We may remember Amy Poehler for being one of Parks and Recreation’s funniest cast members, lending her voice to the Inside Out movies and her best SNL presidential impressions of Hillary Clinton. However, we also can’t forget when she played Regina George’s “Cool Mom” in Mean Girls. Considering Poehler was such a standout in the teen comedy, it felt like she was in a good portion of the movie. Little did we and the comedic actress know that she was in Tina Fey’s movie a lot shorter than we thought, and we can declare our minds blown.
Amy Poehler was part of the Mean Girls cast as Mrs. George, who always felt like she was one of the girls, to the chagrin of her daughter Regina. Still, Poehler made the role so funny and memorable that it’s hard to believe it was a small part. If you want to know how small, the SNL alum thought she knew her runtime in the high school comedy until Capital Buzz blew her mind with the answer below:
There you have it, folks! Amy Poehler made us laugh in Mean Girls for two minutes and 10 seconds. Like the Inside Out actress, I can’t even believe it was that short. Her longest scene, when you think about it, was when Cady and The Plastics met her at the George residence and she gave them some virgin Happy Hour drinks. After that, Mrs. George takes Regina’s photo of her in her Halloween costume and prom dress, as well as dances to "Jingle Bell Rock" in the crowd at the Christmas show. But as Poehler joked to Capital Buzz, her screen presence is so big that it feels like an hour.
It’s amazing when you think about all of the surprising trivia that’s centered around Amy Poehler in Mean Girls. For example, did you know that even though she and Rachel McAdams play a mother/daughter duo, they’re actually only seven years apart? Or that in the hilarious scene when Mrs. George’s dog is chewing on her nipple, it was accomplished by having a cocktail wiener put into her bra. We can even thank the Baby Mama actress for the Kevin G. rap in coaching Rajiv Surendra on his choreography. Even if Poehler’s part was small in Mean Girls, she still contributed plenty to the role.
Mrs. George may not have pulled off being one of the teens, but I still think she’s a cool mom in her own right. As embarrassing as she may be to Regina, she traded Regina her and her husband’s bedroom for a smaller one. Plus, she’s dedicated to showing up in all of Regina’s proudest moments. That sounds like a cool mom to me.
The runtime of Amy Poehler’s hilarious role in Mean Girls wasn’t six or three minutes like the American actress thought, more like two minutes and ten seconds. I know, right?! If you’d like to revisit the “Cool Mom” scenes, the 2004 flick is available with your Peacock subscription and your Paramount+ subscription.
