Release Date: April 30, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, language and some teen partying
Directed by: Mark S. Waters
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Daniel Franzese, Tim Meadows, Jonathan Bennett, Wai Choy, Ana Gasteyer, Olympia Lukis, Jonathan Malen, Amy Poehler, David Sazant, Amanda Seyfried, Elana Shilling

Plot:
Raised in the African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) thinks she knows about "survival of the fittest." But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time and falls prey to the psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today.

Review:
The latest in Lindsay Lohan's teen comedies is Mean Girls. She recently starred in the film Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen which had major potential, but it failed overall. Now Lohan has made a comeback with a film that is funnier and has a more compelling story to tell than Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen.

Lindsay has improved her acting in Mean Girls and the film is a delightful experience. There are times when a teen comedy has solid acting, but poor writing and directing. Mean Girls doesn't come close to that trap and it actually succeeds in all three places. It is the fact that the films script is incredibly good from start to finish that makes this film shine.

The film is written by Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey and she has some talent in writing, there's no doubt about that. The dialogue is creative, witty and more mature than some of the past teen comedies. Tina Fey's screenplay also aims for the big laughs and continues to get its point across to the audience while doing so.

However, Mean Girls is a film that can get annoying at times because the young women that are labeled "the plastics" are constantly talking in such an odd matter. It comes down to, that those small annoyances doesn't hurt the film at all because it actually is completely true on how most high schools are. The film never becomes stereotypical because the majority of high school are like that, but its not saying they all are.

Remembering back in the high school years, everyone is separated into sections and that is something Mean Girls is very accurate on. This film does a solid job on illustrating how different everyone is and how everyone judges someone before they even get to know them. That is something that is sad, but actually true and Tina's writing pretty much hits bullseye with that.

Getting back to Lohan's character in the film, she is constantly transforming herself from regular, to plastic and so on all throughout the film. Its exactly like the new kid in school, lost and worried what others think of her. Sometimes, teenagers will do anything to fit in with their classmates or to get a loved one. That just brings further truth to the story told in Mean Girls.

I enjoyed that they listed the different sexualities in the school and it added to its handful of laughs. Also, rumors are constantly flowing around in this film because high school is definitely one of the oddest times of someones life. The outcome to settle the rumors going around the school is rather cute and funny. Tina Fey, while well in her 30's now, knows her teenage stats and never disappointments.

One cannot forget Director Mark S. Waters solid directing. He directed 2003's Freaky Friday which became a big hit and he once again has just made another hit. The split screens in Mean Girls was a definite achievement to the films look. There is just minor flaws in this film, but plenty of entertainment, smart writing and smooth directing.

Another aspect I agreed with was the teenagers chosen for this film are completely believable. Actress Rachel McAdams who plays Regina George, the main plastic in the film is twenty seven years old, but looks sixteen or seventeen at most. This makes for a joy of a film and how often do you leave the cinema with a smile in your face? That's what Mean Girls does.

Mean Girls hits the marks it needed to be worth a recommendation and it is even slightly better and less flawed than last weeks 13 Going On 30. With two successful comedies back to back who knows what Hollywood might have coming next. Lindsay Lohan's charm and ability to make the audience fall for her is something not many actresses have. She gives a decent performance and so far she is headed the right way.