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  Mean Girls
Director: Mark Waters Plot: Cady Harris has been home schooled in Africa since, well, birth. However, after her family uproot and return to America, she goes to school for the first time age 16. After some problems, she gets involved with "The Plastics", the bitchiest, sexiest, richest girls in school. After some boy trouble, Cady decides the only way to get even is to get mean.
Writer: Tina Fey
Starring: Lindsay Lohan
  Tina Fey
Lacey Charbet
Genre:

Comedy

 Cert:

Critic -

Review:

 

 

 

 Mean Girls was a nice surprise of a movie. Although there is the obvious eye candy appeal, the movie also has a nice comedic edge to it, and rarely slips into idiotic teen trash. Carried along by a feisty script from sometime SNL patriot, Tina Fey, the film keeps pace with it's target audience's attention spans, and reels in at comfortable 1 and a half hours. The direction isn't as flaccid as you would expect from the man who brought us Head Over Heels (shoulda been called Head Up Ass). He seems to have developed an eye for slapstick set-up (see the bin scene) and capturing idiocy (see the costume party scene).

The cast is superb, which is surprising for a movie of this genre. Lohan seems to grow with every movie, and can more than hold her own on screen.
She is fast developing as a comedy actress, and her timing and presence are both improving. Her transformation from "high school virgin" to mean spirited Plastic is a tad fast, but considering the demographic the film is aimed at it is forgivable, however Lohan handles it competently and confidently. Rachel McAdams pops up as number 1 plastic biatch, and in spite of her occasional over acting also shows some bright patches. Fey is well cast as the required "good teacher, good heart" character. She interacts well with the younger cast and has written herself some of the best lines.

My only real complaint would be the "high school students as animals" scenes. Although an obvious link and a potential winner, the scenes are handled clumsily and look out of place in an otherwise (relatively) intelligent teen movie.