Mean Girls (2004)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers (WGA):

Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Tina Fey (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Welcome to Girl World.

Plot:

Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Africa | Clique | Teenage Girl | Mathletes

Awards:

7 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Lindsay Lohan	...	Cady Heron
Rachel McAdams	...	Regina George
Tina Fey	...	Ms. Norbury
Tim Meadows	...	Mr. Duvall
Amy Poehler	...	Mrs. George
Ana Gasteyer	...	Cady's Mom
Lacey Chabert	...	Gretchen Wieners
Lizzy Caplan	...	Janis Ian
Daniel Franzese	...	Damian
Neil Flynn	...	Cady's Dad
Jonathan Bennett	...	Aaron Samuels
Amanda Seyfried	...	Karen Smith
Rajiv Surendra	...	Kevin Gnapoor
Elana Shilling	...	Spelling Girl
Graham Kartna	...	Homeschooled Boy

Also Known As:

Méchantes ados (Canada: French title)
Queen Bees and Wannabes (USA) (original script title)
Chicas pesadas (Argentina) (Chile) (International: Spanish title) [es]
Girls Club - Vorsicht bissig! (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Гадни момичета (Bulgaria: Bulgarian title) [bg]
Дрянные девчонки (Russia) [ru]
Õelad tüdrukud (Estonia) [et]
Chicas malas (Spain) [es]
Kötü kizlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Lolita malgré moi (France) [fr]
Magari gogoebi (Georgia) [ka]
Mean Girls (Finland) [fi]
Mean girls - tylyt tytöt (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Meninas Malvadas (Brazil) [pt]
Ta kaka koritsia (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some teen partying.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | German | Vietnamese | Swahili

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:6 | India:A | Ireland:12PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Germany:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Although the movie was not filmed in the rich north suburbs of Chicago known as the 'North Shore' (where it is said to take place), several real places in the area are mentioned. These include Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, Il (although the scene was filmed at Sherway Gardens in Etobicoke,ON ),Walker Brothers Pancake House (the gift certificates at the end have the restaurant's real logo), and Northwestern University. In addition, a deleted scene featured on the DVD mentions Hecky's, a real barbecue restaurant in Evanston, IL. School scenes were filmed at Licoln Park High School, Chicago. Exterior shots of the school were of Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, Etobicoke, as well as hallway scenes. Some scenes also filmed at a lake front park in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The senior artist credit is misspelled "SENIOR ARTITST".

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chip Heron: This is your lunch, OK? I put a dollar in there so you can buy some milk; you can ask one of the big kids where to do that.
Betsy Heron: Do you remember your phone number? I wrote it down for you just in case. Put it in your pocket, I don't want you to lose it. OK? You ready?
Cady: I think so.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Final Destination (2000)

Soundtrack:

Rip Her to Shreds

a "magnified" genuine portrayal of the downsides of female friend relations in adolescence

Had I seen the film a year, a month, a week or even a day earlier, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I did today when I was sitting in a small university auditorium, relating what I saw to the issues discussed by the professor prior to the projection, trying arduously to control the flow of thoughts and emotions in my brain.

Mean Girls is what a large number of people would consider a silly teen comedy. It tells the story of a previously home-schooled, brought up in Africa, adolescent who enters a cliquish high school environment. Essentially the film focuses our attention on a number of psychological issues touched in almost every similar teen movie. In the beginning the issue is adaptation to a new environment, and as the movie unfolds it centers on social cliques, female friend relationships, social prejudice, social influence, rivalry, or as the professor I heard put it - relational aggression.

What is especially interesting about the movie, in my opinion, is that it illustrates an unbelievably highly stratified societal group, and thus helps the viewer unequivocally identify with and easily take a stand on the issues discussed. Metaphorically it serves as a microscope for us to observe social interactions with. Moreover the actions of the protagonists are so blatantly right or wrong that they eliminate any ambiguity that might arise of considering the things happening in another environment or under other circumstances. That way the viewer simply focuses on the darkest characteristics of female interactions in society. In this sense the film is not about adolescent girls and their experiences in high school but rather about the most negative features of female friend relations in adolescence.

The very same genuineness of the film makes it so hilarious at many points. What prevents us from laughing at the ridiculous social trends, prejudices, and many people's beliefs, most possibly including ours, in reality is that our actual emotions and thoughts rarely come up to the surface. Even our actions in most situations are covert. Yet, paradoxically, our way of thinking is shaped by society which constitutes of other people who are also as secretive in this sense as we are. And this covert way of feeling and thinking contributes greatly to the growth of prejudice, misunderstanding, and ... meanness.

Revealing a prejudice I hold, I have always believed that the single most important objective of a film is to provide food for thought. That is why I think this teen comedy ranks among the best ones I have seen recently.