Objectively one of the greatest chick-flicks of all time, Tina Fey’s Mean Girls is a timeless teen movie, giving rise to decades of references and memorable quotes like “Get in loser! We’re going shopping!”, and “On Wednesdays, we wear pink!” 

The 2004 film became such a cult classic that a Broadway musical adaptation of the same name debuted in October of 2017. The musical went on to have a very successful run, with an official recording released a year later. 

Now, twenty years after the release of the original movie, a film adaptation of the musical has hit theaters, starring Broadway bombshell Reneé Rapp and rising fan favorite Avantika Vandanapu. However, many feel that the marketing campaign surrounding the remake misdirected moviegoers about the format of the movie. Countless complaints have been posted to social media platforms claiming that it was unclear that the movie would be a musical, a storytelling format difficult for some to enjoy. 

Additionally, many of those who did know that the movie would be a musical were severely disappointed by the lackluster performances of the actors. The movie had virtually the same soundtrack as the Broadway musical, aside from minor lyric and instrumental changes. I found that the instrumentals in the movie felt much emptier and flat in comparison to the musical studio recording. Additionally, the voices of the actresses, save for Ms. Rapp, do not come off nearly as strong or powerful as those of their Broadway counterparts.

This, coupled with what feels like amateur acting, a cheap wardrobe, and a laughably obvious e.l.f. Beauty advertisement mid-movie, makes the film seem like it takes itself way too seriously for what it actually is: another forgettable remake of a memorable piece of media. 

This is not to say that the entire experience was terrible. I quite enjoyed Avantika’s performance as Karen Smith, especially considering she is the youngest actress in the main cast. Her character was a breath of fresh air on the screen. I also believe that Reneé Rapp’s vocal prowess helped carry the movie, and her press run promoting the movie seems to be doing wonders for ticket sales, as the movie has already surpassed its budget of 36 million dollars, which is quite modest in comparison to other box-office hits. 

While I personally did not enjoy the movie as much as the original, I do hope the movie introduces a new generation to the world of Tina Fey, and I am hopeful for a future revival of “chick-flicks” in Hollywood.