Tina Fey’s iconic high school comedy Mean Girls is available to watch for free this weekend.
Scheduled to grace E4 screens on Sunday (November 24), the much-loved film has cultivated a loyal fanbase with its biting humour and sharp script. The story tracks Cady Heron, an African transfer student, as she deciphers the tangled social web of her new American high school.
As Cady acquaints herself with the cultural quirks, she finds herself embroiled in the bitter feud between the notorious ‘mean girls’ and a duo of good-natured misfits.
Starring Lindsay Lohan as the endearingly clumsy protagonist, the cast includes Rachel McAdams playing Regina George, Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith, Amy Poehler portraying Mrs. June George, and scribe Tina Fey as Mrs. Norbury.
More than 20 years post-release, the imprint left by this teen movie on culture is palpable. Spawning a follow-up in 2011, which didnt quite charm critics, managing just 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, the original also paved the way for a planned 2024 revamp focusing on cult favourite Regina George, reports the Mirror.
Not only did it lead to a West End musical adaptation ongoing today, but the 2004 smash hit’s phrases have permeated popular dialogue, birthing classics like “On Wednesdays we wear pink”, “I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom” and “Get in loser, we’re going shopping.”
In 2018, journalist Sam Wolfson took a trip down memory lane to assess the enduring appeal of the teen favourite Mean Girls. In his analysis for The Guardian, he observed: “On the internet, Mean Girls battles only with Friends and The Simpsons to be the most referenced cultural product of all time.”
Wolfson further noted the film’s exceptional density of memorable lines, remarking: “Yet those shows had hundreds of episodes; Mean Girls squeezes so many perfect gags into its 97-minute running time that whenever a character speaks, it’s basically a catchphrase.”
Mean Girls continues to resonate with audiences as seen in a recent Reddit discussion entitled ‘Mean Girls (2004) is near perfect and likely the most quotable movie I’ve ever seen.’
In the thread, one fan enthused: “Easily my favourite Lindsay Lohan performance, this is one of my most rewatched movies of all time. You can barely go a 10-minute stretch in this film without getting a line that is highly quotable.”
Another Reddit user added their own praise: “I remember seeing this in theatres. I completely agree, it is the most quotable movie and most people will know what you’re quoting! I love it.”
A fellow commenter shared their sentiment: “Is there anyone who doesn’t consider this movie iconic?”
Over on Letterboxd, where film lovers rate and review, a reviewer gave Mean Girls top marks, stating: “Couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast this morning but I sure can quote this entire movie.”
Will you be donning your pink attire and watching Mean Girls this Sunday?
Mean Girls airs E4 this Sunday (November 24) at 7:10pm. The film is also available to stream on All4.