In 2004, when Mean Girls arrived in cinemas, it was not yet common to have films or series that so precisely addressed the reality of female behavior in the face of patriarchal society, starting in schools. With a light, fun, and profound film, screenwriter Tina Fey, who also makes a cameo appearance, clearly established the beginning of the movement that would change girls’ behavior for the better, with themes such as sisterhood and empathy. It was an absurd and deserved success.

About 14 years later, Mean Girls arrived on the Broadway stage and conquered a new audience with the same story of Cady Heron and Regina George’s rivalry. And it is this version that, two decades later, returned to cinemas, without the same result, unfortunately.

The story is exactly the same, as are the dialogues, with just a few adjustments and perhaps that’s the main problem: we know the jokes and surprises, so why go through it all again?

Cady Heron was raised in Africa by loving parents and when she returns to the United States she discovers that the real jungle is different. When she arrives at her new school, she becomes involved with a group of popular girls known as the “Plastics” and gains the protection of their leader, the disgusting and pedantic Regina George, the most influential girl in the entire school. Escaping the wrath of Regina’s venom is essential for survival, and when Cady falls in love for the first time, the risks increase, after all, he is Regina’s ex. Awakening the beast within Cady, the results are unexpected.

Of course, the change in the cast, which had Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams in the main roles, could be one of the reasons, as neither Angourie Rice nor Renee Rapp (this one repeating her success on Broadway) could be “up to the task”, but the problem is not it’s that. Both are spectacular, but even with good songs, the script is not a musical script, but the original film takes breaks to include music and dance. Don’t care!

Angourie is easily swallowed by Renee, who brings a different Regina to Rachel, more aggressive, even dangerous for that very reason. The great grace of Regina George in the 2004 film was an apparent sweetness, which made the absurdities she said more dangerous and unexpected. Renee’s Regina is a bulldozer that she leads by arrogance and menace, while Rachel really seemed to be a model on the outside, only when she saw herself on the inside did she realize her falseness. Just as Lindsay Lohan‘s Cade, in her prime, better conveyed her growing plastic transformation more coherently, Angourie never loses her sweetness.

Therefore, this remake, so close to its original, ends up getting the timing wrong. And the main thing is that ironically the most successful song in 2024 (thanks to Mean Girls) is not any of the original songs, but the Christmas hit from the 1960s. If we are talking about a MUSICAL, we should have a song in our minds. We do not have.

If today we consider that just 20 years already justifies remakes (I had the impression before that it was twice as long, if not more, close to 30 to 50 to talk about remakes), here is the trap of remakes: the public that SAW the original will still be fresh in mind when comparing it with the new one. Initially, it was supposed to go straight to Paramount +, which would still make some sense. As both versions are on the platform, I still stick with the 2004 version. And you?

Pesquisar

Pesquisar