A Comparison of Mean Girls (2004) and Mean Girls (2024)

Mean Girls is a 2000s classic that has been turned into a modern musical movie. The original is loved by many; there’s an entire fandom behind it. But regarding the new version, people have had some positive and negative opinions. As someone who has seen both more than once, I picked up on a few things that distinguish the productions from each other.  

One major change I noticed was the fashion. The fashion in the newer Mean Girls isn’t true to the characters’ personalities or even to what they would normally wear. Especially near the end of the movie, the girls started to wear blue which is something that is extremely out of character because they always wear pink. In fact, one of the movie’s most popular lines is, “On Wednesdays we wear pink.” Also, the outfits were very ordinary in the new movie, similar to outfits people would wear today. But the whole idea of the movie is that the “mean girls”—Regina, Gretchen, and Karen are “better” than everyone else. Therefore, I think that the girls should stand out fashion-wise and wear more expensive and luxury brands. I personally prefer the vintage, girly 2000s fashion from the original, but some may appreciate that the newer version encapsulates today’s fashion trends.  

Another obvious difference between the 2004 and 2024 versions is the musical aspect. The original Mean Girls movie is not a musical while the other one is; this is a key element to the story. The new version of Mean Girls tells the story through the songs, so there are a lot of songs in the movie, specifically 14 tracks in only 1 hour and 52 minutes. I personally thought the music was an interesting addition to the movie, but when I was in the theaters and a song came on, everyone seemed annoyed. If you aren’t someone who enjoys movie musicals like Grease, Mamma Mia, or La La Land, you may not like this version of Mean Girls. Overall, the plot was pretty much the same. 

The actors playing the characters in the new version are also obviously very different (although some from the original made appearances in the new movie). The actors in the original version at the time were well-known compared to the actors in the new version. In the original, the most popular actors in that movie during the time were Tina Fey, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Rachel McAdams. But in the new movie, the only actors with familiar faces would probably be Reneé Rapp for her music, and Christopher Briney from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Besides them, all the actors are not too well known which might cause hesitation amongst people to see the movie.  

I think both movies are worth seeing. One is a classic, and the other is a newer and modified take on the characters, fashion, and more. I think the new movie is proof that nothing is better than the original. Despite this, I still like the new movie, but the original takes the cake in my opinion.