Mean Girls 2
Year: 2011
Director: Melanie Mayron
Starring: Diego Boneta, Meaghan Martin, Jennifer Stone & Maiara Walsh
Runtime: 97 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 31/01/24
Director: Melanie Mayron
Starring: Diego Boneta, Meaghan Martin, Jennifer Stone & Maiara Walsh
Runtime: 97 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 31/01/24
Since the release of 2024’s Mean Girls opinion seems to be divided about whether it’s good or not. It’s certainly not as refreshing, or cuttingly hilarious as the 2004 original, but it definitely has its merits. But one common theme is that everyone seems to have forgotten that the new Mean Girls is in fact the third film, because we already got a Mean Girls 2 in 2011. Having avoided it for years because of how awful it supposedly was, I felt like I owed it to myself to see just what monstrosity had been created all those years ago and give me a continued appreciation for everything the 2024 film does right.
Having spent most of her life moving from school to school because of her dad’s NASCAR career, Jo (Meaghan Martin) finds herself the target of North Shore High’s infamous Plastics, led by Mandi (Miara Walsh), and supported by her two biggest fans Hope (Nicole Gale Anderson), and Chastity (Claire Holt). Following her sticking up for Mandi’s rival, Abby (Jennifer Stone), Abby’s parents offer Jo money to be Abby’s friend; money that will pay for Jo’s college tuition. As Jo and Abby grow closer and take revenge on the Plastics, Mandi devises a plan to expose Jo for the fraud she is.
So, I’d been warned that Mean Girls 2 was bad, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be this much of a trainwreck. It’s by far one of the worst teen comedy films I’ve ever seen and lacks every single thing that made the original film great. I don’t even know where to begin. The setup itself is fine, but the execution is abysmal at best.
Having spent most of her life moving from school to school because of her dad’s NASCAR career, Jo (Meaghan Martin) finds herself the target of North Shore High’s infamous Plastics, led by Mandi (Miara Walsh), and supported by her two biggest fans Hope (Nicole Gale Anderson), and Chastity (Claire Holt). Following her sticking up for Mandi’s rival, Abby (Jennifer Stone), Abby’s parents offer Jo money to be Abby’s friend; money that will pay for Jo’s college tuition. As Jo and Abby grow closer and take revenge on the Plastics, Mandi devises a plan to expose Jo for the fraud she is.
So, I’d been warned that Mean Girls 2 was bad, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be this much of a trainwreck. It’s by far one of the worst teen comedy films I’ve ever seen and lacks every single thing that made the original film great. I don’t even know where to begin. The setup itself is fine, but the execution is abysmal at best.
All of the dialogue feels like it was written by a Paramount executive, rather than an actual screenwriter. Oddly one of the writers, Allison Schroeder, went on to win awards for her work on Hidden Figures, so clearly there’s talent there but where did it go? I mean Tim Meadows reprises his role as Principal Duvall but ever line he has you can see he’s really struggling with. But the bad script is only one half of the problem because even if it was a great script there isn’t a single performance in this film that could possibly deliver any semblance of what could be considered acting. Every single member of the cast feels like they’re doing an audition tape for the high school drama production. I feel like they don’t even know what’s going on in the scene half the time and it’s unbearable to watch. I think I need to bleach my eyes!
The whole film looks incredibly cheap. To be fair to it, this was a made for TV movie, but there’s just no care that’s gone into setting up shots or even much consideration into how it should all be edited together. The sets are either completely sparse or hilariously cluttered, and nothing’s been designed with the camera in mind so a lot of bits of set are kind of in the way.
Then there’s the music. Oh god, the music. I think the whole soundtrack was just pulled from whatever royalty free website they could find. It sounds like elevator music, or like the kind of stuff you’d expect to find in an episode of a Nickelodeon show.
Nothing about this film works or is enjoyable in any way. None of the jokes are funny, all of the performances are horrible, the script is garbage, it’s poorly shot and edited, and the music makes me want to cry. So, I beg anyone that’s read this review to do two things. Firstly, never watch Mean Girls 2. Secondly, if you hear someone hate on Mean Girls 2024, remind them of this abomination. It’s so totally not fetch.
The whole film looks incredibly cheap. To be fair to it, this was a made for TV movie, but there’s just no care that’s gone into setting up shots or even much consideration into how it should all be edited together. The sets are either completely sparse or hilariously cluttered, and nothing’s been designed with the camera in mind so a lot of bits of set are kind of in the way.
Then there’s the music. Oh god, the music. I think the whole soundtrack was just pulled from whatever royalty free website they could find. It sounds like elevator music, or like the kind of stuff you’d expect to find in an episode of a Nickelodeon show.
Nothing about this film works or is enjoyable in any way. None of the jokes are funny, all of the performances are horrible, the script is garbage, it’s poorly shot and edited, and the music makes me want to cry. So, I beg anyone that’s read this review to do two things. Firstly, never watch Mean Girls 2. Secondly, if you hear someone hate on Mean Girls 2024, remind them of this abomination. It’s so totally not fetch.