Get in, loser. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re exploring the evolution of “Mean Girls,” from book, to film, to musical, to movie musical.
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00:00 "Sit down. Seriously, sit down."
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're exploring the evolution of Mean Girls,
00:10 from book to film to musical to movie musical.
00:13 "Don't look her in the eye!"
00:15 "You could be really hot if you changed, like, everything."
00:20 Queen Bees and Wannabes
00:22 Mean Girls is such an iconic film that people are often surprised to learn
00:26 that it's based on a book.
00:28 It's more, a non-fiction book that only vaguely resembles the film.
00:32 "You let it out, honey. Put it in the book."
00:38 Author Rosalind Wiseman spent nearly ten years working with thousands of girls
00:42 who opened up about their sexuality, cliques, insecurities, and other issues.
00:47 Wiseman also found that many parents struggled to understand
00:49 what their daughters were going through.
00:51 "Oh, it's a rite of passage. It's no big deal.
00:52 You know, people treating you like dirt every day.
00:54 It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it.
00:55 You'll get through it. You'll be fine. No problem.
00:58 You won't even remember.
00:59 Well, the problem is that it actually is a big deal,
01:02 because it teaches you really important things."
01:05 This inspired Wiseman to write a book to help parents and teenage girls
01:08 navigate through the realities of adolescence.
01:10 Published in 2002, Queen Bees and Wannabes caught the attention
01:14 of several individuals who expressed interest in the movie rites,
01:17 including Tina Fey.
01:19 She brought the project to Lorne Michaels,
01:21 who convinced Paramount to buy the rights.
01:23 "There was never any point at which we thought it wasn't going to be a comedy.
01:26 It's a very rich subject matter, and I think there was more and more talk
01:30 about this subject, and so it seemed very much in the air,
01:33 and also I knew that she'd have a smart take on it."
01:36 Homeschooled.
01:37 Fey took it upon herself to adapt the book to film.
01:40 Given its nonfiction nature, though,
01:42 Fey would have to expand the material drastically.
01:44 "I really sat down and read Rosalind's book, and I'm like,
01:46 'Ah, this is nonfiction, non-narrative book.
01:49 There's no story in this book.'"
01:51 Where parents were the target demographic for Wiseman's book,
01:54 Fey's screenplay was told from a teenager's perspective.
01:57 Protagonist Katie would get her name from Katie Gary,
02:00 Fey's college roommate.
02:01 Damien was based on Fey's high school friend Damien Holbrook.
02:04 Janice was a compilation of different people, including Fey,
02:08 although her name derived from singer Janice Ian,
02:10 who performed on the SNL pilot.
02:12 Ian's "At 17" was appropriately worked into the film.
02:16 "We all play the game,
02:19 and when we dare to cheat ourselves,
02:23 it's solitary."
02:25 Fey even borrowed the name Glen Coco from real life,
02:28 remembering a friend of her brother's.
02:30 Beyond the characters, the film's plot and one-liners
02:32 largely stemmed from Fey.
02:34 "Fall for you, Glen Coco.
02:36 You go, Glen Coco."
02:38 Reading Queen Bees and Wannabes,
02:39 you'll find familiar phrases like "girl world."
02:42 Wiseman's book also explores several concepts in Fey's script,
02:45 such as girls dressing sexy on Halloween.
02:47 "What are you?"
02:49 "I'm a mouse.
02:50 Duh."
02:51 Yet you won't find any references to cheese fries,
02:56 burn books, or Jingle Bell Rock in the book.
02:58 Even "fetch," arguably the film's most famous line,
03:01 came from Fey, who discovered the word
03:03 while talking with neighborhood teens.
03:05 "What is fetch?"
03:06 "Oh, it's like slang from England."
03:09 Wiseman inspired Fey in other ways.
03:11 While hanging out, Wiseman compared young people
03:13 to animals at a watering hole.
03:15 To Wiseman's surprise, Fey included this in her screenplay.
03:19 Mrs. Norbury, played by Fey, could be seen as a surrogate for Wiseman,
03:23 who has conducted similar self-esteem workshops for girls.
03:27 Wiseman doesn't do dress twirls, however.
03:28 "Oh my God.
03:29 Oh geez.
03:30 Okay, walk it off.
03:31 Walk it off."
03:32 "Okay.
03:33 Is that alright?"
03:34 "They're okay."
