MEAN GIRLS Movie Musical - News & Discussion Thread- Page 5

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 10:49pm

The Janis is Lebanese/Lesbian Joke is one smartest lines in the screenplay and goes over a ton of viewers’ heads. Obviously depends on casting (and I question Auli'i Cravalho‘s casting the most), but I’m cautiously optimistic for this adaption. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 11:06pm

teddy1996 said: "according to someone who watched a test screening, where do you belong was cut. honestly i am very upset over this"

As someone who was intrigued by the song when it was performed at the Tony Awards, you just put me in a debate whether I’ll watch the movie or not

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 10/30/23 at 1:32pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "The Janis is Lebanese/Lesbian Joke is one smartest lines in the screenplay and goes over a ton of viewers’ heads. Obviously depends on casting (and I questionAuli'i Cravalho‘s casting the most), but I’m cautiously optimistic for this adaption."

Agreed. And I hope I'm wrong but if Janis' name is pronounced like "Imma-ike" then it doesn't take a genius to work out how they're going to incorporate that into a lesbian joke...

[Globefan]

Posted: 10/30/23 at 3:09pm

Plannietink08 said: "BroadwayNYC2 said: "The Janis is Lebanese/Lesbian Joke is one smartest lines in the screenplay and goes over a ton of viewers’ heads. Obviously depends on casting (and I questionAuli'i Cravalho‘s casting the most), but I’m cautiously optimistic for this adaption."

Agreed. And I hope I'm wrong but if Janis' name is pronounced like "Imma-ike" then it doesn't take a genius to work out how they're going to incorporate that into a lesbian joke..."

I thought they just changed the last name because of casting. 

Updated On: 10/30/23 at 03:09 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 9:08am

 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 9:16am

Not even mentioning that it's a musical version is ridiculous. And double ridiculous that they used Olivia Rodrigo's song and not one from the show. The studio must not think much of this movie, beginning of January is usually when the worst movies are released. 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 9:22am

TaffyDavenport said: "

Ugh, this is just awful! They decided to skip any musical number not to scare audience away. This is a musical adaptation from the Broadway production, and not a trashy remake. Even the title is simply 'Mean Girls' without any reference to 'the musical'. I guess Paramount is afraid the musical part would turn GP away, what a mess! 

 

 

"

 

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 9:44am

Feels like a big mistake to hide that it is a musical, also surprised that Jeff Richmond and Neil Benjamin don't get a "music by" crediting at the end 

Updated On: 11/8/23 at 09:44 AM

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 9:52am

With neither the trailer or the official poster stating anywhere that it's a musical - Did Tina decide halfway through production to just do a 2004 remake? I mean, obviously not but what an awful Marketing decision...yikes.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 10:01am

This looks...atrocious. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 10:04am

The musical is a pile of crap, so I have no doubt the movie adaptation will be too. It relied so heavily on love of the movie that the whole thing played like an inside joke instead of a musical that could stand on its own. And now the movie musical looks even more like a shot-for-shot remake, but the straight-to-video version, a la Mean Girls 2.

I just don’t understand why they felt they needed to make this. It’s going to flop so hard and it’ll be skewered by critics unfavorably comparing it to the original. They should have tried even a little bit to differentiate it. This is just lazy.

Updated On: 11/8/23 at 10:04 AM

[BwayLB]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 10:05am

Didn’t do me any favors! Gonna take more than Special Appearance By Tina Fey to get me hyped

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 11:17am

barcelona20 said: "Not even mentioning that it's a musical version is ridiculous. And double ridiculous that they used Olivia Rodrigo's song and not one from the show.The studio must not think much of this movie, beginning of January is usually when the worst movies are released."

 

This.  The January release date speaks volumes.  Ah, well.  People forgot all about the Valley Girl musical remake, they can forget about this, too.

 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 11:52am

verywellthensigh said: "barcelona20 said: "Not even mentioning that it's a musical version is ridiculous. And double ridiculous that they used Olivia Rodrigo's song and not one from the show.The studio must not think much of this movie, beginning of January is usually when the worst movies are released."



