Made for a modest sum of 18 million dollars, the 2004 Lindsay Lohan teen comedy Mean Girls was a surprise sensation, raking in around 130 million at the box office. Even more valuable than that, the legitimately funny film quickly entered the cultural lexicon, with catchphrases and meme-able moments that are instantly recognizable twenty years later. Offering solid replay value as sleepover fodder or an anytime pick-me-up, it helped to further establish Tina Fey as a screenwriter outside of her gig at SNL and introduced future Oscar nominees Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried. In short, it was the hit every actor/filmmaker wants on their resume because it will have a built-in fanbase forever.

Fey and musician husband Jeff Richmond tested the strength of that IP when they teamed with lyricist Nell Benjamin for the 2017 out-of-town premiere of a musical version of Mean Girls. Good word of mouth for Fey’s updated book and the songs preceded its 2018 Broadway opening, and had the pandemic not shuttered the show early, I’d be willing to gamble it would still be chugging along today. When I saw the show, I was impressed with how nicely the film translated to the stage and found Fey’s tweaks to update her nearly fifteen-year-old screenplay charming. Not all the Richmond/Benjamin songs were winners, but their musicality and wit aligned with Fey’s wry look at high school life.

Before the show closed, original distributor Paramount was already planning to make a film version of the musical, and with Fey back on board to reprise her original role as well as adapt her stage adaptation of her film (are you following?), all that was left to do was find the perfect cast. And dear reader, let me tell you, this is one stage to film flick that has, by and large, nailed it when it comes to casting. In doing so, first-time directors (and married IRL) Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. have brought their unique vision of Mean Girls to a new generation while extending an open hand to any fan that has followed its evolution over the past two decades.

High school hierarchy has meant little to Cady Heron (Angourie Rice, Spider-Man: Homecoming), who lives in Kenya with her mother (Jenna Fischer). The home-schooled teen doesn’t know societal norms but gets a crash course when her mom uproots them both and moves back to the U.S., enrolling Cady at a nearby senior high school. Found eating her lunch in the bathroom by self-selected outcasts Damian (Jaquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli’i Cravalho, Darby and the Dead), Cady is shown the ropes but advised to steer clear of the Plastics. Comprised of Karen Smith (Avantika, Moxie), Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood), and queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp), this trio is at the top of the popularity food chain and eats fresh meat like Cady for breakfast.

Except they don’t. Regina takes an interest in Cady and welcomes her into their mix. Seeing an opportunity to topple the tight trio (and take a little revenge for a past wrong), Janis encourages Cady to infiltrate the Plastics and create a little havoc to show them what it’s like to be taken down a peg. There’s just one problem. Cady starts to enjoy the attention that comes with hanging out with Regina and her crew and being in the presence of dreamy Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney, Dalíland), who happens to be Regina’s ex-boyfriend. Can Cady do her necessary dirty work but keep a clean slate where it counts?

Too often in these adaptations of a standard book musical, you can feel that much material has been excised and sacrificed for a filmgoing audience to better accept characters breaking into song. Many Richmond/Benjamin songs have gotten the axe (aside from Damian singing a few verses, it’s primarily women doing the crooning), but it’s helped this 2024 Mean Girls find a flow that works remarkably well. Characters still sing at awkward moments, but they have been carefully curated and executed. The directors overuse social media trends and technology to the point where the film will seem dated quickly. However, knowing this is how many teens currently communicate keeps Mean Girls prime “of the moment”, relatable entertainment.

As Cady, Rice takes a bit to wiggle out of the looming shadow of Lohan in a role she’ll forever be identified with, but once she confidently makes the part her own, you can see the actress having fun (and singing better because of it). A 2022 Tony nominee for his Broadway debut in A Strange Loop, Spivey gets the requisite laughs, but his character’s cut material would have been beneficial in giving him more interesting places to take his broad approach and establishing individualism. Avantika and Wood don’t rely on copying their predecessors to find their funny; they make the material their own. The adults get their moment to shine, with Fey (Admission) finding a massive laugh near the end and Tim Meadows (also recreating his role from the film) continuing to show how dependable a character actor he is. Fischer and Busy Phillips (as Regina’s mom) look a lot like their cinematic daughters; I almost wish they had a quartet.

The two actors to take note of, and who will undoubtedly get the biggest bump when the film is released, are Cravalho and Rapp. Both are terrific singers who easily belt their way past their co-stars, and the actresses back up their steel voices with excellent acting chops. Played by Lizzy Caplan in the original film and Barrett Wilbert Weed onstage, Janis arguably gets the best material Richmond and Benjamin wrote, and Cravalho nails her dynamite 11 o’clock rouser, “I’d Rather Be Me,” selling it with precisely the right spirit it was meant to be.

Replacing original Broadway star Taylor Louderman, Rapp is the only stage actor to repeat her work on film (Ashley Park, who played Gretchen in NYC, appears as a French teacher), and you can see why. Possessing a confidence that creates an almost supernatural electricity around her, Rapp makes her feature-film debut with what surely will be looked back on as a superstar-making performance. There’s an appeal to Rapp that crosses multiple lines/lanes, and it’s a rare quality to find in any artist. Whether playing comedy or faking drama, Rapp knows the assignment for this Mean Girls movie, even if she has seen the exam in advance.

Arriving several weeks after The Color Purple, another movie-musical-movie musical adaptation, opened to strong business, I’m hoping Mean Girls is embraced with the same admiration. It’s not only better on a technical level, but the emotional purpose I found missing in The Color Purple is evident here. Both feature strong female characters, reason enough to celebrate, and while they are different, it’s Mean Girls that comes out on top because it feels more willing to love the musical skin it’s in.