Review of Mean Girls (2004) by Josh H — 12 Oct 2018

Pure art. I genuinely don't think Tina Fey intended for this movie to be as instantly nostalgic as it is, but this movie arguably has more iconic one-liners than any other movie ever produced. From "It's October 3rd" to "On Wednesdays, we wear pink", this surely must be the most quoted film to exist in Millennial (and Gen Z) culture.

From a purely academic viewpoint, while this movie may appear to be 2D and bland on surface, it uses extensive satire not only to provoke laughter, but genuine social commentary. Tina Fey, a liberal, cleverly blends social consciousness within the plot of this iconic teen drama. This is perhaps most clear in the 'gym scene', where she (as Ms. Norbury) is highly critical of the way girls treat one another within society. It is pure brilliance that this is done through a comedic tone, as it is both informative and hilarious.

The movie, social commentary aside, is equally brilliant. It has to be one of the best portrayals of satirical humour I've ever seen, with exaggerations on 'clique culture', popularity, and the students' immersion in this faux world being highly entertaining. Karen Smith's 'dumb blonde'-ity and Damian's unashamed campness are perhaps the two most constant sources of comedy.

The only negative thing I can say about Mean Girls is the prevalence of Dawson casting - that is, the hiring of adult actors to play teenage high school students - which is ultimately very commonplace in teen comedy anyway, and reflects Hollywood as a whole.

In conclusion, and forgive me for being superlative, Mean Girls is one of the best movies of all time. I genuinely believe it could be the most influential movie of the 2000s, and subsequently it will forever hold nostalgia in the minds of many. I highly recommend anyone considering watching this movie does so.