03:36 While Wiseman's book provided the basis,
03:39 the film would be vastly different.
03:41 As such, the movie received a new title,
03:44 "Homeschooled," which was later changed to "Mean Girls."
03:47 "Shut up.
03:48 I didn't say anything."
03:52 "Homeschooled.
03:53 That's really interesting."
03:55 Discussing the film ten years after its release,
03:58 Wiseman said, quote, "I wouldn't change anything,"
04:00 praising Fey as a collaborator.
04:02 In 2023, though, Wiseman said that she contemplated
04:05 pursuing legal action against Fey and Paramount.
04:07 "We often have people in positions of respect
04:10 who use that position of respect and the authority they get
04:14 because of the position to take away the power of other people."
04:17 Wiseman received $400,000 for the movie rights
04:20 along with net profits from the film.
04:22 However, Mean Girls exploded in popularity,
04:26 having a life well beyond the 2004 picture.
04:28 In addition to receiving a made-for-television sequel
04:31 that only Tim Meadows returned for,
04:33 the film inspired a Broadway musical.
04:36 According to Wiseman, her name was credited in the playbill,
04:39 but quote, "there was no payment."
04:41 "I'm not being superficial.
04:42 I'm not being, this is not a silly thing that's happening
04:45 that I'm being ousted out of.
04:47 My dignity is being, someone's trying to take away my dignity,
04:51 my essential worth, and that is not okay."
04:53 Get in, loser, we're going to Broadway.
04:56 Fey further solidified herself as the face of Mean Girls
04:59 with its 2017 stage musical adaptation,
05:02 returning to scribe the book.
05:03 "Guys, isn't this so fun?
05:05 Clearly, they're just super excited."
05:09 The music would be written by Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond,
05:12 while Nell Benjamin of the Legally Blonde musical
05:14 contributed the lyrics.
05:15 The Mean Girls musical follows virtually the same plot
05:18 as the 2004 film, but with a few updates.
05:21 The narrator role shifts from Katie to Janice and Damien.
05:24 "We're not exactly joiners, but we'll be good friends to you."
05:30 Problematic subplots, such as Coach Carr's relationship
05:33 with underage girls, are inevitably cut.
05:36 Most notably, the technology is brought into the social media era,
05:39 trading in landline phones for smartphones.
05:41 "Exploding confetti emoji, happy face emoji,
05:45 Canadian flag emoji, send."
05:48 "Why the Canadian flag?"
05:51 "Side eye emoji."
05:53 Honestly, even in 2004, you'd think that the plastics
05:56 would be exclusively communicating through cell phones.
05:59 Technology aside, little about the 2004 film is dated.
06:03 With the addition of songs and a longer runtime, though,
06:06 the musical was able to delve deeper into certain characters.
06:09 Gretchen's self-esteem is explored through songs
06:12 like "What's Wrong With Me."
06:13 Karen is given more wit while still being dim.
06:16 "My name is Karen, I may not be smart."
06:22 "That's it."
06:23 "Thanks, Karen."
06:24 The musical restores a deleted scene from the film,
06:27 where Katie and Regina reconcile in the bathroom at the Spring Fling.
06:30 The scene helps to humanize Regina, providing the closure
06:33 between her and Katie that always felt like it was missing before.
06:36 "I feel like it's all my fault."
06:37 "Stop trying to make this about you, I'm the one that got hit by the bus."
06:41 "Well, I'm sorry about all the other stuff, too."
06:44 "Okay, I'm going to forgive you, because I'm a very zen person,
06:50 and I'm also on a lot of pain medication right now."
06:54 Where most musicals based on movies are DOA,
06:57 Mean Girls captured the spirit of its predecessor
06:59 while elevating the material in some respects,
07:01 receiving 12 Tony nominations.
07:04 Would the trek back to film be as successful, though?
07:07 "I can do it."
07:09 "Okay, let's rock this bitch."
07:11 Back to school.
07:13 Coinciding with the original film's 20th anniversary,
07:16 the stage musical got the cinematic treatment in 2024.
07:19 The filmmakers strive to find a balance between the stage show
07:22 and the 2004 movie.
07:23 "This is its own thing, its own comedy, and its own tone."
07:29 Trimming down the runtime, 14 songs were removed,
07:33 with "What Ifs" being written as a replacement for "It Roars."
07:36 Faye and Meadows reprise their roles,
07:38 the theater fans will recognize a few other faces.
