Movie Review: Mean Girls

This witty, over-dramatisation of the "high school world" is a must see coming of age story. Directed by Mark Waters, the comedy was actually written by SNL star Tina Fey, who also has a part in the movie.

The opening picture we get is of an innocent exchange student named Cady Herring (Lindsey Lohan). Cady is from Africa, and has never been exposed to the public American high school. She soon learns that she knows more about it than she thought, because Cady can relate every action of the "mean girls" to wild animals back in her native Africa. Scenes such as teens gathering at the fountain in a local mall, and the climax scene of the junior girls attacking one another, suggest this humorous way of looking at high school drama.

The plot of the movie is established by Cady's second day, where she meets Janice Ian (Lizzy Caplan), a rebelious ex-friend of Regina who is looking for revenge, and Damian (Daniel Franzese), an openly gay male who seems to be in the know. The three decide to attempt to sabotage "queen bee" Regina George's (Rachel McAdams) life. Through many twists, scemes, and yes, DRAMA, the movie pokes fun at the things we all may find ourselves considering important in high school (i.e. status, clothes, boyfriends/girlfriends, ect.).

Somewhere along the line of hanging with the "plastics" just for kicks, Cady begins to get a little too absorbed in her role. She begins acting like them all the time, and learns to control the people around her to get what she wants. In the midst of her transformation, Cady takes part in gossiping with the plastics in what they call "the burn book". In the book the write comments about their fellow junior girls, mocking them. Cady writes one about Ms. Norberry (Tina Fey), her calculus teacher, that gets the teacher into real trouble once the book is revealed.

The climax of the movie is when Regina George knowingly publishes the book after learning of Cady's original plot against her. The junior girls literally attack each other in anguish again taking the theme of the wild animals of Africa.

The movie ends with Cady's realization of how the mean girl lifestyle is nothing but what it's nicknamed: "plastic" and fake. She joins the mathletes with Ms. Norberry, who had encouraged her from the start to be herself, even if it was a little nerdy.