2004 film by Mark Waters
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film produced by Lorne Michaels and directed by Mark Waters from a screenplay by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan in the lead role, with Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Fey in supporting roles. The plot centers on Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve teenager who transfers to an American high school after years of homeschooling in Africa, where she quickly befriends outcasts Janis and Damian (Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese), with the trio forming a plan to exact revenge on Regina George (McAdams), the leader of an envied clique known as "The Plastics".
Fey conceived the idea for Mean Girls after reading Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The book describes female high school social cliques, school bullying, and the resulting damaging effect on teenagers. Fey also drew from her own experience at Upper Darby High School, in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, as an inspiration for some of the film's concepts. Principal photography for Mean Girls took place from September to November 2003. Although the film is set in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, shooting took place primarily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During post-production, editing was completed by Wendy Greene Bricmont and the score was composed by Rolfe Kent.
Mean Girls premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on April 19, 2004, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 30, 2004, by Paramount Pictures. It was a box office success, grossing $130.1 million against a production budget of $17–18 million. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Waters' direction, Fey's script, its humor, and the performances; especially lauded was Lohan's acting, which earned several accolades, including two MTV Movie Awards and three Teen Choice Awards. In 2021, Lohan's performance was included in The New Yorker's list of the best movie performances of the 21st century.
A made-for-TV sequel, Mean Girls 2, premiered on ABC Family in January 2011. Mean Girls also spawned various adaptations, including a stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in March 2018, with a film adaptation released in January 2024.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.