Mean Girls (2004)

Directed by Mark Waters. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Franzese, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jonathan Bennett, Amy Poehler, Rajiv Surendra, Ana Gasteyer, Neil Flynn, Dwayne Hill. [PG-13]

Arriving in Illinois after spending more than a decade being homeschooled by her zoologist parents in Africa, teenager Cady Heron (Lohan) finds herself getting a crash course on public high school and all the cliques, insecurities, backstabbing and bullying therein. She finds herself welcomed into a crew of popular girls dubbed the “Plastics,” an opportunity she initially embraces in an attempt to undermine them, but she eventually finds herself becoming one of them, as phony and ruthless as their leader, Regina George (McAdams). Scripted by Fey, this teen comedy covers a lot of familiar ground, but also makes some sharp observations and has more than its fair share of witty and wickedly acerbic moments. Despite being developed in part as a vehicle for talented rising star Lohan (director Waters even helmed her last feature, Freaky Friday), she’s one of the weakest links in the cast; almost all of the best moments belong to the catty (and none-too-bright) queen bees, Cady’s “too gay to function” pal Franzese, and the school’s sardonic educators, including teacher Fey and principal Meadows. Might have been more fun if it went all-in on bleak, bludgeoning satire (and became a Heathers-esque black comedy), but still an enjoyable movie on balance, especially for older viewers whose wounds aren’t still fresh from surviving high school. Based on a self-help sociology book called “Queens Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman.

70/100