Mean Girls is back! Not a crappy straight-to-DVD sequel this time or the promised version that follows the misadventures of Lindsay Lohan‘s Cady Heron as an adult. This time, Tina Fey reimagines the film into a musical. The original movie that came out in 2004 – that was adapted from Rosaling Wiseman‘s Queen Bees and Wannabes – is a culture sensation that’s managed to live on for decades. The film has been a huge success on Broadway, and this updated version is sort of a remake, but not from the 2004 film. The overall premise remains the same:
New student Cady Heron is welcomed into the top of the social food chain known as the Plastics, which is ruled by the conniving Regina George. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs.
Two original cast members make their returns: Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall and Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury. Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney, Jon Hamm, Jenna Fischer, and Busy Philipps round out the new cast of the 2024 musical. Here are the top five moments of the final Mean Girls trailer:
A New Regina George
This new Mean Girls has an uphill battle to climb. The original film is still considered a classic that holds up to modern standards. In fact, fans have been calling for a true sequel for decades. The good news is that Tina Fey is also a part of this version, as the Emmy winner wrote the script for the Lindsay Lohan version as well. But in terms of characters, this new cast has a lot to live up to. Rachel Adams knocked it out of the park as Regina George; a charming thief who would offer you a muffin and stab you in the heart at the same time.
Renee Rapp is a relative newcomer, but her introduction nicely explains that this version isn’t simply a remake of the 2004 film. There’s plenty of potential with this musical as long as it doesn’t try to copy what the actors did in the original film. Rapp seems well suited for the role, and her presence packs a nice punch, but hopefully, she’ll add new wrinkles to Regina George that separates her version from Rachel McAdams.
Jon Hamm as Coach Carr
This is perfect casting! Coach Carr didn’t have much screen time in the 2004 film, but his controversial arc was generally fun and outrageous. It’s doubtful that Fey would replicate that in this version, but it’s great that his character seemingly gets more depth this time around. Carr explaining girl hormones is laugh-out-funny, and there’s a certain charm to his character because of the charisma that Hamm has as a performer. Jon Hamm is a welcome addition to the world of Mean Girls.
Dance Break
If you watch the full trailer then you’ll likely not understand that this is a full-blown musical. Oddly, the editors didn’t put more emphasis on that aspect because fans may simply skip out on this film because of their fondness for the original. The one glimpse of a dance number highlights the contrast between the two versions and the potential of fun dance numbers that can have you rolling in your seat. Though broadway is fairly successful, there are plenty of fans who didn’t even know that Mean Girls has been running Broadway for over five years. We don’t hear the number, but it presents something fresh and organic within this established world.
Hallway Fight
Of course, the legendary aftermath of the burn book is recreated in what should be an epic scene. The culture has changed drastically since 2004 and it’ll be fun to see how Tina Fey taps into the modern generation with this new version. What scandals will rock this new version? There’s so much in the modern culture for Fey to poke fun at that it will be exciting to discover the new secrets that rock this high school. There was also a certain style and flare that Mark Waters captured in the original; hopefully, Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. bring in a fresh approach to this iconic scene.
If You Need To Talk To Me About Anything
Amy Poehler as Regina’s mom gave us plenty of laughs, but strong depth on why Regina is the way she is. Busy Philips appears similar to Poehler’s version, but like Coach Carr and Regina herself, hopefully, there are a couple of new traits that separate the two versions. Busy Philips is a funny actress and her chemistry with the girls comes across as great in the trailers.
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