Mean Girls Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)May 3rd, 2004
"Mean Girls" - Spirited but Not Mean-Spirited by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
Nowadays, one doesn't expect too much from a comedy that revolves around the environment of high school. You can usually see the overused cliches, the contrived romances, and the far-reaching cliques coming from a mile away. And your expectations for "Mean Girls" continue to diminish even before the film begins as you watch vapid previews that feature giggling girls, Sponge Bob, and other offerings aimed at the Mickey Mouse Club set. At whom is this film targeted? It certainly seemed as if 80% of the audience didn't yet possess a driver's license and the other 20% supplied the rides to get them there.
Happily, those concerns melt away within 15 minutes of the film's start as we meet up with 17-year old Cady (Lindsay Lohan). With her parents working as anthropologists in Africa, she was home-schooled. But now, they have moved to Illinois. Cady is now challenged with a new kind of environment that can be as dangerous as the Serengeti. And that's the rite of passage associated with suburban high school.
Cady starts off innocently enough, but eventually becomes the victim of her own selfish desires. It begins with her acquaintance with the goth Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and her best friend, the "too-gay-to-be-useful" Damian (Daniel Franzese). We probably had a higher likelihood of befriending people like these two rather than the vain trio nicknamed the Plastics. The three, who are high-maintenance, fashion-conscious, hypocritical tarts, are comprised of the manipulative Regina (Rachel McAdams); the desperate-to-be-liked Gretchen (Lacey Chabert); and airheaded Karen (Amanda Seyfried). Cady kind of positions herself as a double-agent, first allying herself with Janis/Damien, but then using her poise to penetrate the Plastics.
We begin to see a subtle transformation. Once shy, she has manifested into a vessel of meanness. And when she starts to feel slighted, she does not hesitate to go on the prowl. In girl world, the fighting has to be sneaky. Plenty of tension develops as reputations are damaged, relationships are torn apart, friendships are tested, and the actions taken create a one-way street towards purgatory.
There's definite beauty and brains to this film. Partly, you can thank director Mark Waters, who gives us the same kind of zeal and energy that made his previous film, "Freaky Friday," such a wonderful treat. Also credit Tina Fey (whose wit has helped to elevate the Weekend News Update portion of Saturday Night Live), who penned a crisp adaptation of the non-fiction book, "Queen Bees and Wannabes." The title itself begs that the subject matter be made into a film as it describes the jungle-like, high school atmosphere and the territorial instincts that occupies the students' minds.
The project offers something of a sociological study that is both biting and satirical. An idea such as the map that illustrates how the cafeteria is divided up into defined cliques is unique. And the Burn Book, which details hatred for various faculty and student body members makes you wonder if you were a possible entry in somebody else's Burn Book when you were in High School. "Mean Girls" is quality material that belongs in the same class as 1999s "Election" and is the type of astute comedy that exhibits much more intelligence than most other films of this genre.
Grade: B
S: 1 out of 3
L: 2 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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