Mean Girls

Director: Mark Waters

Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachael McAdams, Tina Fey, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert

Genre: Comedy

Year: 2004

Frequently remembered by many as one of the most iconic teenage girl comedies, 'Mean Girls' certainly manages to adapt the genre into a 21st Century setting, with an entertaining plot and memorable characters, despite not being superb on a technical level.


'Mean Girls' follows Linday Lohan's Cady Heron, a new student in high school, as she discovers the way to function in a public school (having previously been home schooled her entire life, back in Africa). She is soon recruited by the 'Plastics', a group of three popular girls, infamous for their draconian and manipulative life styles, especially under the leadership of the oppressive Regina George, evil incarnate, or so she is perceived by Cady's other friends, a pair of lovable outcasts. The film tracks Cady's slow demise as the 'Plastics' influences begin to take hold of her.

'Mean Girls' is one of those films which is fondly remembered by many teenage girls as the pinnacle of teen dramas, and this target audience clearly shows with its narrow focus on the difficulties girls face in high school. The necessity to fit in, the struggles of dealing with friendship groups, their physical appearance and their relative love interests. The 'Plastics' encapsulates these stereotypical hardships and accentuate them, with Regina George being placed upon the pedestal, not just by mindless, submissive sidekicks Gretchen and Karen, but apparently by all students. Cady soon finds herself in competition and subtly begins a war against Regina, all for the sake of her crush, Aaron Samuels, stereotypical high school sweetheart that instantly dominates Cady's love life. This plot line manages to hold its own for the majority of the film and tensions gradually begin to rise between Cady and the rest of the 'Plastics' and harsh divides between the group become larger and more dangerous.

The first two acts seem keen in reinforcing the threat Regina has become towards Cady's desperate attempts to get into a relationship with Aaron. There is nothing spectacular here, yet there is some intrigue towards how their competition might develop. The acting is almost consistently below average for most characters for these first two acts, with unrealistic performances and occasionally obnoxious portrayals of characters, especially those in which the film wants the audience to root for. However, the movie does, to its credit, redeem itself in the third act, with significantly improved writing and delivery from actors. The characters here are easier to invest in and the plot becomes much more engaging, with better humour and a moral conclusion which is actually handled and executed quite well.
The ending isn't anything out of the ordinary, but neither is the rest of the film - for the vast majority of it, it is helplessly predictable and not massively surprising, but it is nonetheless entertaining and somewhat relatable to its key demographic.
Surprisingly this film was written by Tina Fey, who also stars as the supporting role of Ms. Norbury. The writing can be quite immature and forceful with its humour at times, and there is a notable large amount of stereotypes being applied throughout. But the plot stays firm and progresses appropriately, with good character arcs and developments, and entertaining scenarios.

Ultimately, this film is not a bad film when considering its aim of appealing to teenage girls and teaching them morals about being unique and not following the crowd. There is nothing technically superior and for the most part, the performances are irritating and the production aspect feels rather mediocre, considering its underwhelming writing. But with its redeemable third act, its memorable, likable characters, and iconic status among teenagers, there is no particular reason for it to be disliked for its plot line and suitable moral ending.

Verdict: 7/10