Here Are The Biggest Differences Between The New And Old Mean Girls Films

The reviews are in...

Published on16th January 2024 at 9.39am

Mean Girls is easily one of the top 10 most quotable films of the past 20 years. We all know the words to Kevin G's rap, everyone understands that fetch is never going to happen and even Kris Jenner has cosplayed as Regina George's mum during Jingle Bell Rock.

Not only that, but people celebrate October 3rd (the day Aaron Samuels asked Cady Heron what day it was) on social media every year as though it's a national holiday. To say the original 2004 Mean Girls is iconic would be an understatement. So it came as no surprise when, in October 2017, the film was adapted into an award-winning musical for the stage. It premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. and opened on Broadway in April the following year.

And on 17 January 2024, the stage production of Mean Girls was readapted into a new version of the original film by Tina Fey. If that sounds confusing, it's because it sort of is. It turns out many people rushing to the cinema to watch the new film, which is also called Mean Girls (rather than Mean Girls: The Musical, for example), were confused too.

However, one fan rightly pointed out on X (Twitter): '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.'

Is the new Mean Girls Musical the same as the 2004 Mean Girls?

The new film features an almost entirely new cast, a script that features both original and modernised dialogue, and a condensed version of the story to make space for the big (pop-adjacent) musical numbers.

Many things about the new film work well: the introduction of TikTok and social media playground politics, the musical numbers, the diversified cast (Jaquel Spivey as the new Damian is a standout), and the narrative nods and cameos for the older(read: millennial, sorry) viewers at the back.

Not only that, but several fans think the reboot will appeal to a new audience, while still maintaining the essence of the original (that it's not cool to be mean). One fan wrote that the film is 'colourful and unapologetically queer', while another said it has a 'different tone to the original but is more grounded in some ways'.

What are the biggest differences between the new Mean Girls musical and the 2004 original Mean Girls?

While there are subtle tweaks to some iconic lines and scenes – 'Jingle Bell Rock' becomes 'Rocking Around the Pole'), the Burn Book is now a Burn Ring Binder, and 'you can't join the Mathletes, that's social suicide' becomes 'you can't join the Mathletes, that's socially ruinous', it still feels like Mean Girls. Even the main characters can't help but pay homage to their 2004 counterparts in the way they deliver their lines.

The new cast of Mean Girls at the premiere in New York. (Photo by Kena Betancur/via Getty Images)

This film isn't necessarily trying to move the dial in the way that shows like Euphoria or Sex Education have, or to tear up the script of something we know and love. Instead it puts a modern spin on a cult classic and bridges the gap between past and present – welcoming a new generation of fans along the way.

There's no doubt plenty of Gen-Z viewers – who perhaps aren't as familiar with every beat of the 2004 film – will love it. And that their older siblings (or even parents, sigh) will too.