A teen comedy that nobody wants to see.
Mean Girls 2 (2011) is a mostly stand-alone sequel to 2004’s Mean Girls. New cast members are introduced in this film playing new roles; however, Tim Meadows, an original cast member from Mean Girls who plays Principal Ron Duvall, reprises his role in the sequel. Mean Girls 2 takes place at North Shore High School, the same school seen in the original film. Though many elements from the previous film are present, including the popular girl clique “The Plastics,” there are many changes made to the overall story line, characterization and climax that make this movie unpopular with fans of the previous film.
Lack of Diversity
For one, viewers can easily see that there is a lack of ethnic and racial diversity among many of the characters presented in Mean Girls 2. Though Mean Girls 2 is directed by a woman, Melanie Mayron, and many of the characters in the film are female, the director and the characters are all white, with the exception of Principal Ron Duvall. Also, viewers can easily see that there are no Black or Asian minorities compared to the previous film. Mean Girls contained minor characters from two high school cliques, the “Cool Asians” and the “Unfriendly Black Hotties.” Mean Girls 2 did not feature these minorities, thus reducing the quality of the film.
Compared to the original movie, this film also does not cover gender stereotyping.
A Thinly Veiled Remake
What makes Mean Girls 2 so disappointing to young audiences is that this film is a thinly veiled remake of the original 2004 film . The plot of the film is loosely based off of that of the original film: the main character, played by Meaghan Martin, is the “new girl;” she befriends another girl who is labeled an outcast; both girls encounter “the Plastics;” the “new girl” falls in love with a popular jock; and the “new girl” turns from outcast to popular to outcast again. Many memorable quotes from the previous film are cut out, once again reducing this film’s quality.
The events and story line also do not make any sense. While the original movie has a comprehensive story line that features memorable elements such as the Kälteen Bars and the Burn Book, Mean Girls 2 has no sense of direction when it comes to its story line. Ironically, the sequel of this movie does not start from where the original characters last left off in the previous movie.
What writers need to consider for future teen films is the originality of the story line, a more diverse cast, a clear conflict for the main protagonist, and something different so the viewers will be curious enough to see the movie.
Therefore, Mean Girls 2 is considered to be a big flop in teen comedy films.
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