Twitter Isn't Holding Back On Mean Girls 2024
In 2004, "Mean Girls" became an instant cultural touchstone with quotable lines and star-making performances from Rachel McAdams and Lindsay Lohan. In 2024, a new "Mean Girls" has emerged that many people aren't being as kind to, especially on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A major source of contention comes down to people not realizing the new movie is, in fact, a musical. The original hit film was adapted into a musical that ran on Broadway, which serves as the basis for the 2024 movie. Unfortunately (and somewhat oddly), a lot of people online are outright hostile toward musical numbers, like @_destinypenaa saying, "['Mean Girls'] sucks it was a musical and I hate musicals." They weren't alone in that assessment, as plenty of other X users, such as @seiryokuarchive, despised having to listen to songs: "[T]he ['Mean Girls'] movie is terrible and [I] hate the songs they don't fit at all."
However, the clearest example of people's disdain for 2024's "Mean Girls" musical is on TikTok. A since-removed viral video uploaded by @user03776127 (shared on X by @sammcinnerny) shows an audience reaction to a scene where Cady (Angourie Rice) starts singing "Stupid With Love." People are cackling and groaning. It's a prime example of why studios are hesitant to market films like "Wonka" and "Mean Girls" as musicals in the first place.
The backlash to the backlash to the thing that's just begun
There's no shortage of "Mean Girls" hate online from people not realizing the movie is a musical. And that's resulted in another common type of post: people who are dumbfounded by audiences who don't do their research before going to see something.
X user @mjarbo is curious whether the added attention could benefit the film: "I'm loving all the [TikToks] of people not realizing it was a musical. T[h]at kind of marketing will either hurt it or help it lol." Others called out all the "Mean Girls" haters far more directly. On X, @XOEricDaDiva posted multiple clips from the trailers showcasing intricate dance choreography and characters singing. They further commented with a Google screenshot that classifies "Mean Girls" as a "Comedy/Musical."
Even if audiences were unaware that "Mean Girls" had a Broadway adaptation, easy access to the internet means there's an endless supply of information at most people's fingertips. And @HarrisonCoffman thinks this whole thing says more about the general public than the movie itself: "Listen, #MeanGirls (and all musical films) should be advertised as musicals, but I've worked in the ticketing industry long enough to not feel an ounce of sympathy for someone who gets mad about the ticket they bought without doing an ounce of research on what they were buying."
Chalk this up as another case study of how people are somehow less informed in the digital age than ever. But maybe it'll be good in the long run, encouraging viewers to do their due diligence before spending money on a movie ticket.
Others on social media were fine with the Mean Girls musical
It's disappointing to see so many people discount something due to its genre. Musicals have a rich history, and in a certain regard, it's nice that "Mean Girls" isn't simply a complete retread of the original. To be fair, not everyone online bashed the project.
Some criticisms are more nuanced. X user @CanaryGrayson compared the stage and film versions of the song "Someone Gets Hurt," preferring the former. Illustrating how the movie arguably doesn't live up to its Broadway counterpart, this is a productive critique, as it evaluates the new "Mean Girls" for what it is rather than wishing it was something else.
Others enthusiastically love "Mean Girls." X user @ZProductionz sang its praises, "#MeanGirls (2024) is endlessly entertaining and just a really good time. Lots of creative cinematography/direction going on as it shifts in and out of musical sequences." While Looper's Audrey Fox is lukewarm on the movie as a whole, she admits the songs help elevate the production: "'Mean Girls' is at its most fun when it lets itself be a full-on musical rather than a reenactment of the greatest hits from the original film."
The online discourse surrounding 2024's "Mean Girls" is fascinating for all the questions it raises. Why do so many people in this day and age hate musicals? Do people really see movies without understanding what they are? We just want to know what Reneé Rapp's next film is, because she's a star.