This. The January release date speaks volumes. Ah, well. People forgot all about the Valley Girl musical remake, they can forget about this, too.

"

What's odd is that this was originally going to be dumped on Paramount Plus. They have enough faith in this to upgrade it to a theatrical release... in the January death trap release window.

Jaquel Spivey remains the only reason I have any fleeting interest in this movie.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 11:56am

As mentioned, January is no longer considered a dump month. Is it prime summer release time? No. But the streaming model has created a more fluid model for theatrical releases. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 1:47pm

I had a chance to read the film musical script and speak with the directors-- quite a few of the best numbers form the Bway score were already gone, and they had plans to excise a couple more when I spoke to them. Little surprise that they're doing their best to hide the musical-ness of the piece in their trailer. And yes, the budget they were working with certainly suggested cheap fodder for the yawning maw of Paramount+ rather than a pedigree production.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 1:50pm

I'm excited to see this. Wasn't a huge fan of the musical song-stage, however, I do love the original film.

Fingers crossed. 

[Globefan]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 2:18pm

I hope they added some new songs. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 2:58pm

^ Sadly you'll hope in vain...

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 3:20pm

Odd that they’re hiding the fact that it’s a musical because that’s really the only reason it exists in the first place. Otherwise, as someone said above, it looks like a bad, lesser-shot remake. A brief look at the comments on instagram shows that very few know it’s a musical, with most questioning why it was made or why it’s not a direct sequel to the ‘04 film. Bad trailer. 

 

[Globefan]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 3:44pm

For the talent show scene, which do they use? Jingle Bell Rock or Rockin around the Pole? 

[TalksAboutBruno]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 3:52pm

Idk y'all... I think it looks great. Would I have loved some music? Yeah. But the energy and tone seem spot on.

Renee Rapp has developed quite a following. I bet more people know her outside of broadway at this point (completely flipped from a year ago). If there is an agreement with SAG and she is allowed to promote, this could be a modest money maker for Paramount. I'm sure at minimum it will break even.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 4:28pm

Needless.

 

Top to toe.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 12/19/23 at 12:46am

first two reactions for the film: 

https://x.com/rebecca_mich/status/1736610541970260322?s=46

https://x.com/seandoherty/status/1736585808260251852?s=46

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/19/23 at 1:08am

If you liked the stage show, you’ll probably like this.

I personally hated the stage show, mostly because the score is so weak and the show actually takes quite a bit away from the airtight screenplay of the movie. There’s a reason the original film is so rewatchable and so iconic. It’s damn good and still holds up today. This new film will be gobbled down like cotton candy and quickly forgotten.

My biggest issue with the musical is that somehow we end up knowing and understanding less about these characters. They are so distinctly drawn in the original movie, we know who everyone is almost instantly. As with the stage show, these characters become sort of vague and flat and we never really get to the heart of them. There’s that famous monologue that Janis delivers in the third act of the movie (the “suck on that” speech) that is replaced with such a basic, nothing burger of a song. The score is simply too generic and too amateur to justify replacing Tina Fey’s succinct and witty dialogue.

The other issue is how poorly written the role of Cady is. The role fared better on film than on stage but is still way underwritten and gets lost in the shuffle standing beside these outrageous characters. She should be the heart and anchor of the story but like the score, she is too thinly drawn and too vague to make an impression or justify a retelling of this story.

I do have to give a shoutout to Reneé Rapp who subverts the character of Regina George from a classic bitchy bully to a more subtle master of gaslighting. Jacquel Spivey somehow manages to have a fresh take on classic lines from the original which was impressive and quite funny. Tina Fey has a musical moment that is so funny I howled with laughter.

The diversity in casting was very welcome.

It’s jam packed with references to the original movie and there’s a really cringe cameo towards the end. It simply lacks the heart and storytelling of the original. There’s some cute moments in this new movie and it’s a fun, fluffy time. But it left me asking the same question I had when I saw the show on Broadway.


Why??