Mean girls: what makes a movie a classic?

And now for some Film theory by Clem Burnett

If you’ve been on the internet recently, or anywhere really, you’ve most likely heard about the new Mean Girls movie. A large number of people decided they didn’t like this movie before it even came out based on how much of a cult classic the original Mean Girls was. Millennials don’t like it when people touch their stuff and even the trailer was enough to tell them that it couldn’t possibly measure up to the 2004 movie.

Something the trailer forgot to mention was that the point of the new movie was to put the 2017 Broadway musical version written by Tina Fey on the big screen.

As I mentioned before, many people prefer the original because they consider it a “classic” but what makes it classic? And why doesn’t the new movie have that?

Cinematic Nepotism

At many points in the 2024 movie, they make references to the original, whether it be “You can’t sit with us!” or “Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?” The movie manages to include a large number of the iconic Mean Girls lines, but it seems to spend so much time worrying about referencing its origins that it kind of forgets to do anything else. So many of the characters feel like they are being portrayed completely differently to how they were originally written or are just completely ignored. People loved Mean Girls because it was relatable, women of all ages saw the way these girls acted and felt seen. It was realistic while also being comedic and flamboyant. In comparison, the new movie is written like it hopes to be considered good by piggybacking off the much loved 2004 version.

Fast fashion isn’t fashionable

A personal criticism I had of the movie was the costume design. The 2004 Janis Ian was an outsider, a person who most of the student body considered a freak. To express this they dressed her in late 90s grunge fashion. However in the new movie they make her look quite regular. Some argue that it’s a modern adaptation but the point behind alternative fashion is that it’s not following trends and it sticks to what it is no matter what anyone thinks. By changing her style to make it more ‘modern’ the new movie is erasing an extremely important part of her character.

Conformity is gut-healthy

So much of the movie felt like it was written to be more digestible. Janis was originally written by Tina Fey to be somewhat of a self insert. She was out of the ordinary so people decided she was gay. By making the character an actual lesbian and dress essentially the same as the extras, we’re left with a character that feels like a completely different person than Janis in the original movie. While the original movie was making a statement and aiming to be not just be another teen movie, the remake takes almost all the things that were iconic or made Mean Girls so good and dials it down all the way so it’s easier to be consumed by anyone. It’s not trying to be real and connect to teenage girls, instead it is relying on the popularity it’s going to get simply by being called Mean Girls.

Can remakes be good?

I don’t think I can be the one to decide that for you. Remakes are often a touchy subject because no one wants to taint the original. But think about how much money the industry could squeeze out of the general public. Filmmakers need to learn that exploiting the success of a popular movie does not make your movie untouchable. They are still making a movie that has to stand on its own. A movie should be a work of art and the point of art is that it is made by you and no one else.