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| We’ve all had some experience with the “mean girls” in our lives. But even as the audience cheers and laughs as these girls are slowly brought down, the realization dawns that everyone is guilty of evil thoughts and words. Everyone in the community is responsible to change their behavior for there to be true peace. |
(2004) Film Review |
| This
page was created on May 29, 2004
This page was last updated on
December 9, 2004
—Review
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
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with Michael Ray
—Past Forum
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| CREDITS |
| Directed by Mark S. Waters
Book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
Screenplay by Tina Fey
Producers
Jill Sobel Messick ... executive producer
Lorne Michaels ... producer
Louise Rosner ... co-producer
Cast - in credits order
Lindsay Lohan ... Cady Heron
Rachel McAdams ... Regina George
Tim Meadows ... Mr. Duvall
Ana Gasteyer ... Betsy Heron
Amy Poehler ... Mrs. George
Tina Fey ... Ms. Norbury
Other credited cast listed alphabetically
Jonathan Bennett ... Aaron Samuels
Lizzy Caplan ... Janis Ian
Lacey Chabert ... Gretchen Weiners
Courtney Chase ... Sybillya
Jo Chim ... Saleslady
Wai Choy ... Tim Pak
Nicole Crimi ... Kylie George
Daniel DeSanto ... Jason Mandino
Neil Flynn ... Chip Heron
Daniel Franzese ... Damian
Olympia Lukis ... Jessica Lopez
Jonathan Malen ... Peter Haldi
Ky Pham ... Trang Pak
Chris Ploszczansky ... Huge Guy 1
David Sazant ... Marymount Captain
Amanda Seyfried ... Karen Smith
Elana Shilling ... Spazzy Girl
Rajiv Surendra ... Kevin Gnapoor
Cinematography by Daryn Okada
Edited by Wendy Greene Bricmont
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some teen partying.
Runtime: 97 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG |
| TRAILERS AND CLIPS |
| —Trailers, Photos |
| BOOK |
Queen Bees and Wannabes:
Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence
by Rosalind Wiseman
PARENTS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN GIRL WORLD Do you feel as though your adolescent daughter exists in a different world, speaking a different language and living by different laws? She does.
This groundbreaking book takes you inside the secret world of girls’ friendships, translating and decoding them, so parents can better understand and help their daughters navigate through these crucial years. Rosalind Wiseman has spent more than a decade listening to thousands of girls talk about the powerful role cliques play in shaping what they wear and say, how they feel about school, how they respond to boys, and
how they feel about themselves. In this candid and insightful book, Wiseman discusses:
• Queen Bees, Wannabes, Targets, Torn Bystanders, and others: how to tell what role your daughter plays and help her be herself
• Girls’ power plays, from birthday invitations to cafeteria seating arrangements and illicit parties, and how to handle them
• Good popularity and bad popularity: how cliques bear on every situation
• Hip Parents, Best-Friend Parents, Pushover Parents, and others: examine your own parenting style, “Check Your Baggage,” and identify how your own background and biases affect how you relate to your daughter
• Related movies, books, websites, and organizations: a carefully annotated resources section provides opportunities to follow up on your own and with your daughter
Enlivened with the voices of dozens of girls and parents and a welcome sense of humor, Queen Bees and Wannabes is compelling reading for parents and daughters alike. A conversation piece and a reference guide, it offers the tools you need to help your daughter feel empowered and make smarter choices.
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| SYNOPSIS |
| Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is a cultural blank slate when she first sets foot on the grounds of North Shore High School in a small town outside of Chicago, Illinois. After living in Africa, Cady, now a junior, has no idea how "wild" things can be in civilization until she crosses paths with one of the meanest species of all - the "Queen Bee," who at this particular high school is the cool and
calculating Regina George (Rachel McAdams).
But Cady doesn't just cross paths with this Queen Bee; she really stings her when she falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett). Now Regina's set to sting back by pretending to still like Aaron so he won't go out with Cady, all the while pretending to be her friend. With no choice but to use the same M.O. to stay in the game, the "Girl World" one-upmanship escalates until the entire school gets
dragged into a first-class mean-fest.
Surrounded by jokes, mathletes, flaky teachers and subcultures galore, Cady climbs up - and slides down - the harrowing social ladder of junior year, and life in the jungle turns out to be cake compared to high school!
|
 REVIEW
By Michael Ray
Email: dramaman23@yahoo.com
Web site: Beyond Film
Mike is a film reviewer with a background in community theatre directing and acting. He is working on his Masters degree at Denver Seminary and has a B.A. in English and a minor in Theatre from Colorado Christian University. He is a musician, preacher, artist, puppeteer, editor, and writer.
|
 Imagine if SNL spoofed the recent teen drama Thirteen, but softened it for a PG-13 crowd and threw in a sweeter ending. The result would
be the new teen comedy Mean Girls, which is surprisingly smart, funny, and meaningful. The plot revolves around Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), who is just beginning high school after spending her first 10 years of school in Africa with her scientist parents. She learns quickly the social rules of high school life, and is sucked into a clique of “mean girls” fittingly titled The Plastics. Cady struggles to be accepted and included, which leads to a social battle with Regina George
(Rachel McAdams), the leader of The Plastics.
 Lohan’s performance as she moves from the innocent home-schooler into the upper ranks of The Plastics is enjoyable. Other SNLers are spread throughout the cast. Tim Meadows
plays the tough yet clueless principal Mr. Duvall, and Amy Poehler nails the overly permissive parent role as Regina’s “cool” mom. Credit director Mark Waters for bringing this teenage culture to life, though I think he could have tightened up a few scenes, as well as had some faster cuts with the editing. This would have made some of the quick, subtle jokes even funnier.
Written by SNL’s Tina Fey (who also has a small role as teacher Ms. Norbury), the quirky script satirizes American teenage life and culture, poking fun at parents, education, and social groups. The influence of sketch comedy is definitely present, but a decent narrative is established. Throughout, Fey points to the influence that pop culture has on women; the quick shots of
Regina’s elementary-aged little sister learning sensual moves from Britney Spears videos and Girls Gone Wild commercials is all too real.
Fey also captures high school life dead on—these teenagers work their evil subtly, underneath the guise of sweetness.
 Even though it plays for laughs, this is a moral tale about the dangers of gossip. Cady realizes she has become the very thing she detests at the beginning of the film. By seeking
retaliation against the tactics of Regina, Cady herself evolves into Regina’s character. As Cady begins to fight ‘fire with fire,’ she and her friends become entangled in the messy business of lies, rumors, and backbiting.
The Bible calls the tongue a “fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body" (James 3:6). Like a spark that ignites a forest, the harmful effects of words can spread quickly. By the end, the destruction caused by gossip
impacts the entire school community; sins of the tongue are not isolated crimes, but indeed touch everyone they come in contact with, and this in turn leads to complete chaos and ruin. The forest fire of evil words devours the lives of the young girls, who soon realize that they are no longer in control of the damaging outcome. Cady then learns an important lesson about revenge—only by ending the cycle of negativity and gossip can the fighting truly stop.
We’ve all had some experience with the “mean girls” in our lives. But even as the audience cheers and laughs as these girls are slowly brought down, the realization dawns that everyone is guilty of evil thoughts and words. Everyone in the community is responsible to change their behavior for there to be true peace.
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