The first full length trailer for the “Mean Girls” musical film is here. The screenplay for the musical version of the original 2004 film is also written by comedienne and actress Tina Fey, and the characters follow those who appear in the film. The musical adaptation first hit Broadway in 2017, with actress Reneé Rapp appearing onstage as teen villainess Regina George, a role she will reprise in the upcoming film.
The original film’s cast included a number of stars who since built massively successful acting careers. Lindsay Lohan appeared as new-girl-in-town Cady Heron, Rachel McAdams as the titular mean girl Regina George, Lacy Chabert as Gretchen Wieners, Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith, Amy Poehler as June George, Lizzy Caplan as outcast Janis Ian, Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels, and more. The absurdly humorous film offered groundbreaking commentary on youth culture in the early aughts, and continues to remain a cultural phenomenon.
With such a cult following, the 2024 iteration will certainly be viewed under a critical lens. While many are confident in Rapp’s ability to bring Regina George to the screen due to her role in the Broadway version, some question how different the framing of the story will look in 2024, 20 years after the original screenplay was written. Additionally, a number of popular songs, including Olivia Rodrigo’s angsty punk tinged “Get Him Back” soundtrack the trailer, but none of the film’s original music is teased.
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Rapp, a musician herself as well, has the audience’s vote of confidence, while others question Chris Briney‘s abilities in Aaron Samuels’ character due to a scene of him singing in “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which was met with mixed reviews. Some argue that Briney’s brief performance in the hit Prime Video series was sung to convey his characters’ grieving during a pivotal funeral scene, and not representative of his full abilities.
chris briney playing aaron samuels in a mean girls musical… so who's gonna do the singing- pic.twitter.com/KrX1MzSH13
— el 🦋 jeff buckley's daughter (@casualenjoyr) September 7, 2023
Elsewhere, others noticed that the trailer appeared to focus on Rapp’s role as Regina less than actress Angourie Rice’s Cady Heron. Heron, played by Lohan originally, was widely regarded as the film’s protagonist, whereas now, Regina appears to be cast in a near anti-hero light. Some argue that Regina has always been the main character, and only that Lohan was the most prominent star at the time of the original film, with the role of Regina instead serving as one of McAdams’ breakout performances.
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the public changed how Mean Girls is viewed so much that Regina George is now considered the titular role and not Cady and I find that interesting https://t.co/PWSnjJxmB0
— Sydney Adamu's Best Friend (@kingbealestreet) November 8, 2023
Others feel that the marketing for the film takes away from the message, with some going as far as suggesting that it rebrands bullying as “chic.”
The trailer makes it look like the film rebrands bullying as sexy and chic
— synthdaddyâ„¢ (@robtswthrayguns) November 8, 2023
Others recount the iconic y2k fashion present in the 2004 film, and are not sold on the contemporary aesthetic present in the trailer.
hell no the way they be lookin more like shein girls than mean girls… WHAT are these outfits?? pic.twitter.com/VJhkwLejHC
— mira 🌠(@mikaevz) October 10, 2023
The film hits theaters on January 12, 2024.
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