Maybe this trailer deserves the "Yes, No, Maybe So" treatment, but why do all that work when the answer is a resounding NO? Though the musical of Mean Girls isn't an especially well-regarded Broadway property, there was some hope regarding its transfer to the screen. That was before it kept getting delayed until landing on the dumping ground of January 2024. Everything's pointing to it being a disaster, and the first trailer only accentuates those doubts rather than dispelling them. And no, it's not just because it's so eager to make the original audience for Tina Fey's teen comedy feel as old as Methuselah…
What rankles most isn't even that shady tagline. Instead, it's the way the trailer exudes shame from every metaphorical pore, as if it's preemptively apologizing for being a musical. Like Wonka before it, Mean Girls pretends to be a straight comedy with little in the ways of song and dance. There are some flashes of the latter, hidden in plain sight by quick cutting, but none of the former. Indeed, they didn't even bother using one of the musical's songs as underscore, going with an Olivia Rodrigo tune. Now, it's true that the Mean Girls repertoire isn't very deep, but "Meet the Plastics," "Revenge Party," or "World Burn" feel fit for these commercial purposes.
If the people promoting a movie lack such trust in what they're selling, why should a viewer believe it's worth their time? Moreover, obfuscating the picture's musicality makes the entire exercise look even more redundant than it already is. With costumes, lines, and even Tina Fey's presence lifted wholesale from the 2004 hit, this comes off as a remake with little to offer other than some Gen Z-targeted modernizations. Well, at least there's that shot of Jon Hamm in gym teacher drag talking about choking, so not everything's hopeless. Still, that's not enough. It can't be enough. As audiences, we deserve more.
Do you agree, or are you more optimistic about the Mean Girls movie musical?