Throughout film history teen movies have typically been super successful, some of which are able to change the pop culture landscape forever. 2004's Mean Girls is arguably one of the best teen movies of all time, and was even adapted into a Tony-nominated Broadway musical a few years ago. The Plastics are back in theaters in a new adaptation of that musical, and you can read CinemaBlend's Mean Girls review here. The movie offers a bunch of twists from the original's iconic moments, and Tina Fey explained to CinemaBlend why Mean Girls needed to have so many ‘surprises’ for the hardcore fans.
Critics have seen Mean Girls, so the first reactions are starting to roll in. I had the privilege of speaking with the cast of Mean Girls, including Tina Fey who once again wrote the movie's screenplay. As you can see in the video above, I asked Fey about the new movie's penchant for surprising audiences--especially related to its most quotable lines. She told me why this was a focus on the movie musical, saying:
Well, I think jokes only really work if they're a surprise. That's sort of the nature of any joke is it has to surprise you a little bit, right? It has to not be what you expect it to be for it to work as a joke. And so while there are moments and sometimes random lines that people have nostalgia for that we did allow to remain, we knew that we'd have to have things that were surprising.
Points were made. Given just how quotable Mean Girls has become in the decades since its release, the new movie couldn't just deliver the same lines the same way. While moviegoers would be able to finish the lines, they probably wouldn't have elicited a laugh. And as such, the new movie offered a number of much-needed surprises.
The trailers for Mean Girls introduced a new take on beloved characters like Regina George and Cady Heron, although the footage was noticeably missing any actual singing. The songs obviously are a game changing way to differentiate the new movie from the original, but Fey and company worked hard to make sure they weren't just resting on nostalgia to make the new movie work.
Later in our same conversation, Fey further explained how Mean Girls directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. were key to making sure the new movie musical felt fresh and surprising. That includes both the cinematography of the songs, as well as putting twist on well-known Mean Girls moments. As the SNL legend told me:
And that's what Art and Sam our directing team they were so smart about from the beginning. Saying like 'The movie has to surprise us for it to work because everyone kind of knows the story. And a lot of people know the music already.' So between the way they wanted to shoot things and the little things that we put in that hopefully people will be surprised by.
Without giving away any spoilers, the new movie does just that. Well-known jokes are altered or doubled down on, allowing for even the most hardcore Mean Girls fan to be surprised. I count myself in that category, as someone who was a fan of both the 2004 original movie and the Broadway musical before this new film adaptation.
Luckily for fans knew and old, the wait for Mean Girls is nearly over. The movie opens in theaters January 12th, in all its musical glory. Be sure to check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
