The Queen Bee has nearly returned! Mean Girls will be in theatres across the U.S on Jan. 12, and eager fans of the classic original are counting down the days.
In an interview with EW, SNL dictator and the film’s producer Lorne Michaels has said this isn’t a reboot, but “a new interpretation.” He added that he wanted it to be “a familiar enough story,” but “for today.” So, it seems that anybody who is expecting a shot-for-shot remake with a few musical interludes is going to be disappointed.
Anybody who’s seen Mean Girls: The Musical could have told you that the stage version (which the new film is based on) has a number of key differences from the iconic original. In the final trailer, we can see some of the changes that we can expect from this new version, as well as a few of the legendary scenes that have survived the transformation.
All of this got us thinking: what else will differ about this new big screen version? And would some modern twists improve the original? We thought it would be totally fetch to list 8 Mean Girls tweaks that could make the 2024 reboot even better than the original. Some of these are definitely happening, and some are our best guesses on potential changes, but either way we’re sure it’s going to be as fun as a Ladysmith Black Mombazo gig!
Coach Carr being less of a creep
Creep is actually too weak a word for Coach Carr in the original, in which he dates his high school students. Back in 2004 there was less widespread condemnation about sexual relations between staff and pupils. It was still seen as highly taboo, but like with so many cases of abuse driven by power imbalances, many people simply looked the other way. So, in that context, the fact the original jokes about it isn’t too outlandish, as it’s something many of the writers and producers would have grown up with.
In the stage musical, Carr is definitely not the best suited to teaching kids sex education, but he doesn’t try to sleep with any of them. Hopefully his character in the 2024 film (played by the unbearably handsome Jon Hamm) follows a similar path of avoiding normalizing this kind of abuse.
Harnessing the power of social media
Even though we’re all obsessed with it, there’s no doubt that social media has caused more harm than good. From aiding genocides in Myanmar (thanks Zuck!) to causing a generation’s-worth of mental illness, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and all the rest have plenty to answer for. Yes, that includes you, Reddit.
On a micro-level, social media has had a huge impact on the social dynamics of high schoolers. If this film is an interpretation and not a reboot, then that needs to be explored for it to really make sense. Plus, we’re sure there’s room for plenty of humor among the bullying and misinformation.
Giving it a fresh perspective…literally
The 2004 film is Cady’s story, and as such is narrated by her. However, the musical is narrated by Janis and Damian, which gives it a completely different dimension, and allows us to get a look at Cady from a new perspective.
We’re not saying that Cady’s first friends at North Shore High should be the ones to do a voiceover, or that there should even be one. But new or multiple narrators could open the story in different ways, and give depth to other characters without having to compromise run-time.
More Damian
Poor “too gay to function” Damian. Although he was the source of some of the most quotable lines in the 2004 version of Mean Girls (“she doesn’t even go here!”), he was also a pretty shallow and one-dimensional character. The “gay best friend” trope has mostly died out now, and we’re getting more and better queer content than ever, so it’s the perfect time to thrust the singer of our favorite rendition of “Beautiful” into the limelight.
Updating the laughs
The original Mean Girls is progressive for its day in many ways, but some of the dicier jokes don’t land so well with an audience who prefer punching up to down. Also, a chunk of the dialogue is a bit of its time, with references to things like landline phones. Even the stage musical retains a few of these dated elements.
This new version is the perfect opportunity to spruce up the script, and in the trailer we can already see some of the ways that’s been achieved. One great example is the “slay/sleigh” joke made by Mrs George (the ever-incredible Busy Phillipps).
Thankfully, it seems the new film will also keep some of the lower brow humor of the first, as shown by Coach Carr’s excellently offensive punning (“whoremones”). We’re also hoping for a return of the legend that is Glen Coco.
Being a real representation of Chicago
The movie will be set in Chicago, and unlike the original, the new version will have a ratio of faces that would genuinely appear in a school in most modern American cities.
It’s not just extras, either. Damian will be played by the incredible Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls: the Musical and A Strange Loop, the latter of which is utterly genius), Janis by Auli’i Cravalho, and Karen by relative newcomer Avantica Vandanapu. So, that’s three of the main cast that will add some much needed melanin to the movie.
Carefully selecting the musical numbers
Anybody who’s been following the new film’s development will be aware there are fewer musical numbers in the movie than there are onstage. This means whichever ones make the cut will need to be bangers.
If the latest trailer is anything to go by, then “Revenge Party” is set to be included, as it’s referenced in the video’s title (although the film producers didn’t play it during the trailer, which is bordering on sadistic). We hope some other hits, like “Stupid Love” and “What’s Wrong With Me?” are also included. Which leads us onto our final point…
And some for Gretchen Wieners
Poor old Gretchen. In the original, she does manage to stand up to Regina, but never really has the chance to confront Cady for treating her badly. At the end, she doesn’t find her true self like the others, instead latching onto another Queen Bee.
In the stage musical, Gretchen is a little more self aware, and has a smidgeon more self respect. We hope this character tweak is kept in the 2024 version, as it adds a little more depth to what’s already a fan favorite.