Happy holidays! What are your initial thoughts on the Mean Girls musical movie that’s coming out in January??

I love how Karen is easily the happiest of the plastics, and she's the only one who isn't putting on an act. She lacks Regina's Diva behaviour, Gretchen's insecurity, and Cady's willingness to sabotage the group. What she lacks in brains, she makes up for in heart. 💖

I also really like that they DID NOT film it as if it was sexy. The camera doesn't pan up and down their bodies or find just the right angle to see up their skirts. It's awkward, as it SHOULD be.

The thing that's always stood out to me in this scene is that Cady's parents are shocked by how sexualized the dance is, and the plastics have been doing it since they were like 12 or something, JANICE choreographed it.

Also just now realized Aaron puts his arms around both Cady and Regina in this scene. I never even realized he's figuratively stuck between the two of them at this point so they show it in this scene

Regina’s mom stole that scene for me lol

There's a really subtle moment in the dance that further illustrates the shift in power. If you look at 4:06, you can see that Regina is behind the other girls in the choreo (as in, she's a beat late), which shows how thrown off she is. It's also interesting to see that, immediately after the dance, both Regina and Gretchen are trying to reclaim power, and both in their own way. Gretchen is eager to prove that Cady has a crush on Kevin, not because she really cares about Cady's feelings but because being the first in on someone's gossip is her source of power. Meanwhile, Regina figures out that Cady is still into Aaron (the fact that Aaron "knows" Cady hates math proves the two of them have been talking in private, and Regina knows Cady likes math), but unlike Gretchen she keeps her cards close to her chest, and then just for good measure she shuts down "fetch". Honestly, the whole scene is so incredibly well written, and even the tiniest moments hold so much characterization.

I feel like the truth behind Regina not wanting to „mess up her lipgloss“ is actually about her not wanting to kiss Aaron, because she is not into him anymore. Despite from the Halloween party, we do not see Aaron kiss Regina on the mouth one time, only the cheek :o

Mean girls is honestly such a good film I can’t explain it everything about it is so great all the little details are just so cool

Karen is the only plastic that's truly herself. She's just so happy existing 😂

In my perception, I think Regina demands Gretchen to switch places with Cady in the last minute because she thought that Cady would get the choreo wrong. She did that to embarass Cady in front of the whole school. But then Cady not only do all the dance correctly, but when Gretchen messes up, she sings and saves them, switchin the power dynamics of the group.

I just noticed while watching this video that, when the curtains open, the spotlight shifts a little to the right, focussing less on Regina, and more on Cady, foreshadowing the shift in power.

The crazy part is…if Regina DID cast out Gretchen, after some time…because of the type of person she is, Gretchen would be fine. Gretchen is VERY smart and knows how to work her way around people. Of course, because of the group she was a part of, a lot of people wouldn’t have liked her; but I think a lot of people would have liked her as long as her ass wasn’t too messy, cause her mouth gets her in trouble (which is why I think she’s a Gemini) lol, but she would’ve been fine. She may not have thought so because she was VERY co-dependent, but yeah.

Gretchen is such a sad and tragic character if you think about it. She’s really not that mean, and I don’t think she deserved the ending she got. She’s the only character that doesn’t “move forward”, or becomes any happier. She’s stuck in the same place probably getting the same treatment in this new clique that she got from Regina.

Something I really like about this dynamic, too, is the toxicity of Cady gaining power here. The whole scene sparks off because _Regina is favoring Cady over Gretchen._ The scene ends with both Gretchen and Regina coming closer to Cady and drifting further from one another.

i could never really tell if damian was joking when he asked janice if it bothered her that they still use her original choreography 😭😭

This scene is truly iconic. I will always love how unbothered Karen is, what a legend 😂

Janice is 100% putting up an act. She really closely resembles Regina, but went the other way. It's better to be so far on the outside that it looks like you don't care then being on the outside. She did find better friends because she's part of the weird group and they accept anything but someone telling them who to be. Where popularity is about fitting in, the weird group is about being yourself. It's why Damien can be a mean girl.

I can't believe that this movie will be 20 years old next year. Talk about feeling my age! 😂It's a shame that this movie isn't a true sequel following the original characters as Moms, but at least we have those Walmart adverts starring Lindsay, Lacey and Amanda.

Also, when Regina shuts down Gretchen’s “fetch,” it could also be interpreted as Regina defending Kady, since Gretchen was teasing Kady about possibly liking a guy in a “lower” social class, perhaps to undo the promotion that Regina just gave her. But Regina shuts it down as a message to Gretchen, subtly saying “Kady’s not the weird one, you are.”

I love how Damien throws the shoe back at Jason

I always thought the director chose 'Jingle Bell Rock' because it's the one classic Christmas song that is appealing to young people because it has the word 'rock' in it. I can imagine Regina picking that song because it's the least "lame" Christmas song lol. I love learning fun fact about this movie, it never gets old.

I actually laughed when I saw MeanGirls as a Christmas movie on Netflix 😂 But a classic indeed

This scene falls into a category which I’ve always loved - set pieces which become memorable both through their sheer narrative spectacle, and through how they move the story or emphasize narrative elements (either subtly, as such is the case with Mean Girl’s Jingle Bell scene, or blatantly, like Shrek 2’ I need a Hero sequence).

Did anybody else notice how Cady is the only one who swings her hips to the other side? I don't think Lindsay Lohan did it on purpose, but I think it really adds to the subtlety of this scene! Though I will point out that the bra strap showing was in fashion at the time. I don't think it is meant as a deliberate symbol of anything, except the fashion of the 00s.

This scene is an epitome of what is changing at the school, the girls’ dynamics, the oversexualization of teen girls, everything you think of. When you think of Mean Girls, chances are you think of this scene.

This analysis is so well thought out and clearly explained! I feel like I subconsciously picked up on some of these things but there’s no way I could’ve put words to it. I feel like Karen is just there for the vibes and I love that for her 💕

in the original script/one of the earlier drafts the whole christmas scene does end with regina's wardrobe malfunction, which is what the musical went for! I'm so happy we're gonna get both versions available for screen because visiting broadway/west end is just not easily achievable for many people

At the end of the song, when Regina and Cady are back to back, the camera is mor positioned towards Cady to! I think that was definitely intentional as Cady sorta blocks Regina a little bit.

Dang, I didn’t realize there was SO much to unpack in this maybe 4-5 minute segment from the movie. This is a great video and this shows why the movie is so smart and remains relevant 20 years later.

Means Girls in a great example of all the mishap and obstacles during production ended up working for the movie’s benefit. It’s a classic now.

I love how meanwhile Karen is just having a blast

what i find really funny is that in my experience irl, male friend groups are as susceptible to having the plastics' friend structure and hierarchy as female friend groups do or if not, most likely to have it more than girls do

thank you for mentioning and showing how brilliant mean girls really is. i feel like every time i tell people that this is my favorite movie they look at me crazy but i swear there is so many hidden meanings that makes it extra cool

In the musical this dance plays the role of when regina starts to be outcasted but i personally like that better because what happens is reginas skirt busts open and she runs off embarrassed and becomes a meme

Great observations all around. Those costumes were very intentionally designed to be different. Cady and Regina with the cropped tops as you noted, but also Cady's skirt is the shortest, sitting lower on her hips and making her stand out just a tiny bit more. Good costumers always put these details in.

I have a question tho, the three plastics seem to be together for a long time. Leading to conclusion that they don’t need to add any new member to the group, but why Regina decided to add Cady? And why Cady the new jungle girl out of all the girls in the high school?

In the musical this scene ends ups with Regina's skirt falling out and people make fun of her online and making memes, it's not important, people start saying that cady looked amazing and was professional bc she was doing the choreography great and was smiling, I dont know how much they will change in the movie but I'm not expecting a lot, it's not a good musical and it only has a few good songs

this is why i subscribed to you, you're so authentic

Mean Girls really was lightning in a bottle.

I still think about this scene EVERY time the song is on

I love mean girls so much just everything about it is so good i saw a sweatshirt that says that’s so fetch and i just had to buy it in honor of the musical movie coming out even though it probably won’t be as good as the og or the og stage musical

i have seen the broadway show and at least in that version, the scene serves a completely different purpose. there, the talent show is when the student body realizes how much regina’s body is changing. she can’t fit into her own costume anymore and mid performance the skirt falls off, embarrassing her in front of the whole school. so maybe that’s what will happen in the movie musical?

u should analyze the “i was a woman possessed” scene!!!

The thing is, this movie has so many iconic scenes (jingle bell included) that's why i personally find it hard to choose a favorite. I love this movie so much, i can quote everything in my day to day life 😂😂😂

one of my fav comfort movies

yess please make more videos about mean girls I literally don't understand this movie at all outside of surface level themes I am curious

Watching this when you were a kid to teenager is just entertaining. Watching it again when you're an adult hits different. Especially, when you realize it's a very meticulous and intrinsic paraphrase of the real life events and social behavior.

I just watched the movie musical and it really made me appreciate how amazing the original is. Every scene has purpose and every part systematically contributes to Cary’s becoming plastic whereas the musical doesn’t have that same feeling of progression things just happen.

I always wondered what the point of this scene was. I literally just watched this movie and didn’t get why it’s never brought up again

I absolutely LOVE your analysis videos. They give me so much serotonin. 💕

Janis being the co creator of the dance never crossed my mind before! I watched the movie a million times and always heard Damien say "they use THE original coreography" not "your". Maybe cause engish is not my first language lol. Great video 💖

Omg hiii happy holidays!! The video came out at PERFECT timing

I love your videos, they are so positive. I’m excited for the movie!!!! When I heard the trailer sing “reginaaaaaa” I was immediately like AHHHHHH

Wow I lived ur Analysis on it, it’s so interesting hearing bout mean girls cuz it feels so well thought out

I love your analysis on this!!!

Awesome breakdown! One of my favorite scenes of the movie and I have a much deeper appreciation for it now :)

❤❤Love this. I love how Mean Girls explores how complex girl world is. And I loved that they recognized Lindsay was only sixteen at the time and toned down on the hyper sexuality.

I love these videos so much, I can tell that you put so much time and effort into them!!!!

This analysis is sooooooooooo good

I neeeed more mean girls content I love your videos so much!!

Another thing to note is Caty and Regina are the only girls showing their stomach as if they’re fighting for attention. Gretchen and Karen you cannot see their midriff reminding us they are shadows/followers

i just saw the mean girls musical movie today and while i cant exactly articulate my thoughts on it too well, i think the talent show scene was still good, but VERY different from what the original was. would love to see a sequel to this video comparing the two someday, your analysis of the original was impeccable :D

Great analysis!

Great analysis of all the factors that make this the most pivotal scene in the movie! Re: the musical, I'm annoyed by the idea of it and it seems inevitable it won't be as beloved as the original. However I'll definitely be seeing it, looking forward to the new lines, increased diversity in the cast, and musical numbers which to me always make a movie more fun (even if they're bad musical numbers lol)

Great analysis, I like both versions alot having seen the musical now, they opt for a world crashing down on regina approach and it worked great imo

I loved the movie & I love the musical. I’m very excited to see how it brings a new light to the classic. I also heard the songs will sound different, a more modern feel instead of musical-esqué.

id love to see a video talking about the musical movie once it comes out! i’m also very scared 😭

I was just saying how tragic ut is that this scene isnt done appropriately in the musical. For all these reasons 😭

This is like watching strategic breakdowns in wars

God every time I learn something about this movie it just makes its spot at my #1 certain

You know, I've seen this movie before, but it wasn't until I watched this breakdown of this scene that I noticed something. When Cady starts singing, all of the girls have the same reaction: they look up at her from their poses with these helpless expressions, like they're lost and looking to her for guidance...including Regina. Sure, she figures out what Cady's doing really quickly and manages to pull herself together faster than Gretchen or Karen to jump back in to their routine, but you can tell that she had NO backup plan if anything went wrong. It subtly reinforces the power shift in such a perfect way. Bonus 3am Rant: I think part of why Regina's so confident because she has everything down to a routine (Pun intended) so when it all fell apart, she froze up and needed someone to save her. Meanwhile, Cady's whole school experience here has been nothing but thinking on her feet. She's not going to be scared by one little mistake at this point, so she finds a solution fairly easily. The other two follow along shortly after Regina starts to move, and a new leader, if only for a moment, is born.

great analysis sidenote but i love karen in both and she was the highlight of the musical

I think what’s interesting is that all the other talent show acts are men, and they’re allowed to show *real* talents related to their interests. The Plastics, on the other hand, are all girls and made (and somewhat forced considering that this is a yearly tradition) to preform before an audience. It’s a nice lil callback to how femininity is all a performance

I LOVE YOUR CHANNELLLL SO MUCH

I think in the musical movie version, Regina's downfall comes too suddenly in the Christmas talent show scene. Whereas as in the original, it's just one more step in Candy's usurpation of Regina's power, in the new version it is the entirety of that usurpation. Before then, the efforts to bring Regina down were failing, and then suddenly, she was hated. I think that took away from the commentary of power, because there wasn't the same time to watch Cady as she was slowly corrupted by the power of rising through the ranks of the plastics.

i love these omg

After watching the new mean girls the musical movie, the original is better. First, in the musical, they fail because Regina didn’t want to practice with them so none of them were prepared to handle her weight gain. (The three other girls pick Regina up and they drop her) Second, Cady never does anything to fix the situation. She just looks pretty? That’s why she’s the new queen bee. Technically what she did was give Regina the weight gain bars. Aaron is not with them in the beginning either, and it’s later into the film. Overall, there’s nothing of depth in the scene as the musical is struggling to replica iconic moments and trying to make something original for itself.

I never realized before this video that this scene foreshadows Cady taking Gretchen's place in the pecking order 😅

15:09 *BARRRRrrrrrsssses* 🤟🏽🫳🏽🎤

I’m also nervous about the new version… I’m going see it with a open mind, but I know it’s just not gonna compare to this classic original 😢

i really liked this video!

Mean Girls is one of my favorite movies. I hate how everyone dismisses it as just another simple movie, when there's actually a lot of depth to it. Along with Easy A, I believe that not only should every teenager watch it, but there should also be an analysis made about the movies the same way they do with a lot of literary works during high school.

I haven't seen the Musical Movie yet, however I have seen the actual musical and that scene is *very* different in that, I assume the Musical Movie is following that more closely

Hey, queen! Allow me to share insights as a fervent "Mean Girls: The Musical" enthusiast. The Christmas number within the musical, though akin to its cinematic counterpart, diverges in pace, orchestrating Regina's downfall with happens a lot faster in the musical. Unlike the film, the plastics are seniors and they expedite Regina George's descent before the onset of Christmas break. They strategically humiliate her while she is winning homecoming queen in early November and present the notorious Kalteen bars around Thanksgiving. Consequently, by the winter talent show in December, Regina has visibly gained weight, and her crown has already metaphorically slipped. Noteworthy character nuances unfold in the musical, particularly with Cady, who has a heightened assentiveness than in the film. She frequently employs condescending remarks towards Regina and candidly addresses Gretchen and Karen during talent show rehearsals, urging them to resist Regina's mistreatment. This conversation accentuates Cady's resilience and assertiveness. A pivotal shift occurs in the dance fail scenario, attributed to Regina instead of Gretchen, prompting an abrupt exit by the girls from the stage. In a transformative moment, Cady ALONE continues the dance, instantly propelling her into popularity and facilitating her immediate takeover - a departure from the delayed progression in the movie. The ensuing "you can't sit with us" conversation unfolds the day before Christmas break, intensifying the narrative tension. A notable divergence emerges in the musical's soundtrack, replacing the familiar "Jingle Bell Rock" with an original composition, "Rockin' Around the Pole." This alteration, driven by licensing constraints, aligns seamlessly with Cady's pre-existing pop culture awareness, emphasizing her social awkwardness over cultural ignorance. Interestingly, the musical positions Cady as already knowledgeable about popular culture before her move, presenting a contrast to the original portrayal. This nuanced exploration of characters and narrative adjustments offers a fresh perspective on the beloved musical adaptation. I trust this detailed breakdown enhances your understanding of the intricacies at play.

Tina Fey is such a fantastic writer.

Wait where did we find out that the choreography is Janice’s ?!

mean girls 2024 could never

Man, i have a renewed appreciation for just how damn good Lindsay Lohan is in this movie.

6:03 yup

Love

The main problem with the musical is that it lacks the subtlety of the OG. This scene in the musical is humiliating for Regina but also serves to be an Ariana Grande shout-out, followed by a TikTok montage....

Why do I feel like Karen became a plastic by accident lol

I think the word isn't individuality, but authenticity.

spoilers for the 2024 movie!!! I came here to watch this after having watched the new musical version because it'd been so long since i saw the original. And I gotta say, they completely miss the mark on every single point you're praising about the original here. everyone else is frazzled in the scene and somehow the audience notices and all over tiktok they go "cady is the only one who didnt mess up, slay queen" and then she just kinda mysteriously rises to become beloved and respected by the school, without having done anything to earn it, AND the dance was ruined with no way to save it. They don't have a hierarchical reset at the end of the scene where you have time to digest what changed in the character dynamics because the tiktok montage cuts straight to regina showing up in sweats the next day. I really feel bad for regina in the new version, she really doesn't do anything that seems too far and the calteen bars plot point plays out like cady exploiting someone with an obvious eating disorder instead. all this to say, i feel like they made cady a calculating saboteur instead of someone who just wants to fit in and for things to go well and people to have fun. She's resentful, vindictive, and I found her less sympathetic than regina in the 2024 movie. Side note I can't believe they cut the multi way conference calls!

Good job on the analysis. Saw the movie musical. It was good but not as good as the original movie.

This video is so fetch

Omg…your analysis? It’s like, totally awesome? Pffft

i love this movie UGH and this analysis was so well-written/detailed and thought out!!! i am actually... SO afraid of what the musical movie is going to be like LOL... the casting is just so odd to me and i'm worried they'll tarnish the whole vibe it had in 2004 (plus the musical itself was kind of a train wreck ngl 😭) BUTTTTT i am going to be watching it regardless

Watching the 2024 film I definitely prefer the og. It lacks the causation, it feels like it only found the fall of Regina important and nothing else. It feels like it glammed up the scene but took out most of its importance. There’s no reasoning for Cadys uprise other than she was doing good, what about Gretchen and Karen? It just is lacking in many areas