Classic Review #42: Mean Girls

Mean Girls is one of my favourite movies of all time. Before I first watched it, I was expecting a middle-of-the-road comedy but, as the film went on, I found myself to be more and more surprised by it, to the point where I couldn’t turn away. And then Regina got hit by that bus and I realised I had a contender for my new all-time favourite.

Whilst the film isn’t shot or edited in an especially noteworthy way, Tina Fey’s screenplay is insanely strong. One thing I particularly love about it is that it has an edge that is often lacking from films like this. It also really shines in its ability to craft very genuine and three-dimensional characters. For example, Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert) is arguably more developed than any of the leads. The scene where she gives the speech about Caesar will forever be one of the funniest scenes in the film.

On that note, the entire cast completely give it their all, with everyone playing up their parts to the maximum. I think that’s what’s made this film so relatable, even today. Weirdly enough, because everyone is so over-dramatic, they are more convincing as teenagers, despite the fact a lot of them were in their twenties at the time of filming.

Mean Girls still stands up as a timeless comedy and I think it’s real strength comes from the fact that it’s a perfect combination of the ridiculous and the real. Like I said before, it’s actually the more ridiculous stuff that makes it feel so real, because I think everybody can agree that everything was ridiculous when we were in school.