Mean Girls (2024)
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A homeschooled girl navigating the complex social hierarchy of high school after moving from Kenya to the United States.
The story
Sixteen-year-old homeschooled Cady Heron moves back to the United States from Kenya with her mother and attends North Shore High School. She befriends Janis Imiike and Damian Hubbard, who introduce her to the various cliques, warning her to avoid the Plastics, who consist of the insecure gossiper Gretchen Wieners, unintelligent and bubbly Karen Shetty, and manipulative "queen bee" Regina George. When Regina invites Cady to join their group, Janis uses this as an opportunity to convince Cady to infiltrate the group for her. Cady becomes attracted to Aaron Samuels, a senior in her calculus class and Regina's ex-boyfriend.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After moving from Kenya, Cady Heron enters North Shore High School and is encouraged by friends Janis and Damian to infiltrate 'the Plastics'—a clique led by the manipulative Regina George. Cady becomes infatuated with Aaron Samuels, Regina's ex-boyfriend. To get closer to him, Cady begins to manipulate her social standing, eventually becoming the new 'queen bee' after a series of schemes to undermine Regina's status. However, her actions lead to a breakdown in her friendships with Janis and Damian. After a public fallout and a physical accident involving Regina, Cady realizes the damage she has caused by becoming as manipulative as the girl she tried to replace. She takes responsibility for the 'Burn Book' and finds redemption by joining the Mathletes and reconciling with her friends and the other girls, ultimately choosing to be herself rather than a social strategist.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Samantha Jayne; Arturo Perez Jr.
- Writers
- Tina Fey · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Angourie Rice · Cady Heron; Reneé Rapp · Regina George; Aulii Cravalho · Janis Imiike; Christopher Briney · Aaron Samuels; Avantika Vandanapu · Karen Shetty; Bebe Wood · Gretchen Wieners; Tina Fey · Ms. Norbury; Tim Meadows · Mr. Duvall
- Genres
- musical; teen comedy
- Themes
- identity; social hierarchy; friendship
- Tone and mood
- comedy; musical
- Premise and plot tags
- high school; musical; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- stage musical based on the 2004 film based on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes
- Franchise connections
- Mean Girls
- Content notes
- school bullying
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, while audience scores were generally positive.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 47; PostTrak · score: 70 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended for a streaming-only release on Paramount+.; The film features a cameo by Lindsay Lohan, who played Cady Heron in the 2004 film.; The production was filmed at the site of the defunct Mater Dei High School in New Jersey.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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