'Mean Girls' musical movie review: It's not as good as the first, so why am I smiling?

How familiar does “Mean Girls,” the movie musical version of the Broadway musical based on the original movie, feel?

The limit does not exist.

If you saw the first one, of course. Although at times watching this movie is a little too much like watching the first one. Until Reneé Rapp blasts onto the scene, that is.

If the limit line, uttered at a crucial point in both movie versions, means something to you, it means you’ve seen the original film, which came out in 2004. That movie — starring Lindsey Lohan and, like the new version, written by Tina Fey, who appears in both — became a somewhat unlikely cultural touchstone. On Wednesdays we wear pink. You go, Glenn Coco. And, of course, stop trying to make fetch happen; it’s not going to happen.

People of a certain age can quote those lines and more like they’re early aughts Shakespeare or something. As well they might be. Fey’s script captures high school's casual cruelty and the wounds words can inflict, all with a weird sweetness. It's a smart film, resonant, which is why it’s lasted and spawned so many versions.

Is the new 'Mean Girls' good?

All of the lines mentioned above make it into the new movie, directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. But will you enjoy them even if you haven’t already heard them a thousand times before, thanks to repeated viewings of the 2004 film? Yes, of course. But I don’t think you’ll enjoy them quite as much. If you have seen the original they tickle a little something in your brain, just enough.

Fey tweaks the new film to update it, dropping some problematic plot points and adding things like cellphones and social media. The familiarity is ever-present, but also comforting and often hilarious. Rapp, in a showstopping performance, is the best at bridging the old and the new as the iconic Regina George.

Is it as good as the first movie? Nah. The direction is too ham-handed and the songs don't all hit (and there are a lot of them). But it sure is fun.

Who plays Cady in 'Mean Girls' 2024?

Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) was raised on the African plains by her mother (Jenna Fischer), a scientist. She moves back to the U.S. and attends North Shore High School, lousy with cliques and social boxes you simply can’t break out of. She’s befriended by Janis (Auli’i Cravalho, excellent) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey, also excellent), a couple of outsiders.

But somehow Cady falls in with the Plastics, the queen bees, the girls who rule the school. They’re led by Regina George (Rapp, who carries the film), who is rich, popular and mean as a snake. With her sycophantic minions, Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika), Regina begins to teach Cady the ways of the Plastics.

Janis and Damian see this as an opportunity. Cady will spy on the Plastics and report back. Janis is especially eager to disrupt their lives; she was once best friends with Regina, until a mysterious falling-out that may have involved some light arson. It all goes well enough until Cady makes the mistake of falling for Regina’s former boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney). From that point on it’s an all-out fight, not so much for Aaron as for superiority. Cady has infiltrated the Plastics, but along the way, has she actually become one?

Who was in the cast of the first 'Mean Girls?'

You could say all of this about the first film. The difference, of course, aside from the tweaks and updates, is the cast and the songs. The original cast was fantastic — Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan and more. The new cast doesn’t try to mimic them, which is a good thing. They’re doing something different. They have to be convincing as actors and singers, and if they are not as immediately appealing as the former, all are good as the latter.

I’m no expert on musical theater, but any of the Regina songs are obvious highlights — Rapp, who enjoys a career as a pop singer, can really sing, and has confidence to burn. (As it happens, “World Burn” is especially good; she kills it.) Cravalho’s “I’d Rather Be Me” is also a critical number in the film, and a chance for her to shine.

But limits do exist. Cady’s transformation goes from gradual to sudden. The direction — this is the debut feature for Jayne and Perez — is heartfelt but too busy during the non-musical scenes. (You don't have to move the camera all the time.) Busy Philipps, who grew up in Scottsdale, puts a new spin on the “Cool Mom” line but doesn’t have enough to do beyond that.

Quibbles, quibbles. I noticed about halfway through it that between laughs I’d been smiling the whole time. “Mean Girls” may not be totally fetch, but it’s still a good time at the movies.

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‘Mean Girls’ 4 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Directors: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.

Cast: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho.

Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, strong language, and teen drinking.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, Jan. 12.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Mean Girls' musical movie review: Tina Fey goes back to high school