Mean Girls (2004)

Considering what a horrible person it appears that Lindsay Lohan has turned out to be, this movie is really good. In Mean Girls, the new girl, Cady, quickly makes friends with the A-list clique, and then watches the person she used to be disappear after she falls for the ex-boyfriend of the group's alpha female. This is the type of movie that is really funny, but also becomes very difficult to watch as things begin to fall apart for Cady. The film has a really interesting cast. Pre-lesbian, rehab, drunk-driving Lindsay Lohan plays the main character and is terrific at it. She is convincing to the point that it is sad to see how quickly and pointlessly she squandered her significant talents. Rachel McAdams plays the lead "plastic" and is absolutely hilarious as the perfectly believable, bitchy-as-can-be high school junior. One of my favorite roles in Mean Girls is the dumb girl of the group, played by Amanda Seyfried. She is hysterical, and does such a good job that it has been hard for me to take her seriously in other roles such as the show Big Love, or Mamma Mia. Amy Poehler of SNL fame plays Rachel McAdams mother, possibly the most ridiculous character in the whole film. Her role is small, but she plays it well, and her over-the-top antics really help to hold this movie together and keep things light. Tina Fey plays a significant role in Mean Girls, but what is more impressive is that she wrote the film. After her amazing work on Saturday Night Live followed by this, it should come as no surprise that she is now winning award after award for 30 Rock on NBC. I think this movie does a really good job of capturing the every day drama that being in high school entails. The ending is a little sappy and is wrapped up a little too neatly, but overall, this film is very entertaining. My wife and I have both seen this movie on multiple occasions, and will probably watch it again sometime on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I would recommend this movie to anyone, if for no other reason than to see the potential of a young Lindsay Lohan. I give Mean Girls 3 stars.