Renowned comedian, actor, and writer Tina Fey is known for many things, from her contributions to “Saturday Night Live” to her original sitcoms “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” However, one of her standout achievements occurred when she struck gold with her feature debut, the iconic “Mean Girls.” The film raked in over $130 million globally and became a cultural phenomenon. Recognizing the enduring appeal of her creation, Fey took a bold step in 2018, 14 years after the movie’s initial release, by adapting it into a Broadway musical. Securing an impressive 12 Tony Award nominations and earning widespread acclaim, the Broadway adaptation of “Mean Girls” proved to be a success. In Fey’s mind, the next best move was to adapt the musical into a film, but as we’ve seen so far, not everyone agrees.
Perhaps the reason the Broadway musical worked was because of the substantial time gap between both projects and the distinctiveness of the theatrical medium. In contrast, the 2024 remake comes less than six years after the Broadway musical’s debut, and its similarity to the original 2004 film has raised concerns about its distinctiveness and necessity. One Reddit user expressed, “You have enough money, Tina Fey. Please stop,” while another questioned, “Tina Fey is running out of ideas now?” But in the age of endless nostalgia and remakes, who can really blame her?
