Law of the Jungle
The war of the sexes may be fierce, but the intra-tribal warfare waged between girls is apocalyptic—at least that's what writer/co-star Tina Fey and director Mark Waters will have you believe in Mean Girls. The teen-flick is a nice confection that will definitely resonate with high school girls and their mothers, and will leave the guys and fathers who get dragged to it scratching their heads.
As Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), recently transplanted from her idyllic childhood in Africa, finds out on her first day in the jungle that is high school, the girl world has a lot of rules ranging from what color one can wear to how you can arrange your hair to who you can date. It is a world of strata and class with the queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and her court of fellow "Plastics" at the top of it. And as with all ruling classes, Regina's is begging to be toppled and goth art-girl Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) sees Cady as the perfect instrument to pull it off.
Mean Girls is essentially a toned down, upbeat version of Heathers with the "Plastics" coming off more as misunderstood and misdirected than really awful, and the good girl finding out that she's really much better at being good than mean. The movie has a sort of After School Special feel to it with a rather ridiculous segment about sharing feelings near the end of the picture.
As a window to the girl universe, the movie is somewhat fascinating, particularly when Lohan's Cady compares (and fantasizes) the world of high school and the mall to the African Veldt. It's also nice to see the adults eventually take charge and parents not absent or wholly idiotic (save Amy Poehler of Envy who turns in another caricature performance as Regina's mother).
The girls are all good, particularly Lohan who, as usual, just shines. She's a terrific talent who keeps getting better and better. Screenwriter Fey who does double duty as calculus teacher Ms. Norbury is solid, bringing a world weariness that is at once stereotypical and refreshing. She plays the divorced, overworked teacher as an older version of Cady (one gets the sense that when this movie is remade in 15 years Lohan will be given this part). McAdams (The Hot Chick) should also be singled out because she plays mean girl Regina not just as a stereotype but as a really angry, complex girl.
Save for its sociological value, the movie runs out of steam around the inevitable turning point when Lohan assumes her role as queen bee and Regina becomes a wannabe again. The feeling sharing that continues well into the last reel or so gets a little tiresome and repetitive. And the ending is a bit too pat and feel good.
What Mean Girls needed was to go in for the kill more, but, despite its flaws, it is still a pleasant sight-seeing trip.
As Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), recently transplanted from her idyllic childhood in Africa, finds out on her first day in the jungle that is high school, the girl world has a lot of rules ranging from what color one can wear to how you can arrange your hair to who you can date. It is a world of strata and class with the queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and her court of fellow "Plastics" at the top of it. And as with all ruling classes, Regina's is begging to be toppled and goth art-girl Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) sees Cady as the perfect instrument to pull it off.
Mean Girls is essentially a toned down, upbeat version of Heathers with the "Plastics" coming off more as misunderstood and misdirected than really awful, and the good girl finding out that she's really much better at being good than mean. The movie has a sort of After School Special feel to it with a rather ridiculous segment about sharing feelings near the end of the picture.
As a window to the girl universe, the movie is somewhat fascinating, particularly when Lohan's Cady compares (and fantasizes) the world of high school and the mall to the African Veldt. It's also nice to see the adults eventually take charge and parents not absent or wholly idiotic (save Amy Poehler of Envy who turns in another caricature performance as Regina's mother).
The girls are all good, particularly Lohan who, as usual, just shines. She's a terrific talent who keeps getting better and better. Screenwriter Fey who does double duty as calculus teacher Ms. Norbury is solid, bringing a world weariness that is at once stereotypical and refreshing. She plays the divorced, overworked teacher as an older version of Cady (one gets the sense that when this movie is remade in 15 years Lohan will be given this part). McAdams (The Hot Chick) should also be singled out because she plays mean girl Regina not just as a stereotype but as a really angry, complex girl.
Save for its sociological value, the movie runs out of steam around the inevitable turning point when Lohan assumes her role as queen bee and Regina becomes a wannabe again. The feeling sharing that continues well into the last reel or so gets a little tiresome and repetitive. And the ending is a bit too pat and feel good.
What Mean Girls needed was to go in for the kill more, but, despite its flaws, it is still a pleasant sight-seeing trip.
