Tina Fey really knows how to repurpose.
Her comedy, “Mean Girls,” has spawned a Broadway musical and two films.
The latest (a filmed version of the musical version) offers some changes but it’s still the Plastics who rule North Shore High.
They’re those, well, mean girls who determine what’s in fashion, who’s hip and what lengths others will go to to be popular.
When a new girl enrolls, she’s immediately taken under wing by two outcasts, Damian (Jaquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli’i Cravalho), who give her the lay of the land and a guide to social potholes. Soon, though, Cady (Angourie Rice) is under the spell of Regina George (Renee Rapp) and her disciples.
Rapp sings the show’s best songs and has a way that suggests she really would cut you, but she’s not given the vulnerability that emerged in the other editions. She’s mean. Full stop.
Her minions, Karen (Avantika) and Gretchen (Bebe Woods), merely fan the flames. Naturally, there’s a boy (Christopher Briney) who becomes the object of affection for both Regina and Cady.
Directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. keep the action moving and toss in interesting cameos but they don’t take advantage of the musical’s strengths. The Broadway edition featured superb dancing and songs that, somehow, got dumped in this adaptation. New ones take their place, but they’re not as telling. This “Mean Girls” is much more serious than it needs to be.
Thankfully, Cravalho and Spivey wring every joke out of the premise. They’re great narrators who aren’t afraid to get involved in the dirty work of high school.
Fey makes an appearance in the film and she gets drop-ins from friends Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm, Jenna Fischer and Busy Philipps. They’re great, but they’re not given enough to do. Similarly, the “mathletes” don’t make an appearance until absolutely necessary. There’s an OG “Mean Girls” callback as well but it isn’t as surprising as you’d think.
In the wake of “High School Musical” (and its sequels and homages), this could have been a 21st century “Grease.” The hallmarks are there; they’re just not maximized.
When Cady – a smart girl who once lived in Kenya – realizes how important good friends are, she’s given a pass to make amends with everyone and deliver a valedictory that lands well.
That enlightenment worked better in the earlier “Mean Girls” and helped set up a banger ending. This one merely gets everyone to huddle and sing a closing song.
Thankfully, the original “Mean Girls” is available on DVD, too. It features Rachel McAdams as a more devious Regina and Lindsay Lohan as that oh-so-impressionable Cady. It holds up.
There’s singing, too, but the musical “Mean Girls” seems like it was created just to give high school divas a chance to strut on school time.
