| Mean Girls | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mark Waters |
| Produced by | Lorne Michaels Tony Shimkin Louise Rosner Jill Messick |
| Screenplay by | Tina Fey |
| Based on | Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman |
| Starring | Lindsay Lohan Rachel McAdams Lizzy Caplan Lacey Chabert Amanda Seyfried Tina Fey |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
| Cinematography | Daryn Okada |
| Editing by | Wendy Greene Bricmont |
| Studio | SNL Studios |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 30, 2004 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States and Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million[1] |
| Box office | $129,042,871[1] |
Mean Girls is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have on girls. The film stars Lindsay Lohan and features a supporting cast of Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert and Lizzy Caplan. The film is produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Screenwriter and co-star of the film, Tina Fey, was a longtime castmember and writer for SNL. The film also features appearances from SNL cast members Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer and Amy Poehler.
The film received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $129,042,871 worldwide. Mean Girls has been praised as one of Lohan's break-out film roles.[2] Mean Moms, a quasi-spin-off, based on Wiseman's second book, Queen Bee Moms & King Pin Dads, is also in development.[3]
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Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), the 16-year-old homeschooled daughter of zoologist parents (Ana Gasteyer and Neil Flynn), recently moved from Africa, is unprepared for her first day of public high school at North Shore High School in Evanston, Illinois. With the help of social outcasts Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damien (Daniel Franzese), Cady learns about the various cliques. She is warned to avoid the school's most exclusive clique, the Plastics, the reigning trio of girls led by the acid-tongued queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Regina was once Janis' best friend, but they have grown to despise each other since the 8th grade when Regina started a rumor that Janis was a lesbian. However, the Plastics take a shine to Cady and invite her to sit with them at lunch and go shopping with them after school. Upon realizing that Cady has been accepted into the Plastics, Janis hatches a plan to get revenge on Regina for what she did to her, using Cady as a pawn in order to infiltrate the Plastics.
Having ingratiated herself with the Plastics per Janis' plan, Cady learns about the "Burn Book", a top secret notebook of Regina's filled with vicious rumors, secrets, and gossip about all the other girls (and teachers) in their class. Cady soon falls in love with Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett), whom Regina successfully steals back from Cady in a fit of jealousy during a Halloween party. Cady, who now hates Regina, goes ahead with Janis' plan which involves cutting off Regina's "resources", which include separating her from her boyfriend Aaron, destroying her beauty, and turning Regina's fellow Plastics against her: insecure rich girl Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) and sweet but ditzy Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried). Cady then starts pretending failure at math to get Aaron's attention and soon choreographs Aaron's breakup with Regina by confessing Regina's infidelity with another boy. Cady also convinces Regina to eat high-calorie nutrition bars (called Kälteen) by claiming that they actually help one lose weight. She also turns Gretchen against Regina by making her think Regina thinks of Cady as a better friend instead of her.
In her efforts to get revenge on Regina, Cady gradually loses her individual personality and remakes herself in the image of Regina. Her act soon becomes reality and she becomes as spiteful as Regina, abandoning Janis and Damien in the process and focusing more on her image. Regina, now slightly overweight due to Cady's diet sabotage, is excluded from the Plastics and Cady becomes the new Queen Bee. In celebration of her newfound status, Cady throws a party with the Plastics and does not invite Janis or Damien. Janis and Damien then renounce Cady as a friend. During the party, she also alienates Aaron with her unsavory new personality.
Regina discovers the truth about the bars she has been eating and strikes back by spreading the entire contents of her Burn Book around the school, inciting a riot. To avoid suspicion, Regina also inserts fake slander of herself in the book in order to focus blame on Cady, Gretchen, and Karen. The riot is eventually quelled by Principal Duvall (Tim Meadows). Math teacher Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey), who also appeared in the Burn Book in which Cady slandered her by saying that she sold drugs, makes the girls realize that all of them are guilty of hurting their peers. She has each girl confess and apologize to the rest of the girls. Janis confesses her plan to destroy Regina with Cady's help and openly mocks Regina with the support of the entire school. Regina storms out, pursued by an apologetic Cady, and gets hit by a school bus in her haste. Rumors circulate that Cady intentionally pushed Regina in front of the bus.
Now without friends, shunned by Aaron, and distrusted by everyone at school, Cady decides to make amends by taking full blame for the Burn Book. Though severely punished by her confession, her guilt dissolves and she returns to her old personality. As punishment for her part, Ms. Norbury has Cady join the Mathletes, which Damien and Regina both described earlier as "social suicide", in their competition. There, Cady has an epiphany while competing against a very unattractive girl, realizing that even if she made fun of the girl's appearance it would not stop the girl from beating her. Cady wins the tournament and returns to school for the Spring Fling.
