Review of Mean Girls (2004) by Chris W — 21 Sep 2013

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would or should. It's actually a really good movie, like seriously. It's girly of course, but there's a lot of truth behind what's being displayed on screen.

I could have gone my whole life without seeing it, and that would have been fine, but the more people talked about it, the more curious I got, especially since this movie was a breakthrough for several cast members I like. I also enjoyed the fact that this had so much involvement from the SNL crowd.

Basically, this is a fun and highly entertaining farce that blends Heathers with Clueless and Jawbreaker, but sets everything in the 21st Century. The basic plot follows a 16 year-old girl who grew up in Africa, and spent almost her whole life being home schooled. After moving back to the States, her parents decide that she needs to attend public school to get some much needed socialization. Her world gets flipped upside down when, in her attempts to fit in, she becomes involved with The Plastics- the gorgeous, vapid, and domineering clique of popular girls And this is all about her trying to navigate the strange jungle that is high school- a world more foreign to her than the real jungles of Africa.

Give it a shot if you haven't already. It definitely exceeds expectations, and that's coming from my mouth, the mouth of a goofy, offbeat straight man who has a beard and loves history and heavy metal. The film is funny, insightful, clever, and a lot better than it probably has a right to be.