The ‘Mean Girls’ 2024 Musical Movie Is Officially Out: Here’s What We Know

Source: X

The "Mean Girls" musical movie just hit theaters, and it's aiming to be as fetch as the original (but with way more belting). Announced in 2020, this project reunites Tina Fey as a writer and producer, with a fresh cast led by Angourie Rice as Cady and Reneé Rapp reprising her Broadway role as Regina George.  Four years later, the movie premiered on Jan. 12, 2024. But wait... where are the songs?

From missing tunes to potential plot tweaks, here's the breakdown of everything you need to know about the "Mean Girls" 2024 movie. 

Is Mean Girls 2024 a musical movie?

Yes, the new Mean Girls is indeed a musical and includes songs from the original Broadway show. "This is a very specific version of the musical that has a really specific place in a niche, culty theater way, that I think expands it to maybe people who aren't super into theater," Reneé Rapp told People in April 2023. 

Rapp also appreciated Fey, who wrote both movie iterations and the book for the Broadway show. "Tina and our whole team just do such an amazing job adapting it, and the whole cast is really young and very cool,” she added.

Where Mean Girls 2024 picks up 

The new Mean Girls doesn’t seem to deviate too much from its original 2004 edition, which is bound to make millennials feel old. This updated version is described as a combination of the 2004 teen movie and the Broadway musical that debuted in 2018. So it follows the same basic timeline and story beats.

In the new version, Cady Heron arrives at a new school and gets adopted by the popular girl group called The Plastics (headed again by Regina George). The plot takes a turn when she crushes on Regina’s ex-boyfriend.

But how it’s different? Mean Girls 2024 is a musical movie, meaning there’s going to be song and dance numbers that give a node to the 2017 Broadway musical edition. The film focuses on new morals, values, and a more inclusive society and the movie also highlight single parents, queer relationships and social media takes.

Source: Mean Girls | Official Trailer (2024 Movie)

How much singing is in the movie?

In the new Mean Girls, there are a total of 13 tracks, and you can listen to these soundtracks on music streaming platforms. The tracks include  Rapp’s collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, “Not My Fault,” which is the credit song. But, the original Broadway show has a total of 21 tracks.

While it's natural that not all 21 tracks made the cut, 11 other tracks in the film are from the Broadway show, with one more original song, "What Ifs." The other tracks include "A Cautionary Tale," "Meet the Plastics," "Stupid with Love," "What's Wrong With Me?," "Apex Predator,” "Sexy," "Someone Gets Hurt," "Revenge Party," "World Burn," "I'd Rather Be Me" and "I See Stars."

Fey’s husband, Jeff Richmond, composed the film and explained to Entertainment Weekly the choice to make some of the songs original, saying, “People doing bedroom pop is very popular, basically producing all their songs in the bedroom.” “So that was our initial approach, but I wanted to bend the songs a little bit more to sound like radio hits, so we were changing the palette from Broadway to the radio.” By the end of the movie, every main character,  except for Chris Briney’s Aaron Samuels, does sing, and just like in the Broadway show, Cady’s narration will be replaced by music.

Who’s in the new Mean Girls musical movie cast?

Back on December 10, 2022, actress Reneé Rapp posted an *adorable* throwback photo to let fans know that she’ll be back as Regina George in the musical’s screen adaptation (ICYMI, she played the iconic character on Broadway in 2019). “Mean Girls is one of the biggest reasons why I am where I am. It’s an honor. Tina, Jeff, Lorne, Eric, and 2019 Mean Girls fans, I love you,” she wrote in her caption.

Source: People

Variety also stated that Angourie Rice, Auli’I Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey will play Cady Heron, Janis 'Imi'ike, and Damian Hubbard, respectively. Additional cast members include The Summer I Turned Pretty star Christopher Briney as Aaron Samuels, Bebe Wood as Gretchen Weiners, and Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Shetty.

Tina Fey and Tim Meadows will also reprise their roles from the original Mean Girls while Busy Phillipps and Jenna Fischer join the cast as Regina and Cady’s moms. Emily in Paris star Ashley Park also appears in the new Mean Girls as Northshore’s French teacher, and it’s a pretty fun nod to the Broadway musical because she played Gretchen onstage way back when.

Where can I watch Mean Girls 2024?

Unfortunately, it’s still a little early to watch Mean Girls 2024 on streaming platforms. However, as of January 17th, 2024, the movie is still likely playing in theaters across the globe. You can check your local listings or online ticketing platforms to see if it's still showing near you.

And if you want to enjoy this movie at your home, you’ll need to be a little patient. As is it is a Paramount production film and they typically release their movies for on-demand purchase about 6-8 weeks after the theatrical run and on streaming services like Paramount+ several months later. So, expect to be able to watch it at home sometime in late February or March 2024.

After reading several reviews, it appears the film is packed with the same hilarious lines and boasts a talented cast who bring the iconic characters to life, but die-hard "Mean Girls" fans who aren't musical enthusiasts might find the format switch a bit jarring. It lacks the spontaneity and raw energy of the original's dialogue scenes, and some jokes land differently when sung instead of spoken.

That's all for my "Mean Girls" 2024 review! So, did the Plastics' musical comeback live up to your expectations? Did you find the new songs catchy or did you miss the original's iconic lines? Share your thoughts and let's dissect this fetch film in the comments below!