It seems like every decade there is a popular movie that redefines the high school caste system. Going back to the 50s (Blackboard Jungle), through the 60s (To Sir with Love), the 70s (American Graffiti or Grease), the 80s (Breakfast Club or Heathers), the 90s (Clueless) on up to the new millennium with this film. (The 2010s have a few contenders, probably Booksmart is one of the better ones.)

It’s hard to believe that Tina Fey’s Mean Girls is 15 years old now, but the world has done a lot of living since it was originally released in 2004. This was probably about the height of Lindsay Lohan’s fame, soon before her life and career crashed and burned. Ironically, the actresses who played the three mean girls who were her frenemies have mostly had longer, more productive careers than Lohan. Well, definitely Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, I suppose Lacey Chabert would be up for debate.

Also, since then, Mean Girls has become something of a classic comedy and even spawned a popular Broadway musical. It helped screenwriter / co-star Tina Fey make the jump from Saturday Night Live to her own shows and film work, including the acclaimed 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

That’s so fetch.

But, with 15 years of hindsight, does Mean Girls live up to its reputation as a film? Hells to the yes.

In fact, with over a decade since my last viewing of the film, it’s much funnier than I remembered. Sure, some parts don’t quite work (mostly the fantasy sequences of students as wild animals) and the bad girls turn out to be not as heinous as you would think, but for the most part it holds together as a terrific comedy about high school life.

It also reminds you what an accomplished comic actress Lindsay Lohan was, before drugs and tabloid drama pretty much scuttled her career.

If you haven’t given Mean Girls a whirl in a long time – like me – it is time to revisit this fun and funny comedy favorite.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2019 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 1, 2019.

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Copyright ©2019 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 1, 2019.