Mean Girls

Mean Girls
Mean Girls
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mark Waters
Screenplay by	Tina Fey
Based on	Queen Bees and Wannabes; by Rosalind Wiseman
Produced by	Lorne Michaels
Starring	Lindsay Lohan; Rachel McAdams; Tim Meadows; Ana Gasteyer; Amy Poehler; Tina Fey;
Cinematography	Daryn Okada
Edited by	Wendy Greene Bricmont
Music by	Rolfe Kent
Production; company	Broadway Video
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	April 19, 2004 (Cinerama Dome); April 30, 2004 (United States);
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million
Box office	$130.1 million

Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve teenager who transfers to an American high school after years of homeschooling in Africa. Heron quickly befriends two outcasts (Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese), with the trio forming a plan to exact revenge on Regina George (McAdams), the leader of an envied clique known as the Plastics.

Fey conceived the idea for Mean Girls after reading the self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The book describes female high school social cliques, school bullying, and the damaging effect they can have on teenagers. Fey also drew from her own experience at Upper Darby High School, in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, as an inspiration for some of the film's concepts.^[3] Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels produced the film. Fey was a long-term cast member and writer for Saturday Night Live. Principal photography took place from September to November 2003. Although set in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, the film was mostly shot in Toronto, Canada.

Mean Girls premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California on April 19, 2004, and was released in the United States on April 30, by Paramount Pictures. The film grossed over $130 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics,^[4] who praised Waters's direction, Fey's screenplay, its humor, and the performances; especially lauded was Lohan's acting, which earned several accolades, including three Teen Choice Awards and two MTV Movie Awards, and in 2021, was listed as the eleventh-best performance of the 21st century by The New Yorker.

A made-for-television sequel, Mean Girls 2, premiered on ABC Family in January 2011. Mean Girls also spawned various adaptations, including a stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in March 2018, with a film adaptation that was released in January 2024.

^ "MEAN GIRLS (12A)". United International Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. April 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Boxofficemojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Tina Fey visits Upper Darby High for 'Mean Girls' promo". May 24, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
^
Multiple sources:
- Brody, Richard (April 30, 2014). "Why "Mean Girls" Is a Classic". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
- Elan, Priya (January 29, 2013). "Why Tina Fey's Mean Girls is a movie classic". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
- "'Mean Girls' is still 'fetch'". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- Buchanan, Kyle (April 20, 2014). "Mean Girls Director Mark Waters Spills 10 Juicy Stories, 10 Years Later". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- "Why Is Mean Girls So Quotable?". Slate. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Kimble, Julian (April 30, 2014). ""Mean Girls" Is Everything (No, Really): How One Movie Summarized a Generation". Complex. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[1] "MEAN GIRLS (12A)". United International Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. April 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2014.

[Boxofficemojo-2] Cite error: The named reference Boxofficemojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "Tina Fey visits Upper Darby High for 'Mean Girls' promo". May 24, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.

[4] Multiple sources:
Brody, Richard (April 30, 2014). "Why "Mean Girls" Is a Classic". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.

Elan, Priya (January 29, 2013). "Why Tina Fey's Mean Girls is a movie classic". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.

"'Mean Girls' is still 'fetch'". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.

Buchanan, Kyle (April 20, 2014). "Mean Girls Director Mark Waters Spills 10 Juicy Stories, 10 Years Later". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

"Why Is Mean Girls So Quotable?". Slate. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

Kimble, Julian (April 30, 2014). ""Mean Girls" Is Everything (No, Really): How One Movie Summarized a Generation". Complex. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[5] Brody, Richard (April 30, 2014). "Why "Mean Girls" Is a Classic". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.

[6] Elan, Priya (January 29, 2013). "Why Tina Fey's Mean Girls is a movie classic". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.

[7] "'Mean Girls' is still 'fetch'". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.

[8] Buchanan, Kyle (April 20, 2014). "Mean Girls Director Mark Waters Spills 10 Juicy Stories, 10 Years Later". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[9] "Why Is Mean Girls So Quotable?". Slate. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[10] Kimble, Julian (April 30, 2014). ""Mean Girls" Is Everything (No, Really): How One Movie Summarized a Generation". Complex. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]