At the Spring Fling dance, Cady is elected Spring Fling Queen and gives a speech to her class that her victory is meaningless; they are all wonderful in their own way and thus the victory belongs to everyone. As a symbolic gesture, she breaks her tiara and distributes the pieces to her fellow classmates. Cady makes up with Janis and Damien, reconciles with Aaron, and reaches a truce with the Plastics.
The film ends with the Plastics disbanding by the start of the new school year: Regina joins the lacrosse team as a way to channel her anger positively, Karen becomes the school weather girl (claiming that her breasts can always tell when it is raining), Gretchen joins the "Cool Asians" clique and is their biggest follower, and Cady dates Aaron as well as hanging out with Janis and Damien. Now reasonably well-liked, Cady reflects that the "Girl World" she lives in is at peace.
Though set on the North Shore of Chicago, the film was mostly shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate Institute. Notable landmarks include the University of Toronto's Convocation Hall and Sherway Gardens. Regina George's house is a home in the Bridle Path neighborhood.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $24,432,195 in 2,839 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office, was the best Lohan film debut at number one. By the end of its run, Mean Girls grossed $86,058,055 domestically and $42,984,816 internationally, totaling $129,042,871 worldwide.[4]
The film received positive reviews from critics: review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 83% "Certified Fresh" based on 167 reviews,[5] and a rating of 66 ("Generally favorable reviews") on Metacritic based on 39 reviews.[6]
The film was declared an instant success after its opening weekend made $24,432,195 from 2,839 theaters becoming the #1 film in America and averaging $8,606 per venue.[7] Mean Girls had a long life at the box office and finished its run with $86,058,055 in the United States making its worldwide total gross $129,042,871.[8] In the US, the film was the 24th highest grossing film of 2004.[8]
In an interview about the film, Tina Fey noted, "Adults find it funny. They are the ones who are laughing. Young people watch it like a reality show. It is much too close to their real experiences so they are not exactly guffawing."[9] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, " "Fetch" may never happen, but 2004's eminently quotable movie is still one of the sharpest high school satires ever. Which is pretty grool, if you ask me!"[10] In 2006, Entertainment Weekly also named it the 12th best high school movie of all time, explaining: "There was a time when Lindsay Lohan was best known for her acting rather than her party-hopping. Showcasing La Lohan in arguably her best role to date, this Tina Fey-scripted film also boasts a breakout turn by Rachel McAdams as evil queen bee Regina George (Gretchen, stop trying to make 'fetch' happen! It's not going to happen!). While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true."[11]
The film received many award wins and nominations. The film was nominated for 13 Teen Choice Awards, winning four. The film was also nominated for four MTV Movie Awards, winning three of them. The film was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.[12]
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Comedy Actress: Lindsay Lohan | Won |
| Choice Movie Breakout Actress: Lindsay Lohan | Won | ||
| Choice Hissy Fit | Won | ||
| Choice Movie Blush: Lindsay Lohan | Won | ||
| Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female: Rachel McAdams | Nominated | ||
| Choice Breakout Movie Star - Male: Jonathan Bennett | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie - Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Actress - Comedy: Rachel McAdams | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Blush: Rachel McAdams | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Chemistry: Lindsay Lohan & Jonathan Bennett | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Fight/Action Sequence | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Hissy Fit: Rachel McAdams | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Liar: Lindsay Lohan | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Sleazebag: Rachel McAdams | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Female Performance | Won |
| Breakthrough Female Performance | Won | ||
| Best On-Screen Team | Won | ||
| Best Villain | Nominated | ||
| Kids Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actress | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie: Comedy | Nominated | |
| WGA Award | Best Adapted Screenplay: Tina Fey | Nominated |
| Mean Girls: Music from the Motion Picture | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | September 21, 2004 |
| Genre | Rock, pop |
| Label | Rykodisc Virgin |
| Professional reviews | |
Mean Girls: Music from the Motion Picture was released on September 21, 2004, the same day as the DVD release.
Though not included on the soundtrack, other songs heard in the film include "Pass That Dutch" by Missy Elliott, Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, "Fire" by Joe Budden featuring Busta Rhymes, "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian, and "Halcyon + On + On" by Orbital.
The film's orchestral score was written by Rolfe Kent and orchestrated by Tony Blondal. It featured taiko drums and a full orchestra.
Mean Girls was released on VHS and DVD in North America on September 21, 2004, five months after it opened in theaters. It was released in a widescreen special collector's edition and a fullscreen collector's edition, both including several deleted scenes, a blooper reel, three interstitials, the theatrical trailer, previews, and three featurettes. A Blu-ray version of the film was released on April 14, 2009.
A game for PC and Nintendo DS was released in 2009.[14] The video game features characters specifically created for the game.
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