07:41 Ashley Park, who originated the role of Gretchen on Broadway,
07:45 appears as a French teacher.
07:47 Renee Rapp, who took over as Regina on Broadway,
07:50 once again reigns as the Queen Bee.
07:52 It's the newcomers who inject this Mean Girls with a fresh voice, however.
07:56 "You really feel everything through what she's expressing."
07:59 "You're really going to get noticed around here."
08:01 Reflecting the changing times,
08:03 the cast is more diverse, with Ali'i Cravalho of Moana as Janice,
08:07 Tony winner Jaquel Spivey as Damian,
08:09 and dancer Avantika Vandenappu as Karen.
08:12 It goes to show that anyone can be these characters,
08:15 regardless of race and ethnicity.
08:17 Of course, Katie remains an American white girl from Africa,
08:20 this time played by N'Gauri Rice.
08:22 "I like your shirt."
08:23 "Thanks. It smells like sausage from the last time I wore it."
08:28 Directors Samantha Jane and Arturo Perez Jr.
08:31 are also able to play with social media in ways that the stage show couldn't,
08:35 presenting multiple scenes through an iPhone lens.
08:38 As for the narrative, those who know this story like the back of their hand
08:41 won't find many surprises, but there are some additions.
08:45 "New joke."
08:45 "I can't even see it."
08:48 "Like a face breast."
08:49 Ms. Herron is now a single mom, played by Jenna Fisher.
08:53 We're just going to assume Katie's father looked like John Krasinski
08:56 and that he sacrificed himself to save his daughter from noise-sensitive aliens.
08:59 Janice is a loud and proud lesbian,
09:02 which adds another layer to the song "I'd Rather Be Me."
09:05 "I'd rather be me, I'd rather be me than be with you."
09:10 Ms. Norbury and Principal Duval Shippers will be delighted to learn
09:15 that they're in a committed relationship.
09:17 The movie musical otherwise doesn't stray too far
09:20 from the mean girls we know and love.
09:22 At this point, though, why change perfection?
09:24 "You look awesome."
09:28 "I know, right?"
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09:45 Forever Fetch
09:46 When Mean Girls came out in 2004, it was a solid financial and critical success,
09:52 but few are describing it as perfect.
09:54 Maybe that's because no film can be considered perfect from the get-go.
09:58 "My hairline is so weird."
09:59 "My pores are huge."
10:01 "My nail beds suck."
10:02 "I have really bad breath in the morning."
10:07 The best movies aren't always the ones that top the box office or win big at the Oscars.
10:12 Endurance is the true mark of Artsworth,
10:15 and few films from 2004 have dominated pop culture like Mean Girls.
10:19 "If the limit never approaches anything, the limit does not exist.
10:22 The limit does not exist!"
10:25 Even the most quotable movies usually only have a handful of memorable lines.
10:29 With Mean Girls, we could make a top 20 list of lines we still use in everyday conversations.
10:35 One line, October 3rd, would be dubbed "Mean Girls Day" with fans naturally wearing pink.
10:40 "Okay, that was so fetch."
10:43 It isn't just the dialogue that holds up, it's how the film depicts high school.
10:47 Technology and certain cliques may change,
10:50 but the insecurities and social dynamics that Wiseman discussed in her book remain the same.
10:55 "Why was it so important to have a boyfriend, no matter how he treated you?
10:58 Why was it so important to put up with your friends, no matter how badly they treated you?
11:01 Was there a connection between the two?"
11:03 Faye captured those themes with a mix of honesty and humor,
11:06 speaking to multiple generations over the past two decades.
11:09 Other films have tried to replicate the success of Mean Girls,
11:12 but they're all wannabes compared to the Queen Bee.
11:15 "She doesn't even go here!"
11:16 "Do you even go to this school?"
11:19 "No, I just have a lot of feelings."
11:24 "Okay, go home."
11:25 While the material has evolved across film, stage, and film again,
11:30 Mean Girls is truly a testament to how little the teenage experience has changed.
11:34 Be it 2004 or 2024, there will always be high school royalty,
11:39 artsy outsiders, and people trying to make fetch happen.
11:43 "Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen."
11:47 How has Mean Girls shaped your adolescence and adulthood?
11:50 Leave us a gruel comment below.
11:52 "I don't send them, I just get them. So, you better send me one, Biatch. Love ya."
11:57 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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12:08 [outro music]