Throughout the years, there have been several different productions of the popular movie/musical “Mean Girls”. However, it’s no secret that some of them have been much more positively received than others. What we will be discussing in the article is which one is the best. Which one does the public like the most and why?
The movie follows teenage girl Cady Heron on her journey to a new school in America. It’s her first time in a public school after being homeschooled in Africa her whole life and she’s having trouble adjusting to it. She manages to make friends with Janice and Damian who explain to her where her classes are, which people she should befriend, which people she shouldn’t, and who to look out for. However, before she is able to sit down with them for lunch, she is stopped by a small group of girls. Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith, who invite her to sit with them during lunch for the rest of the year. After learning about this, Janice and Damian try to convince Cady to befriend Regina so that she can ruin her life. Cady is at first against this idea but after Regina kissed her crush at a halloween party, she agrees to doing it. She, Janice, and Damian then spend the rest of the movie trying to ruin Regina’s reputation at school until they eventually learn that popularity and school reputation isn’t all that matters in life.
On April 30, 2004, the original version of Mean Girls had come out in theaters across the United States and critics were more than happy with the result of the comedy film. Teens liked it because they could relate to how the characters interacted and dealt with the conflicts of the movie, while adults liked it because it reminded them of their teenage years.
On April 8, 2018, the first Broadway musical version of Mean Girls was released and people were more than excited to see the film they grew up with get a Broadway musical version. Many of the songs went viral on social media after they were released. People making videos of themselves lip singing the songs and posting them to the internet was becoming a trend too. It’s safe to say that this version of Mean Girls was an overall success.
On January 12, 2024, The newest version of Mean Girls came out in theaters. Since the first two had been such big hits among the youth, critics were skeptical about whether the new musical would be able to hold up compared to the other versions. Many people were upset about how the actors went about singing the songs, “The actors just weren’t as expressive with the songs as they were in the Broadway musical version. It takes away from the emotion of the movie entirely.” Said Noah Ross when asked about why he was disappointed with the movie.
When asked which version they liked the best and why, many people had different answers. “I like the original version better because it’s the classic. It’s the main reason we have the other ones in the first place.” Larkin Slay answered. Noah Ross however believed that “The Broadway musical was the best because the songs give you more of a perspective on how the characters are feeling.” Savannah Hildreth had a different perspective entirely. “The newest version is the best because Reneé Rapp is hot.” The public had many different opinions about the movies but when asked which one was best, five people said the 2004 version, four said the
Broadway version, and one person said the 2024 version was best. This shows that out of all the movies/musicals, the original 2004 version of Mean Girls was the best.
