A quite thought-provoking film about high school cliques, as encountered by the new girl Cady. Lindsay Lohan is excellent in the role, befriended by two misfits, then persuaded to join the 'Plastics' despite being essentially a nice, academic person.

Well-scripted, well acted, with some likeable people and some mildly amusing caricatures. Most suitable for older teens, who might appreciate the message of acceptance, the importance of honesty, and that being 'mean' doesn't make one better than the other person.

longer review here: https://suesdvdreviews.blogspot.com/2021/10/mean-girls-lindsay-lohan.html ( )

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: C

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.1/4 ( )

Tina Fey's adaptation of Queenbees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman is a great movie about the stresses of high school. Although ten years old this movie has staying power and is still very popular today. Mean Girls has several characters with relevant problems or character traits common in teens today. I think part of it's lasting popularity is it's ability to appeal to a broad range of people. Definitely 4P, 4Q. ( )

Mean Girls / Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows

Themes: High School, Young Adult, cliques, Peer pressure, social criticism

Age / Grade Appropriateness: high school, PG-13 (MPAA)

Censorship Issues: the movie contains quite a few sexual references (slut, whore, the coach is having sex with the Asian girls), some parents might find this objectionable for classroom material

Plot Summary:

Based on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book, Queen Bees and Wannabes, the movie follows Lohan’s character, Kady, as she attempts to adjust to high school after having grown up homeschooled in the African bush. Kady makes friends with two outsiders on the first day and feels good, but on day two she is offered a coveted position with “The Plastics” , the ‘it’ crowd of the high school. The two outsiders, a lesbian and a gay boy, convince Kady to pretend to be a part of the plastics in an attempt to bring their leader, Regina George, down off her high pedestal. Lohan’s character begins to change while pretending and actually becomes a plastic, leading her to forsake her friends, the outsiders, for a boy.
The plot of the movie hinges on the “burn book,” a book made by members of the Plastics, which consists of cutout pictures of various girls in the school with disparaging remarks about each. The plot thickens when Regina releases the book on the high school and makes Kady look like the author of the book. The character, predictably, redeems herself at the end of the movie, by sharing her “spring fling” crown with Regina, the outsiders, and the crowd.

Critique:

The movie well written and well paced for teens. Tina Fey’s adaptation of Wiseman’s non-fiction book is superb. The dialog is fresh and biting, while the plot is familiar for teens to identify with the characters, dealing with the issues confronting teens today. The movie focuses on the world of high school girls, and I have been assured of its accuracy and authenticity. Surprisingly, Lohan’s performance is good. She delivers a character that vacillates between good and evil while retaining likability. The success of the film is how well YAs will be able to identify with the various aspects of high school, from the cliques, the teachers and the pressures.


Curriculum Uses:

Curriculum uses are dubious at best. The humor of the film is counterbalanced by the amount of sexual references prevalent throughout. In a conservative community such as ours, I believe it would be a risk to include this film as part of any curriculum. However, if pressed the film could be used as an illustration of the effects of peer pressure, also it is applicable for examination of the various peer groups prevalent in high schools today. ( )

Soooo Fetch! ( )