Going into the AMC Theater about to watch “Mean Girls” (2024), most of The Torch staff, including myself, had the mindset of “if it’s not broke you shouldn’t fix it.” While this remark was declared by Web Editor-in-Chief, Sivan Levy, she spoke for most of The Torch staff in that we believed the next two hours were going to be a fun bonding experience, but nothing more.
After hearing short clips of Cady Heron, the protagonist, sing with a voice that lacked much personality, I personally was not expecting this musical-movie to live up to the classic “Mean Girls” (2004).
Perhaps due to Cady’s voice, “Mean Girls” (2024) has received much hate over social media. To summarize the internet’s opinion, Sivan Levy describes it saying “some people say that it was really good and some people say that it is ‘Mean Girls’ from Temu.”
Though Cady had her shortcomings, Reneé Rapp, actress for Regina George, was really the star of the production, and her performance in the song “World Burn” made-up for Cady’s minor flaws.
In addition to Rapp, Avantika Vandanapu, who played the role of Karen, who was a part of The Plastics, caught the attention of News Editor Lindsay Luberecki, who described Karen as “so funny and so perfect.”
What drew the interest of admitted theater kid and Torch Editor-in-Chief, Isabella Kulawik, were the many “jump scare” lyric changes from the original Broadway production. However, she said, “I think it’s a great gateway to the Broadway world because I know if I watched it for the first time the first thing I would do is go home and listen to the soundtrack.”
From the opposite side of the theater, Torch Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Sanya Patel, explained her favorite moment in the movie, saying, “I probably laughed the most during Cady’s zoom-in. That was point and laugh worthy, and I did point and laugh.”
Overall, The Torch staff would absolutely recommend this movie for a group of friends who want to get a good laugh and watch Broadway star Reneé Rapp kill it once again. However, I believe that it was simply the environment of being with The Torch staff and my low expectations that allowed me to enjoy the movie so much more. Therefore, as much as I loved spending time with The Torch staff, I can confidently say that I will not be watching this movie again.
PSA: If you are watching the previews and see a trailer involving a toy bear, cover your eyes and ears. That movie is not for the faint of heart.
(This event had no affiliation and was not sponsored by Pine View).