Mean Girls 2024: A Nostalgic Journey with Modern Twists

The Nostalgia of Callbacks

Mean Girls 2024 isn’t a direct adaptation of the 2004 movie of the same name, but it features many Easter eggs and references to the classic film that adds a sense of nostalgia for viewers 20 years later. Mean Girls is an adaption of the 2017 Broadway musical, both of which were based on the 2004 Tina Fey film. The musical movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score doesn’t beat the 2004 version, but Mean Girls 2024 has received positive reviews and has established itself as its own film outside the source material while simultaneously honoring it.

Principal Duvall at his office reading the Burn Book in Mean Girls 2024

The slogan for Mean Girls 2024 is “not your mother’s Mean Girls,” but there are plenty of callbacks that add to the viewing experience for those who grew up on the 2004 film. The movies follow the same plots with some changes made to update the material for modern audiences, such as the inclusion of social media and the removal of some jokes from Mean Girls 2004 that didn’t age well. With the addition of musical numbers, Mean Girls 2024 instantly set itself apart, but it never forgot where it came from and what made the original film so popular in the first place.

Avantika, Angourie Rice, Renee Rapp, and Bebe Wood as the Plastics performing in the talent show in Mean Girls (2024). 

Only two of the actors from the original 2004 film reprised their roles in the movie musical, though Mean Girls 2024 did have a fun surprise cameo for viewers. Tina Fey returned to play the supporting role of Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows once again took on the role of the overworked principal of North Shore High, Principal Duvall. In the updated version, some more backstory was added to Principal Duvall’s character that could have been a product of the 20 years between the films, though Mean Girls 2024 is not a sequel.

Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury talking at the gym in Mean Girls 2024

Iconic References and Twists

While Gretchen was never able to make “fetch” happen, Mean Girls 2004 made it an iconic movie line. Though Gretchen clearly made up the word, she claimed it was slang from an old British movie. Fetch made a reappearance in Mean Girls 2024 as slang from an old movie, possibly Juno, which came out three years after the original film. This line both reminds viewers just how much time has passed since Mean Girls 2004 and is a wink at the idea that Gretchen had somehow seen the film she was in. She was met with the same response from Regina in both versions, “stop trying to make fetch happen!”

Gretchen, Regina, and Karen in the car in Mean Girls

In Mean Girls 2024, some of the iconic moments from the original film are reimagined with modern twists. Janis, Damian, and Cady still carry out their plot to ruin Regina’s life, but some of their methods change. In Mean Girls 2004, Janis cut holes in Regina’s shirt, forcing her to attend gym class with her bra visible. It backfired on them when Regina wore it with confidence and it soon became a trend. In Mean Girls 2024, Janis turned on the sprinklers when Regina was named homecoming queen, allowing her to “bring back the wet look” and inspire others to do the same on social media, including famous rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

Mr. Duvall uses a bat to hit the fire alarm during the hallway chaos in Mean Girls

One of the most iconic lines from Mean Girls comes when Cady hangs out with The Plastics for the first time. Regina pulls up in her convertible and tells her, “get in loser, we’re going shopping.” The line has become so heavily quoted that it had to be in Mean Girls 2024, though there was a slight alteration made. Since the mall isn’t as popular with teenagers as it was 20 years ago, the line was changed to simply “get in loser,” and the girls headed straight to Regina’s house instead. While Rachel McAdams delivered the Mean Girls line as a command, Reneé Rapp’s interpretation sounded more teasing than barking.

Lacey Chabert As Gretchen Wieners & Rachel McAdams As Regina George At The Mall In Mean Girls 2004.jpg

Subtle Homages and Easter Eggs

At the end of the competition, when they had to go to a tiebreaker, Lindsay Lohan’s character said that there had only been one tie in the history of States. This was a sly reference to the tie that also appears in Mean Girls 2024, where Lindsay Lohan correctly answered, “the limit does not exist.” Not giving Lohan’s character a name leaves the door open for some more theories about the connections between the two Mean Girls films.

Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron in a Mean Girls Walmart Black Friday ad

In Mean Girls 2024, the line “It’s October 3rd” is delivered with a twist. In both versions, Aaron asks Cady what day it is, to which she replies, “it’s October 3rd.” However, in Mean Girls 2024, the line is then echoed by a group of singing students. Having the line sung emphasizes it as a nod to its relevance and brings in the element of surrealism present in most musicals.

Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) Smiling in the Cafeteria Scene in Mean Girls

Though none of Regina’s outfits were recreated for Mean Girls 2024, Rapp wore a shirt clearly inspired by one of Regina’s. When Cady hung out with The Plastics for the first time in Mean Girls 2004, Regina wore a tank top that said “a little bit dramatic” with pink lettering and a pink cardigan on top because it was a Wednesday, and “on Wednesdays we wear pink.” Regina opts for a different pink outfit in the new movie, but later in the film, she wears a shirt that says “dramatic” as an homage to the original.

Reneé Rapp as Regina George is in her car with her shades down on her nose, looking into the camera in the Mean Girls 2024 movie musical.