Mean Girls
Ever since Mean Girls hit the screens in 2004, it has been a classic. It is a bit exaggerated, but still an accurate representation of how high school can be. It shows how simple it is in high school to get sucked into drama. Cady Heron is the new girl all the way from Africa and doesn't know how high school works. Little does she know, she will be christened into the school by none other than the plastics. Janis Ian uses Cady as her guinea pig to sabotage the plastics, specifically Regina George. All of the actors in this film played their roles phenomenally well, such as Rachel McAdams as the classic mean girl. Rachel McAdams made a lasting impression on the audience and really gave them a performance that launched her career. In the same year, she made her other highly acclaimed film, The Notebook where she plays a completely different role. Overall, I think her performance was genius and dead on. The reason for why this movie is so popular is because it is relatable. Most teenage girls can relate to girl drama and "backstabbing." Also, it's hilarious and spot on dialogue has to be attributed to Tina Fey. She did a fantastic job writing a screenplay that was so accurate and still entertaining to watch. Besides being behind the camera, Tina Fey also did a great job playing Ms. Norbury, the students teacher who somehow gets trapped in their drama as well.
The most interesting technique used in this film was the different shots they had between what was reality and what was in Cady's imagination. The way that they cut from those two was so entertaining and looked like her imagination could become reality. Also, in the movie there are many lunch room scenes where they are sitting at tables. The camera moves around a lot to get aerial and long shots of the lunchroom with all the different tables. I think that technique was used to show the variety of kids you have in one school. There are many talking scenes with two people and each person has a close up. I think this is important and useful because it shows how the characters interact and their true feelings about what is going on. Also, the lighting is different from scene to scene. When Janis and Damien are there, the lighting is darker and focused more on the mood of the characters. Since Janis is getting revenge in some of her scenes, you can see that feeling through the dark lighting. On the other hand, when Cady is with the plastics or her parents, the lighting is normal and focuses on the assets of the characters.
One scene that I thought was very powerful and the overall message of the movie was the scene right after Cady's party. Janis and Damien show up, after not being invited and tell Cady the harsh but true reality. Even though there is some comedy thrown into this scene, it is also very sad because it shows the reality of how teenagers act towards each other. Cady feels alone and victimized by the people who she thought were her friends. This scene is really powerful and sad because Cady realizes that she has become what she never thought she would be, a mean girl. Overall, I would give this movie 5 out of 5 stars because it is relatable, funny and never gets old no matter how many times you watch it.
I agree that Rachel McAdams was amazing in this movie. In general, I'm just really impressed by the range of characters she can portray. When I watch her in this, it's almost hard for me to think of her as the same actress from the Notebook, the Vow, or Time Traveler's Wife.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the screenplay, too -- Tina Fey did an incredible job creating dialogue that's still hilarious almost ten years later. Anyway, great review!
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ReplyDeleteThis movie is going to be an immortal classic.It is so funny! And Tina Fey did such a great job with the script. Great review!
ReplyDeleteLove this movie! I agree that it is exaggerated, yet that's what makes it so hilarious. And It is completely relatable, because there always are those "mean girls" in your school that backstab, start rumors and cause unnecessary drama just like the plastics. I also agree how the aerial view and long shots are used to show the different cliques in school, like when Janis is explaining them to Cady. Such a classic movie and a great review.
ReplyDeleteReal nice work here, Natalie. It's funny, you mention it's a classic, and several other people did in their responses as well. I've only seen part of this movie, just recently. Do you think that it's on the same caliber of "high school" movies as say, "The Breakfast Club"? I should definitely see it, because with so many people calling it a modern teen classic, it must be pretty good. Usually, I'm skeptical of teen films; but, I didn't know Tina Fey wrote it--that's intriguing. Anyway, nice job focusing on all these different elements. Keep it up.
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