fake plastic: Review of Mean Girls

Went to the movies recently and saw the new movie Mean Girls, it’s a film, that in numerous reviews was offering more than you would think. The film is based on Rosalind Wiseman's bestseller Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence, an book talking about the ‘teen-girl world at schools’. Now I’d say our schools differ slightly from American schools, but elements of growing up are universals.

It’s a surprising and somewhat disturbing film, not as saccharine as you might think. The film is disturbing as it reveals what I think is part of the true nature of humanity. As we grow up, we all look for approval, and we’ll take it anyway we can, even if to do it, we might drag another down.

The film is also disturbing in that as Cady, conducts her mission to learn more of the plastics to ‘de-throne’ them, she gradually becomes like them, the sweet innocence that was there at the beginning of the film leaves, and she hurts all those around her, she hurts her friends, her teacher, her parents, the clique that adopted her, but most of all herself.

In one of the more touching moments of the film, we see Aaron, the guy she likes, replace a posed picture or her with “The Plastics” (the clique of the glamorous and wealthy girls), with a sweet and innocent picture of Cady as a five year old, reading an elephant, reminding us all that there is a beauty in innocence.

The finale is also a beautifully constructed scene. After the student body degenerates into a scene reminiscent of animals in a jungle, the teachers haul the full student body in the Hall. Make’s me think that Cady needn’t have left Africa … from the beautiful natural jungle, to the concrete jungle. One of the notable elements in the conclusion is during the Math competition that Cady enters (as punishment), she tells us:

“Calling someone fat doesn’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. All you can do in life is try and solve the problem in front of you.”

Another striking thing in the film is the different styles of parenting portrayed in the film. You have the permissive mother whose attitude to interrupting her teenage daughter having sex, is make sure you have a condom dear. Her mother is fighting to remain young, trying to be a ‘cool’ mother – 'cool' equates with permissive, as she does not desire to alienate her daughter.

Alternatively we are shown Cady’s mother and father, who are shown to more active, and involved with their daughter’s life, we are shown that in a number of intimate moments, and a discussion at dinner leading to her grounding.

All in all, it is a revealing film, reminding me of some elements of what the schoolyard is like, revealing a little about human nature. Albeit perhaps a little exaggerated in some places for the sake of entertainment.