Mean Girls (PG-13, 2004)

common sense media says

Mature but often-hilarious teen comedy.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

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.

Positive messages: Ultimately the message is that popularity isn't everything and that girls need to support each other, not tear each other down.
Positive role models: Diverse characters, including disabled and gay characters.The mean girls do get pretty mean -- but they also learn their lesson.
Violence: Comic violence, including injuries.
Sex: Crude humor and sexual references.
Language: Strong language for a PG-13.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Underage drinking (with vomiting as a consequence).

More on Mean Girls

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • 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?

What's the story?

What's the story?

Queen Bees and Wannabes, a non-fiction book by Rosalind Wiseman about alpha girls and the impact they have on everyone else, has been adapted by Saturday Night Live head writer (and Weekend Update anchor) Tina Fey into a movie about a girl who takes on a ruling clique. Previously homeschooled by her zoologist parents while living in Africa, Cady (Lindsay Lohan) moves to Evanston, Illinois and attends high school. Cady finds herself having a hard time understanding the social norms in the school, and is drawn to the "the Plastics," the most popular clique in the school.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Screenwriter Tina Fey, who appears as a sympathetic teacher, has a good sense of how girls like Regina operate to establish their domination, appearing to be sweet and supportive but in reality being competitive, duplicitous and manipulative, and always surrounding themselves with people who will add to their power and not challenge them. And Fey's superb sense of comedy gives the script has some biting humor. Her Saturday Night Live colleagues lend support to the cast, with Tim Meadows as the school principal, Ana Gasteyer as Cady's mother, and Amy Poehler superb as Regina's mother, who insists, "I'm not like a regular mom; I'm a cool mom!"

There is much that is fresh and sharp in this movie. But it has an uncertain hold on its plot and ends up pulling some of its punches and throwing in teen comedy clichés we have seen endlessly in dozens of movies that all blur together.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Mark Waters
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release: April 30, 2004
DVD release: September 21, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: Sexual content, language and some teen partying

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13

Most useful reviews by all members

gabilovesyouhh
teen, 15 years old
 
i lvoe this movie, but it would be awkward to watch it with family.

Speedy1108
teen, 15 years old
 
Good Movie
I think it was a funny movie.. Idk what everybody else thinks but this is something that younger teens like... and they dont like to be treated like a baby and have to watch G rated films.

mardoggie2013
teen, 17 years old
 
Title is a tad bit misleading.
It has good messages, just lots of iffy stuff for young ones.

jadejasemmy4evr
kid, 12 years old
 
mean girls- okay?
okay.

movies...kool
kid, 13 years old
 
Mean girls are good!
the language isn't that bad, they use words like s-ut, b--ch, h-o, wh-re, ska-k, and f-gly. It is very funny though.

uvkitty
teen, 16 years old
 
only for teens not tweens.
Hate the movie.

lozzie98
kid, 13 years old
 
LOL movie
its a good and really funny movie but there is a LOT of iffy stuff for people my age but it is a LOL movie

BookLover2
teen, 15 years old
 
SOOOOOO FUNNY!
This is the best movie I have ever seen! And I laughed soooo hard. My friends and I refer to the jokes all the time and we watch it ever time we have a sleepover.

leahjk
teen, 17 years old
 
Perfect movie for anyone over 13
I loved it, I saw it years ago and still quote it!

izzielizzie9
teen, 14 years old
 

Sea Cat
teen, 17 years old
 
Hahahaha Hilarious!
This is the funniest ever! My sister and I quote it all the time, and we are not the only ones! Everyone loves this movie! The mean girls are complete bimbos (*cough* Karen! *cough*) and extremely destructive (*cough* Regina! *cough*) but in the end they become nice due to everything that happens. It's not educational but in the way of cliques it is! I was also laughing through this whole movie; well done! The movie business should do something as funny and unforgettable as this one!!

PlagueRattyRat
teen, 14 years old
 
Fantastic for girls and boys alike!
This film provides so many laugh-out-loud moments that even got my mum chuckling, such as Karen sticking a 'K' on her chest in jewels that turns out backwards. This also has a handful of sexual references, such as "is your muffin buttered? would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?" All in all, this is a must see for everyone, young and old!

pixiesticks101
teen, 13 years old
 
Mean Girls Reviewed
Mean Girls is quite the movie! It has a good message of popularity. Having Tina Fey scripting the movie was nice to see. Though there are some inappropriate parts, especially what Regina says as she is getting hit by the bus, this movie has a good feel, hilarious script and a few aha! moments. Very good movie.

 
A Great Comedy Won't Disappoint
OMG so funny but would not reaccomend for tweeners under To Much (IFFY) stuff LOL GOOD FOR ABOUT 12 UP

popstar1049
teen, 15 years old
 
I LOVE THIS MOVIE! it's one that will really make you laugh! There's a few iffy stuff in it, I would say it's good for pre-teens and teens. It sends out a mesage saying popularity is not everything and how gossiping hurts. I would rate it 5 stars! :-)

Quartz
kid, 12 years old
 
Funny.
I don't think it's a good movie. It's funny though.

cullenlovato81396
teen, 15 years old
 

The Random ...
parent of and 6 , 11 , 11 , 14 year old
 
Perfect for kids over 7
i love it it taught my 5 year old to not go into peeer pressure but because of the language i would wait for a little more yearrs

karenxxx
teen, 15 years old
 
i'd say 12+
omg i luv this movie!!

FezesAreCool
kid, 12 years old
 
Some language, sexual innuendo, mature 11 year olds and up
I thought this film was pretty good. There was some language with multiple uses of b--ch, sl-t and wh--e. Some sexual innuendo. The "Plastics" are bad role models and send bad messages whereas the people trying to prove popularity isn't everything are good role models and send positive messages.

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