Featured DVD Review: Mean Girls 2

February 10, 2011

Mean Girls 2 - Buy from Amazon

Mean Girls came out in 2004 and was a big hit with critics and at the box office. It also helped launch the careers of several of the young actresses involved. Now nearly seven years later, Mean Girls 2 came out, first on TV and then a week later on DVD. Any time a sequel skips theaters, one must lower their expectations somewhat. Can this film surprise? Or will we need to really lower expectations to avoid disappointment.

The Movie

Meaghan Jette Martin stars as Johanna "Jo" Mitchell, the daughter of a NASCAR mechanic who has followed her father around as his job demands. This means she has never stayed in the same school for more than half the year, but this last move is different, because it's the last move before she graduates. Her strategy so far has been to keep her head down and not attract attention. This has also left her as a bit of a loner.

This time around, she breaks her rule when she comes to the aid of Abby Hanover. Abby has been the victim of Mandi's bullying since the two were kids. They both come from rich families, but Abby's always been a little bit richer. With the bullying reaching the breaking point, Abby's father makes Jo an offer. Be Abby's friend for the rest of the year, and he'll pay for Jo's first year of college. She reluctantly agrees, since her college fund was recently wiped out by the stock market crash, but soon she and Abby become true friends. This of course puts her in the sights of Mandi and after a couple rounds of pranks, things begin to turn serious.

Well, not serious serious, but high school comedy serious.

As you can see, this is more of a remake than a sequel, which makes direct comparison so much easier. That's not a good thing for Mean Girls 2, as the film is weaker than its predecessor in every way. Many aspects of the basic plot of the first film are borrowed quite liberally, from the outsider aspect of the lead, the outsider becoming popular, letting the popularity go to her head, etc. Unfortunately, the script is not nearly as witty this time around, while the dialogue especially suffers. (I thought the narration was questionable at times.)and at least one scene I thought was lifted

The Extras

The extras on the DVD are better than expected, starting with a 12-minute long making of featurette. It's mostly talking heads with some behind-the-scenes footage, as well as the occasional clip from the first film. Caught in the Act is a six-minute featurette on the behind-the-scenes footage shot by the young cast, who were all given cameras. In the Closet with Kitty Boots is an 8-minute look at the fashion in the movie. Catching Up with Tim Meadows is exactly what it sounds like. He's the only returning actor from the first movie, so this featurette makes a lot of sense. High School Year Book has the cast talking about cliques and dealing with Mean Girls in real life. Finally, there are three minutes of outtakes.

The Verdict

Mean Girls 2 is a movie that is trying to cash in on the Mean Girls' name, and while it will likely pay off financially, critically that might be a mistake. The film's writing is not quite as sharp, the dialogue is not as witty, and some of the plot points will leave you scratching your head. (Powderpuff football?) For a TV movie aimed at this demographic, it's not bad, and I would suggest its a better movie for fans of Disney Channel / ABC Family than it is for fans of Mean Girls. On the other hand, the DVD is better than expected and if you saw it on TV and liked it enough to want to watch it again, it's worth picking up. If you haven't seen it yet, but like Meaghan Jette Martin from 10 Things I Hate About You, Jennifer Stone from The Wizards of Waverly Place, and / or Maiara Walsh from Corey in the House, then its worth a rental.


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