CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS!
“Mean Girls” has been a highly-anticipated film for months. I couldn’t stop my excitement when I saw the trailer all those months ago.
Just like everyone else, I was surprised to find out the movie was based on the Broadway production of “Mean Girls.” Honestly, when I found out the movie was going to be a musical, it made me even more excited to see it; I’m a huge musical fan.
I had never seen the musical prior to watching the movie, so I went totally blind, not knowing what to expect. After I left the theater, I immediately went and watched a bootleg version of the Broadway show.
After watching both versions, I noticed that the instrumentals are totally different. The movie’s music has more of a pop twang to it while the Broadway version has more of a traditional Broadway sound; very elaborate with strong instrumentals.
The movie opens with Janis (played by Auli’i Cravalho) and Damien (played by Jaquel Spivey) singing “A Cautionary Tale.” I thought their voices blended together very well. It was a great way to open the movie. Both captured the iconic essence of Janis and Damien.
Next, we meet Cady Heron (played by Angourie Rice). Every time Cady had to sing, which is a lot, I cringed. I thought maybe it would get better after her first song, but after hearing “Stupid with Love” I knew there was no hope.
Personally, I felt like Rice lacked emotion while singing. Obviously, the movie’s vocals aren’t as elaborate as the Broadway production, but they sounded flat.
During “Revenge Party” I started laughing. It was filmed at such a random angle.
I was sad that “Meet the Plastics” didn’t have Karen and Gretchen’s parts. Their mashup makes the song one of my favorites from the Broadway soundtrack. Even without their vocals on this track, Renee Rapp absolutely devoured her entrance as Regina George.
I liked most of the small changes made throughout the movie, but was so sad that this movie didn’t include the iconic “Jingle Bell Rock” performance. Instead, the clique danced to “Dancing around the Pole.”
The obvious sponsor from E.L.F cracked me up. The items were so strategically placed throughout the movie. I feel like Regina George would use very high-end makeup products since she claims she has lots of money.
My favorite part of the movie was Karen’s solo song “Sexy.” This is my favorite song from the soundtrack because it’s so fun to sing along to. The song sounded so different from the Broadway version, but I loved it. Avantika was flawless with her delivery. My favorite part about it was the lyric change in the “This is modern feminism” line.
Instead of saying “I expect to run the world in shoes I cannot walk in,” she says, “Watch me as I run the world.”
Every time Renee Rapp sang a song, I was speechless. Rapp sings in a much lower octave than the original Broadway version of Regina. I feel like this made her character way more intimidating.
I was most excited to witness “World Burn”. I had seen some TikToks talking about how amazing the delivery of this song was.
I stared at the screen in awe the whole song. Rapp captured the anger and betrayal Regina was feeling so well. This was easily the best part of the whole movie. It made up for all the cringy parts. Rapp’s last high note gave me chills.
Ever since watching this movie I have been obsessed with Renee Rapp and her other musical projects.
I have also been listening to the soundtracks from both the movie and Broadway show on repeat. The songs will not leave my brain. They keep playing on loop!
Sure, this movie wasn’t a cinematic masterpiece by any means, but I still highly enjoyed watching it. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves catchy songs and cringy dialogue (And Renee Rapp).
I give Mean Girls 7/10 burn books.
To get the soundtrack stuck in your head like me listen here:
