Mean Girlsis one of the best teen movies of all time. The 2004 film embraced typical teen comedy tropes, but also subverted them in the best ways. The movie follows Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a former homeschooled student, who spent her whole life living in Africa, getting introduced to the social jungle that exists at North Shore High School in America. We follow her fast friendship with outsiders Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese), as well as her integration into the Plastics, the school’s most popular trio, made up of Regina George (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried).
With clever humor, fun dialogue that has since entered our cultural lexicon, and memorable scenes, it’s no wonder that filmmakers have tried to cash in on the legacy this film created. While many subsequent teen movies have gained much praise,similarly toMean Girls, others have attempted to do so with disappointing results. Check out these modern teen films that tried (and failed) to become the nextMean Girls.
10Bratz (2007)
Bratzis a teen film based on the popular dolls known for their passion for fashion. Yasmin, Jade, Sasha, and Cloe are best friends excited about starting high school together. But there’s a strict social hierarchy set in place, and class president Meredith is always present to ensure things stay in order. Driven apart by their interests and falling into the clique mentality, the Bratz don’t speak for two years. But when they’re forced into detention together, they wonder if their friendship is worth saving.
All Over the Place
It’s unlikely thatBratzwould’ve been great, but there was so much missed opportunity here that could’ve at least made it a worthy guilty pleasure. LikeMean Girls, it wanted to address the negative effects ofcliques in high school, but it went about it in a way that made zero sense and was poorly paced.Bratzfeels like two similar plots were forced into one montage-heavy movie, and neither was given the attention it needed. Meredith tries to embody Regina being the blonde mean girl who runs the school, but is forgettable. Add to it that the jokes are predictable and fall flat, and this was definitely a failed attempt at an iconic teen comedy.Stream on Tubi
9Senior Year (2022)
Senior Year
Stephanie inSenior Yearmoved to the U.S. from Australia, is tired of being the weird new girl, and transforms her look and personality to fit in with the cool kids. Soon, she’s cheer captain and dating a popular guy. All seems to be going well until her boyfriend’s jealous ex orchestrates a plan to sabotage a cheer stunt, sending Stephanie into a coma — for 20 years. When she wakes up in her late-30s, Stephanie decides she still wants to relive her senior year, and goes back to high school.
How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?
Several films have been released about an older character having to go back to high school for one reason or another.Mean Girlsalso had the overused trope of a loser making her way up the social hierarchy. No film is wholly original, butSenior Yearcomes off completely uninspired. If we threwMean Girls,21 Jump Street, and17 Againin a blender, this film would be the result. But unlike those films, the lead giving their best — Rebel Wilson, in this case — cannot overcome the script’s shortcomings. Stephanie spouting off random references didn’t convince audiences she was a high schooler in the late nineties/early 2000s and got tiring very quickly.Stream on Netflix
8F the Prom (2017)
F the Promcenters on two friends, Maddy and Cole, who get pulled apart thanks to the social moors of high school. After a prank freshman year turns Cole into a laughingstock, Maddy decides to drift away from him to preserve her own social status. Now as seniors, Maddy is a cheerleader and Cole is still a certified loser. Another cheerleader, Marissa, is after everything Maddy covets: her boyfriend and the prom queen title. The betrayal from her frenemy sends Maddy back to Cole, where the two agree toruin the prom.
Trying Too Hard
One draw inMean Girlsis that the drama, while exaggerated, still seemed plausible. InF the Prom, it’s hard to believe that Cole’s pants getting pulled down and revealing his white underwear is still something he can’t escape three years later. And even thoughMean Girlshad well-known actors in the film, they fell into their roles seamlessly. InF the Prom, even YouTuber Lily Singh’s brief cameo was distracting and felt like fan service. Putting that aside, the humor inF the Promtried to nail the out-of-pocket tone inMean Girls, but instead was cringey every time.Stream on Tubi
7The Outcasts (2017)
Jodi and her best friend Mindy are certified nerds inThe Outcasts. Where Jodi is a typical band geek, Mindy loves all things science. They are used to getting picked on and overlooked by their peers, especially Whitney and Mackenzie. Their senior year should unfold as planned, but after a particularly mean prank, Jodi and Mindy decide enough is enough. Intending to bring together all the school’s nerds or outcasts, they want to spearhead a revolution to overthrow the mean girls.
