to avoid getting picked on from all the drama they have at home, plus they have money. Everyone loves money. Another fact is how their parents raise them.

Cady goes through an arc, and that includes her trying to fit in with everyone, but also trying to do the right thing. She isn't acting like a bitch because she enjoyes it, she's only doing so because to fit in with the "Plastics" just so she could expose them and make them understand the feelings people feel when they attack them. This is all new to her, because she came from Africa, where she was homeschooled. Cady is the kind of person you could learn something from her. Well, at least if you're still in high school, but even as an adult.

This is a smart and a funny movie, but will younger generations finish "Mean Girls" determined to break free from the society of cliques, gossip, and popularity standards? Not a chance. That, I believe, is built into high school. However, kids may find it interesting that nerds are more fun than queen bees, that professors have emotions, and that you would be happier as yourself than as anyone else. I think the message is that you should live every day as if you could be hit by a school bus.

"Mean Girls" is easily one of the best high school, teen-drama films. With its excellent screenplay, casting, jokes, development of characters, and morals taught throughout the film. It still holds up after 20 years, and I would go on to say it's a classic film that can easily be enjoyed any day of the year. I even may consider this the best of 2004.