The Wonderful Girls. Review on Mean Girls Movie

Welcome to Girl World

Movie Mean Girls

The Plot (screenit.com)

Cady Heron (LINDSAY LOHAN) is a teenager who's entering the public school system for the first time after living in Africa where her parents worked and home-schooled her. After being introduced by North Shore High School Principal Ron Duvall (TIM MEADOWS) and math teacher Ms. Norbury (TINA FEY), Cady gets the scoop on the school and its social structure by student outsiders Janis (LIZZY CAPLAN) and Damian (DANIEL FRANZESE).

Cady thus learns of the various school cliques, including the most popular one, The Plastics, that consists of Regina George (RACHEL McADAMS), Gretchen Weiners (LACEY CHABERT) and Karen Smith (AMANDA SEYFRIED). The snobby and elitist girls take an instant liking to Cady and offer her a coveted seat with them in the cafeteria.

Realizing the Cady isn't like the rest of the Plastics, Janis and Damian think it's a prime opportunity for someone to get an inside look at the inner workings of the clique. That would include Regina's "burn book" that includes all sorts of mean, nasty and disparaging remarks about most everyone at the school.

Cady accepts the undercover mission and things seem to be going smoothly. That is, until she spots hunky Aaron Samuels (JONATHAN BENNETT) in her math class. Gretchen informs her, however, that he's Regina's ex-boyfriend and thus off limits. When Regina then purposefully sabotages any potential relationship between him and Cady, the latter sets out to turn the Plastics' lives upside down. As she does, however, she begins to fall prey to social power that her position in the clique offers.

My Review

This is the second Lindsay Lohan starrer I've seen after 'The Parent Trap' in 1998. If she was chooo cute (just 12yrs old then) in that movie, then she's absolutely gorgeous in the Mean Girls (20 yrs old now). Frankly, I am bewitched! She's beautiful with an equally good talent to boot. And the other leading lady Rachel McAdams (Red Eye, Wedding Crashers) also displays as much panache as Lindsay.

About the movie? Don't be misled by the title. It's not a B-grade teen flick. A rib-tickling comedy, it also teaches us a thing or two about tackling peer pressure and also how trying to be the popular one among the group at any cost can slowly erode our positive relationship with friends or family.

Loads & loads of humour coupled with a good story and lovely performances by everyone make this movie by director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Just Like Heaven) a clear winner. But it could have a restricted audience because of some sexually laced dialogues.

Sharing some of the interesting characters in the movie...

Cady (Lindsay Lohan)

An innocent American girl born & brought up in wild Africa who enters into a hippie public school in US for the first time and learns more than just a public school education...

the 'Plastics' - a trio of girls Gretchen, Karen and their 'leader' Regina.

Gretchen cannot think of a life without the Plastics. It's as if her very identity is dictacted by her team of friends. Also she keeps poking her pretty nose at everyone's business.

Karen is the 'duh factor' in the team...all body & no brains. Check out this dialogue by her in the movie, "I'm kinda psychic. I have a fifth sense. It's like I have ESPN or something. My breasts can always tell when it's going to rain".

And finally their 'boss' Regina who feels she's the ultimate donna in town and everyone better pay their respects to her or else...

Kevin Gnapoor (played impressively by indian actor Rajiv Surendra)

A maths nerd and an even wierder rap singer(complete with expletives and tearing shirt). But what's with the name Gnapoor?!!! Kapoor would have been better. Anyway, check out this rap by this indian freak in the movie -

"Yo Yo Yo! All you sucka MCs ain't got nothin' on me! From my grades, to my lines you can't touch Kevin G! I'm a mathlete, so nerd is inferred, but forget what you heard I'm like James Bond the third, sh-sh-sh-shaken not stirred - I'm Kevin Gnapoor! The G's silent when I sneak through your door. And make love to your woman on the bathroom floor. I don't play it like Shaggy, you'll know it was me. Cause the next time you see her she'll be like, OOH! KEVIN G!"

Trivia (imdb.com)

~ Amy Poehleer who plays Mrs. George is only five years older than her on screen daughter Rachel McAdams (Regina George).

~ Amanda Seyfried, who plays Karen in the film, was almost cast as Regina, but producer Lorne Michaels thought she may be better as the "dumb girl".

~ At the beginning, Lindsay Lohan was supposed to be Regina, and Amanda Seyfried was supposed to be Cady. After a while, the producers realized that no-one could play Cady... except Lindsay Lohan.

Director - Mark Waters

Year - 2004

Starring - Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey (also screenwriter)

Verdict - Beautiful comedy. You might also end up being a Lindsay Lohan fan after watching this. Either way, I wish I was in college with Lindsay & Rachel fighting over me...sob! :(