It’s a cautionary tale and it just hit theaters. “Mean Girls” a musical comedy written by Tina Fey, writer for both the original “Mean Girls” movie and Broadway musical that this new movie is based on, came out this January and the public opinion has been mixed. Fans of the musical often have complaints about the movie’s songs not living up to the standards set by the Broadway show. Fans of the original movie have said that they went to the movie and were caught off guard by how much of a musical this new film really was. So where does this new film really lie? Is it too musical? Or too movie?

This “Mean Girls” may have just come out but fans of both the original movie and Broadway musical will see many returning faces. From the original movie, both Tim Meadows and Tina Fey have reprised their roles as Principal Duvall and Ms. Norbury, and even Lindsay Lohan who played the original Cady Heron makes an appearance in the second half of the movie. Fans of the musical might recognize the cameo from Ashley Park who originated the role of Gretchen Wieners on Broadway, and more notably Renee Rapp who played Regina George on Broadway in 2019 and once again in this new film.

Since this film is a musical, it’s safe to assume that that would be one of the more important parts of the movie. So, were all of the songs hits? No, some gave off an awkward feeling while watching, like Cady’s (Angourie Rice) part in “Revenge Party” where the camera was awkwardly below her face, and others felt like a tone-down version of songs that fans originally loved for their more chaotic nature, such as “Stupid with Love” or “Cautionary Tale.” But there were some great songs too. “Sexy” sung by Avantika Vandanapu, who plays Karen Shetty, and “World Burn” sung by Rapp, were both stuck in my head long after I left the theater. 

Going hand in hand with the music, the acting in this film was also really well done. Jaquel Spivey felt like the perfect casting choice for Damien and his onscreen friendship with Auliʻi Cravalho’s Janis was as funny if not more funny than Damien and Janis’ friendship in the original movie. And while it occasionally felt like the writers were trying too hard to keep up with Gen Z, the multiple TikTok montages throughout the film come to mind, overall I feel like they did a really good job at modernizing what might be considered an “older” movie.

At the end of the day, I think this is a film anyone can enjoy. It’s got all the classic moments from the original movie that fans loved, while the songs are different than the Broadway version, that doesn’t make them bad. The costumes and choreography are both visually stunning, and if you’re just going to see Chris Briney as Aaron Samuels don’t worry he’s on screen a lot. So, whatever you might think of this film already, I seriously suggest checking out this cautionary tale about corruption, betrayal, and getting hit by a bus.