Mean Girls (2024)

This version of suburban Illinois' North Shore High is diverse in terms of students' and staff members' ethnicity, body type, sexual identity. Some students are still mocked for what makes them different (e.g., a gay character is called a "pyro lez"), but this is acknowledged to be wrong/problematic. Main characters Cady and Regina are White, as is central teacher Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey), but other characters represent a wider spectrum. Janis (played by Auli'i Cravalho, who has Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Irish, and Chinese heritage) is a lesbian. Damien (Jaquel Spivey) is a big, gay Black man. Gretchen (Bebe Wood) mentions having an abuelita, and Karen is played by Indian American actor Avantika. Mathlete Kevin counters stereotypes somewhat by being an overly confident "nerd" (played by Bengali actor Mahi Alam). Regina gets in a traffic accident; she wears a neck brace for several scenes, some of which are played for humor. Movie was written by Fey and co-directed by Samantha Jayne, a White British woman, and Mexican filmmaker Arturo Perez Jr. Relationships between female characters are at the heart of the story, with teen girls caught up in stereotypes and cliquish behavior but (hopefully) learning the importance of supporting rather than diminishing one another.

A key character is hit by a bus, but it happens so quickly that it's not really seen. Exaggerated fistfights break out in high school hallways, choreographed like a dance number. As the title indicates, there's quite a bit of mean behavior, even between "friends." Some online cruelty/bullying.

A love triangle drives much of the plot. Teens make out, and students are shown in a sex education class with "condoms" and "safe sex" written on the chalkboard. Teen boys are shown shirtless in a few scenes, and one raps about his skills "under the sheets." Teen girls wear short skirts/shorts, low-cut shirts, and crop tops; bras and cleavage are seen. There's a number about dressing sexy on Halloween that includes lots of skimpy costumes; the Plastics' talent show performance is also suggestive. Sexual gyrations for comic effect and references to having sex. Physical beauty is shown to be important to romantic connections; Regina, in particular, is shot with camera angles and wind to highlight that she's "sexy." Some characters run their hands over their breasts. Karen's number of sex partners is mentioned more than once, sometimes in an attempt to make her feel bad. It's mentioned that a girl is "crotch sitting" with a boy (i.e., she's in front of him on a bench, with his legs around her as he sits above).

Language includes "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch" (and "beyotch"), "crap," "d--k," "hell," "bastards," "fricking," "pissed," "fugly," "losers," "screwed over," "shut up," "slut," "dumb," "damn," "horny," "freak," "stupid," and "oh my God." "Motherf----n'" is said, but the profanity is comically twisted so that the actual word isn't said. Middle-finger gesture is used frequently in a specific music number. Janis is referred to as a "pyro lez," a slur related to her sexuality, but in general characters don't seem to have an issue with characters' sexual identities.

Teens do shots and drink in party scenes, and Cady gets drunk. References to vaping, and jokes about heroin and a vodka-filled inhaler. A character recovering from a painful injury seems to be blissed out on her medication, which becomes a recurring joke. An adult drinks wine.