Mean Girls (2004)
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A naive teenager navigating the treacherous social hierarchy of a high school after years of homeschooling in Africa.
The story
After being homeschooled her entire life and spending the last twelve years in Africa, 16-year-old Cady Heron begins her first day at North Shore High School. She struggles to make friends and is patronized by the teachers, but befriends outcasts Janis Ian and Damian Leigh, who explain the school's various cliques to her and warn her about the "Plastics", a trio of wealthy mean girls consisting of ruthless queen bee Regina George, insecure gossiper Gretchen Wieners, and bubbly airhead Karen Smith. Regina, Gretchen, and Karen take a shine to Cady and unexpectedly invite her to join the Plastics. Upon realizing this, Janis hatches a plan to infiltrate the group and destroy Regina's reputation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Cady Heron, a homeschooled teenager, joins the 'Plastics' and becomes part of their inner circle while secretly plotting with outcasts Janis and Damian to undermine Regina George. Cady becomes infatuated with Aaron Samuels, but Regina eventually reclaims him. Cady then fully commits to Janis's plan, sabotaging Regina's appearance and social standing. This leads to Regina being ousted and Cady becoming the new 'queen bee'. However, a series of mishaps, including a 'Burn Book' of insults being leaked and a physical altercation involving a school bus, leads to social chaos. Cady eventually takes responsibility for her actions, joins the Mathletes, and wins a championship. At the Spring Fling dance, she is elected queen and reconciles with her friends. The film ends with the Plastics disbanding and Cady finding a balance between her old and new friendships.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark Waters
- Writers
- Tina Fey · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Lindsay Lohan · Cady Heron; Rachel McAdams · Regina George; Tim Meadows · Ron Duvall; Amy Poehler · Ms. Norbury; Ana Gasteyer · Karen Smith; Lacey Chabert · Gretchen Wieners; Lizzy Caplan · Janis Ian; Amanda Seyfried · Karen Smith
- Genres
- teen comedy; comedy
- Themes
- social hierarchies; relational aggression; identity; gender norms
- Tone and mood
- humorous; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- high school; revenge; coming-of-age
- Source material / true-story basis
- Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
- Franchise connections
- Mean Girls
- Content notes
- school bullying
- Reception
- The film received largely favorable reviews, with critics praising the performances, screenplay, and humor. It was a box office success and became a pop culture phenomenon, known for its quotable lines and influence on social media.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · scale: percentage · review count: 220; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Production trivia
- The film was originally going to be called Homeschooled.; The character names were often based on real-life friends of Tina Fey.; The film was shot primarily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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