Nothing to See Here
The Outcastsfall into the trap many uninventive teen films do when it comes to their protagonist. Why bother with character development when you can toss on a pair of glasses and unfashionable clothing on your actress, label them a nerd, and call it a day. To be fair to the film, many popular movies do just that and are still enjoyable, but as this movie came out in 2017, viewers are used to and bored with that lazy characterization.
They need more to satisfy them throughout the movie-watching experience. Meanwhile,Mean Girlshas so much happening besides the outsider now being part of the in-crowd. Fans of the Nickelodeon showVictoriousmay enjoy seeing an on-screen reunion of cast members Victoria Justice and Avan Jogia. But for other people, this one is a certain skip.Stream on Peacock
Related:10 Meanest Girls in High School Movies
6Teen Spirit (2011)
Amber Pollock is the classicqueen bee in teen films: blonde, callous, and shallow. InTeen Spirit, she gets electrocuted when picking up her prom queen crown, and dies. Amber’s spirit can either go to heaven or hell, and the answer depends on whether she’s able to turn Lisa Sommers, an unpopular girl, into prom queen. Now, these two girls, who would never have connected before, learn to work together to win over Lisa’s crush and the student body.
Smells Like Unoriginality
The premise ofTeen Spiritis quite different fromMean Girlswith its supernatural edge, but it’s still obvious it wanted to stand alongside it as a fun teen comedy. Though it’s interesting to have the mean girl as the protagonist, she’s not likable (or even unlikable in a fun way) enough to enjoy spending nearly ninety minutes with.Mean Girls’message was pretty in-your-face, though it was nuanced for a teen film. Here, the point the film was trying to make was so ham-fisted, it was practically written on the screen in neon lights. Even if viewers want a somewhat cliché, comforting watch, there are better options thanTeen Spirit.Stream on Fubo
5Reality High (2017)
Reality Highfollows Dani Barnes, a kind of awkward teenager dedicated to excelling academically to earn a scholarship to her dream school. She’s had a crush on Cameron Drake since they were kids, but he’s dating Alexa, asocial media influencerand Dani’s ex-best friend. But once Alexa dumps Cameron, that leaves an opening for Dani to make her move. Paired with a makeover, she starts to ingratiate herself with a different crowd, causing her to push her true friends away.
Missing the Fun
This is a story that’s been done a thousand times, as evidenced even by this list.Reality Highdoes have a few good qualities. Dani and Cameron have good chemistry and there are adorable scenes featuring precious puppies. But all in all, the viewing experience can be summed up as “been there, done that.” As soon as the first major plot point occurs, it’s pretty easy to determine where the story will end up. The acting is serviceable, and even with the inclusion of a real-life YouTuber and a rapper, ultimatelyReality Highis just quite boring.Stream on Netflix
4He’s All That (2021)
He’s All Thatis a Netflix rom-com starring TikTok star Addison Rae. Rae portrays Padgett, who herself is an online influencer. Padgett pretends to live a glamorous life, though she and her single mother don’t have the upscale lifestyle like that of many of her peers. After she catches her boyfriend cheating on her (and the event is live-streamed), Padgett loses followers due to her over-the-top reaction. To regain some notoriety, she agrees to turn the school outcast Cameron (Tanner Buchanan) into prom king.
Shallow Characterization
Technically,He’s All Thatwas trying to be the nextShe’s All That, the late-90s teen rom-com it’s actually a remake of. However, there are similarities toMean Girls. A running joke inMean Girlsis that Cady’s name is spelled in an unconventional way to how it’s pronounced (Katie), leading to many referring to her as “caddy.” The name “Padgett” stands out as odd and a way for the character to be “quirky.”
