The new “Mean Girls” movie is far from “fetch,” as Gretchen Weiners would say. The original Mean Girls movie written by Tina Fey is an iconic film that remains in pop culture today. After turning the franchise into a Broadway musical in 2018, Tina Fey has brought Mean Girls back to movie screens in its musical form. The Mean girls remake tries to add a unique flair, but it fails to capture the magic of the original and instead feels like a cheap, soulless copy for much of its runtime.

Cady Heron, played by Angourie Rice has lived most of her life homeschooled in Kenya with her zoologist mother until she’s suddenly relocated to the United States. Cady is unsure of how she’s going to fit in amongst the cliques and gossip, but Janis, played by Auli’I Cravalho, and Damian played by Jaquel Spivey provide her with friendship and help her distinguish the school’s various cliques, urging her to stay away from the most infamous one, The Plastics.  They tell her that the girls known as the Plastics are the snobbiest, nastiest girls in school and not to be messed with. There’s Karen, played by Avantika, who’s pretty but not the brightest bulb, and Gretchen played by Bebe Wood, who’s catty but also secretly vulnerable. The ringleader of all three, and the most feared, is Regina George played by Renée Rapp, who doesn’t bother to hide her disdain for everything and everybody, not even her alleged friends. Things go off the rails when Cady falls prey to the lure of “girl world” and power dynamics, particularly as she and Regina fight for the attention of popular boy Aaron Samuels, played by Christopher Briney.

Teen culture has changed drastically since 2004, mostly for the better, as Gen Z has worked to make the teen experience more inclusive compared to generations prior. As a result, some of the scripts problematic aspects have been eliminated. Many changes made were great choices, like eliminating the plot line about a coach sleeping with students, but to some degree it robs ‘Mean Girls’ of its grit. Things like the notorious Burn book pages calling Regina a “cow” instead of the original phrase is disingenuous. Mean Girls became a cult classic because of how it captured the viciousness of teenage girls, and a lot of that was downplayed throughout the movie.

The worst part about the film was the costuming. The film tries to revamp the original costume choices, but the new choices made didn’t fit the character’s personality type. The best part about the original “Mean Girls” was that no matter how much someone hated Regina George or the other “Plastics,” they’d still be infatuated with everything they do. Everything that Regina George did was unique, and you couldn’t help but be captivated, she was the original influencer. Each outfit she wore could seem so simple, but still be out of reach for anybody else. The remake forgets that significant detail in their costuming. Regina George wearing outfits straight from “Shein” is unrealistic, anybody could buy what she’s wearing. In the remake Regina becomes a trend follower when she truly is a trend setter.

The original “Mean Girls” was a cinematic and cultural gem. Despite the 2024 “Mean Girls” efforts to add a unique flair, it struggles to capture the essence of the iconic film. The changes made to align with modern teen culture, while eliminating problematic aspects, unintentionally water down the subtle aggressiveness of teen girls that made the original a cult classic. The remake’s attempt to be ‘fetch,’ ultimately feels like a cheap and soulless copy, failing to recapture the true essence of the beloved original.