(Mean Girls, Mark Waters, 2004)I have an unholy love for Mean Girls. That needs to be said from the start. There is absolutely no concrete, defensible reason for me to love this movie as much as I do. Except maybe the fact that Tina Fey wrote it. But that's beside the point. The point is that my love for this movie is that of an out of control, crazy person. So... keep that in mind.
What I love about Mean Girls is that it lives in a universe that's just barely an exaggeration of the one that we actually live in. For example, I didn't know anyone in high school who looked like Regina George, acted like Regina George, lived in a house like Regina George's, or had parents like Regina George's. Then again, maybe I was hanging out with the wrong people (or the right ones, depending on how you want to look at it). However, while I didn't know anyone who was identical to The Queen Bee, I certainly knew an awful lot of people who bore a close resemblance. And that's where the genius of Mean Girls lies. No high school is exactly like North Shore High School, but no high school is far off, either. Mean Girls strikes the perfect tone because it's real enough that you don't think to yourself "well, that could never happen," but fake enough that it isn't completely terrifying.
I'll admit, there are times when Mean Girls almost pushes it too far. As far as I knew, the "slut rule" for Halloween didn't exist until college (I'm sorry, but no girl I ever knew in high school would have gotten away with just wearing "lingerie and some form of animal ears" on arguably the most dangerous night of the year). No mom would ever walk in on her daughter making out with a guy and ask if they needed a condom and then just walk out when she didn't get an answer. And no dad, no matter how much time he's spent in Africa, would not know that when kids are grounded you aren't supposed to let them out of the house. But that's okay. I don't care. Because all of those things are funny. That Tina Fey knows what she's doing. I mean, count the Emmys.
So there it is. I love Mean Girls. I always will. It's another movie that I can recite along with the actors. Honestly, I could probably recite most of it from memory without the actors. But don't judge me too harshly. Because I might just push you in front of a bus.
What I love about Mean Girls is that it lives in a universe that's just barely an exaggeration of the one that we actually live in. For example, I didn't know anyone in high school who looked like Regina George, acted like Regina George, lived in a house like Regina George's, or had parents like Regina George's. Then again, maybe I was hanging out with the wrong people (or the right ones, depending on how you want to look at it). However, while I didn't know anyone who was identical to The Queen Bee, I certainly knew an awful lot of people who bore a close resemblance. And that's where the genius of Mean Girls lies. No high school is exactly like North Shore High School, but no high school is far off, either. Mean Girls strikes the perfect tone because it's real enough that you don't think to yourself "well, that could never happen," but fake enough that it isn't completely terrifying.
I'll admit, there are times when Mean Girls almost pushes it too far. As far as I knew, the "slut rule" for Halloween didn't exist until college (I'm sorry, but no girl I ever knew in high school would have gotten away with just wearing "lingerie and some form of animal ears" on arguably the most dangerous night of the year). No mom would ever walk in on her daughter making out with a guy and ask if they needed a condom and then just walk out when she didn't get an answer. And no dad, no matter how much time he's spent in Africa, would not know that when kids are grounded you aren't supposed to let them out of the house. But that's okay. I don't care. Because all of those things are funny. That Tina Fey knows what she's doing. I mean, count the Emmys.
So there it is. I love Mean Girls. I always will. It's another movie that I can recite along with the actors. Honestly, I could probably recite most of it from memory without the actors. But don't judge me too harshly. Because I might just push you in front of a bus.
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