And surface-level quirky is about as much depth as any of the characters get. Common archetypes in teen films work, andMean Girlsplayed into them, too, but there was self-awareness to it. Here, no characters are more than meets the eye, and it was a huge pitfall for the film.Stream on Netflix
Related:She’s All That: Where the Cast Is Today
3G.B.F. (2013)
G.B.F., which stands for “gay best friend,” is about a boy named Tanner, who prefers to be in the shadows, especially since he’s still in the closet. His friend Brent is also closeted, but wants to come out since the latest trend is having a gay best friend, and he believes it can spike his popularity. Tanner is outed after Brent convinces him to download a dating app. Though he initially suffers negative consequences, Tanner is eventually “adopted” by three popular girls, and his social standing skyrockets.
Missing the Mark
A lot aboutMean Girlswouldn’t work if it weren’t as self-aware as it was. Damian inMeanGirls fell into many stereotypes ofgay male characters, but that was the point. There is some evidence thatG.B.F.also doesn’t take itself too seriously and is poking fun at the objectification of LGBTQ+ people, specifically gay guys, and yet it still manages to miss the mark.
The friendships between the main characters inMean Girlsare what made viewers invested. Here, Brent’s a bad friend and their group of “outcast” friends are relatively blank, and the queen bees Tanner gets to know are one-note. Tanner gives a similar prom speech as Cady did, but without the attachment to the characters, most viewers simply don’t care.Stream on Peacock
Related:20 Movies that Make High School Not Seem so Bad
2Mean Girls 2 (2011)
mean girls 2
Mean Girls 2follows Jo, a not-like-other-girls teenager, who moves to a new town and starts attending the infamous North Shore High School. Jo isn’t interested in bowing down to the school’s current Plastics. She is also devastated to learn her father spent her college fund since it’s imperative she attends the same school as her deceased mother. So ,when the wealthy father of a school geek offers to pay Jo to befriend his daughter, it seems like the obvious choice, even if it goes against her ethics.
No Effort, No Reward
Of course, the standalone sequel is the most glaring attempt at capturing the originalMean Girls’ magic. However, most of the talent involved in crafting the original wasn’t involved here, save for Tim Meadows reprising his role as Principal Duvall. Thisreally bad sequelscreams low-effort cash-grab in every sense of the world.
It’s as if current filmmakers believed recycling certain shots and jokes from the first would be enough without realizing what made it work in the first place. Smart humor. Good acting. Solid characterization. A coherent plot — the climax of this film is a flag football game, which is as random as it sounds.Mean Girls 2missed the mark from the opening title sequence.Stream on Max
1The DUFF (2015)
The DUFFis a teen comedy based on a young adult novel. The title is in reference to the term Designated Ugly Fat Friend. It centers on Bianca, who may not be as cool as her friends, Jess and Casey, but doesn’t mind too much. That is, until she discovers she’s known as their DUFF.
People see her as an easy “in” to her more popular friends and Bianca becomes determined to change her status. Her upset causes her to lash out against Jess and Casey, as well as strike a deal with the captain of the football team. If he helps her improve her popularity, she’ll help him pass a midterm. Let the games begin.
Regina George Is Still Queen Bee
Of all the movies on this list,The DUFFpossibly comes the closest to being the nextMean Girls. Both films have a girl pretending to be someone she’s not and losing who she is in the process. Both try to push the limits of socially acceptable jokes. This film leans more toward romance, but the vibe of the two movies is in the same vein.
Where this film drops the ball is in regard to the antagonist. Regina George is one of the mosticonic mean girls, and the equivalent here, Madison, is disappointing. She doesn’t have much charisma, isn’t as intimidating as the movie says she is, and is a bore in comparison to the other characters in the movie.Stream on Paramount+
