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Mean Girls

(2004, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Mature but often-hilarious teen comedy.

Themes in this movie include:   friendship, growing up, peer pressure
updated 10.02.09

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Ultimately the message is that popularity isn't everything and that girls need to support each other, not tear each other down.
  • Role models:

    Diverse characters, including disabled and gay characters.The mean girls do get pretty mean -- but they also learn their lesson.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Comic violence, including injuries.
  • Sex:

    Crude humor and sexual references.
  • Language:

    Strong language for a PG-13.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Underage drinking (with vomiting as a consequence).
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Mean Girls

Parents need to know this movie has some mature material for a PG-13, including crude humor, sexual references, underage drinking, and comic violence. There is a prank involving a pregnancy test. Cady allows her home to be taken over by partying teens, gets drunk, and throws up. A child watches "Girls Gone Wild" and imitates it. A girl refers to herself as "half a virgin" and there is a joke about girl-girl kissing. A strength of the movie is its positive portrayal of diverse characters, including disabled, gay, and minority students.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how the elements that determine status for teenagers are different from those that determine status in the adult world, at work, and with friends and family.
  • Use this movie to begin a discussion about the way that the girls they know treat each other, and what they can do to encourage them to be kinder and more supportive.
  • Ask kids if they know any "mean girls." How do they deal with them?

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Our Members Say

Have you seen it? Review It!

  • What did you think about Mean Girls?
  •  I think this movie is

    for ages

  •  I also give it

  •  Any concerns?

  •  Any highlights?

  •  Love it? Hate it?

  • or to post a review
See all 116 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    mean girls- okay?

    okay.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Perfect for elder teens.

    A good movie! A lot of dirty dancing and sexual references.

  3. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

  4. I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    hilarious

    this movie is soo funny but definatley not appropriate for age 8 and under

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    hilarous

    i love this movie but they say btch a lot but your kid probly hears it at school anyway

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    this movie is very funny with a little innopropriate parts.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Great Movie!

    This was an awesome movie! Definitely one of my favorites! Although I was shocked at the references they had, I still thought it was a very good movie.

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    HE HE

    I LOVED THIS MOVIE! Perfect chick flick to watch with some girlfriends at a slumber PART-A! The worst thing about it is the language they use s***, B****, and more, you see people making out, some times only in their underwear, good message at the end, funny, but for most of the movie the messages and role models are bad. But it's a movie people, no one watches a movie for good role models and stuff, they watch it for entertainment, which this movie provides plenty of! HA HA. Loved it!

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 5.0

    lovez it

    OMG I LOVE THIS MOVIE ITS THE BEST EVERRR. something to get the girls toghter and watch or your mum. a few offensive refrences and a bit of kissing and sex.

  10. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    great

    it was good!

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0

    e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens

    Love love love it!!!

  12. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Tennessee
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    awesome

    this movie rox!! i dont think its okay for anyone who doesnt know what sex is but i loved it

  13. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    FUNNY! for adults..

    This is a very funny movie if you're over 15. Younger kids won't get all of it and Most of the content just isn't appropriate.

  14. I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Great for mature tweens

    Loved it but some iffy stuff

  15. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title off for age 14 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative role models

    e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens

    This movie is a very funny comdedy for kids OVER 13. I watched it and i laughed the whole way through. But, some material is inapropriate. LOVED it!

  16. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Maine
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 2.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative role models

    bad...

    I really did not like this movie. It had too much language. I'll bet that 10% of the script was all swears. there wasn't a very good message sent out, and there are really bad role models in there, too. the main character drinks underage, gets drunk, and ends up throwing up. the main character also sets a bad example by writing in something called the burn book, which is a book that they put nasty remarks in about people that they're mad at or hate. over all, its a bad movie and I don't approve of showing it to kids under age 14. I'm 10, and it was a HUGE mistake for me to watch it at this age.

  17. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Some sexual references, but nothing big.

    I LOVE this movie! I first saw it when I was 10, and there's no problem with it. If you're in middle school, you hear each of the cuss words at least 10 times a day- that's no big deal. There are sexual references, but again, if you're a middle schooler, you deal with that already. And the tone is light and humourous, so it's not like serious sexual stuff or anything.

  18. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    mean girls review

    well i think it should be appropriate for ages 10 because my dad said it would

  19. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Hilarious

    This is one of my favorite movies! They did a good job on exaggerating the issues of cliques and drama in high school resulting in an extremely funny film! I recommend for 14+ however, because there is some iffy content intended for mature viewers such as innuendos, sexuality, and underage drinking.

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    A Good Movie

    This movie for me is funny, but in my opinion, it's that kind of movie you can only watch for a couple times, once every five months, or you'll be soo sick of it. I remember I watched this with my mother and father, and my little brother was in the room, but he was too young to really understand anything. Plus, he was also highly more interested in his Legos and I don't think he payed any attention at all, except when my mother burst out laughing a couple times. This is a great movie, but ABC has an edited version, so if you're seeing this with your child for the first time and they're sort of iffy on the PG-13 movies, that's a good place to watch it. 8-year-olds and younger will probably not understand some of the teen dirtiness is. Though, I don't recommend 8-year-olds to be watching this movie either.

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