As a part of the English curriculum at the school I attend, I was required to write a movie recount. I had to meet all the criteria. I chose to do my report on the movie Mean Girls. I am sure most people have probably seen it, or heard about it before, but just a bit of background information, Mean Girls was released in 2004, and it has since had a sequel released. So, without further ado, here it is. :)
Theatrical Release Poster
Mean Girls is a film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It is based on novels by Rosalind Wiseman. It follows the life of Cady Heron, the daughter of zoologists. The family has moved back to America after spending time researching in Africa. This film is devoted to the transition Cady makes from being homeschooled to becoming a normal school student at North Shore High School in Evanston, Illinois. It also details common issues circulating many high schools throughout the world.
Cady is unprepared for her first day of schooling at a public school. In the words of Cady “The first day was a stressful, surreal blur.” During one of the classes on the first day Cady meets Janis and Damian – two social outcasts who are known as the Art Freaks. The three quickly become good friends. They help her out by teaching her about the different groups and advise her to keep away from the school’s most elite and popular group, the Plastics. The Plastics are a group of three girls, Regina George, Karen Smith and Gretchen Wieners. Cady finds out that the reason Janis hates Regina so much was because of a rumour started in 8th grade that branded Janis a lesbian. However Cady strikes the interest of the Plastics and they invite her to sit with them at lunch time, and go to the shopping centre with them after school. Cady tells Janis about the invitation; this is when Janis devises her plan to get revenge on Regina for the rumour.
Cady and the Plastics go to Regina’s massive house and Cady is introduced to the ‘Burn Book’, Regina’s top secret notebook filled with photographs of fellow school students and teachers, next to the photographs the Plastics have written rumours, secrets and gossip about them all.
Cady quickly falls in love with Aaron Samuels – Regina’s ex-boyfriend. After having learned about this ‘little crush’ Regina sets out to steal Aaron back during her rage of jealousy at Aaron’s friends Halloween party. This act pushes Cady’s hatred for Regina over the edge and goes ahead with Janis’ plan to cut of Regina’s “resources”, which include breaking up Regina and Aaron, turning Karen and Gretchen against Regina and destroying her looks.
Cady starts pretending to fail mathematics so she can get Aaron’s help and attention and soon she successfully breaks up Aaron and Regina’s relationship by confessing Regina is cheating on him with another guy. Cady’s quick thinking after hearing Regina whining about how she wants to lose weight has Regina eating high-calorie bars that her Cady’s mum fed to children in Africa. She told Regina that they help you to lose weight. Cady ‘cracked’ Gretchen by making her believe that Regina thinks of Cady as a better friend than her by sending herself a candy cane saying that she is such a good friend, and of course when Gretchen doesn’t receive one, she is automatically suspicious. Once Gretchen ‘cracks’ Regina’s secrets keep spilling to Cady.
Oblivious to the fact, Cady gradually loses her original personality and becomes more like a clone of Regina. She soon changes from pretending to be ‘plastic’ to actually being a real Plastic. She becomes just as spiteful as Regina after abandoning Janis and Damien in order to focus more on her reputation and image. Cady’s plan to get Regina to gain weight sees Regina excluded from the Plastics, catapulting Cady into the ‘Queen Bee’ position. To celebrate her new found stance in the group, she throws a party without Janis, Damien and Regina, while her parents go out of town to watch a concert. However, she tells Janis that she has to go with her parents to avoid going to Janis’ art show. When Janis and Damian discover that Cady didn’t invite them to the party, and furthermore, lied about not going away, they renounce their friendship with Cady. During the party Cady pushes Aaron away with her newly found, nasty personality.
Once Regina discovers the truth about the bars she has been eating she strikes back by photocopying every page of her Burn Book and spreading it all around the school, once the pages were discovered a riot was caused in the corridors. To avoid suspicion Regina adds a photo of herself and some made up insults in order to focus the teachers attention on Gretchen and Karen and frame Cady. The riot is eventually controlled by the Principal, Mr Duvall. Cady’s maths teacher, Ms Sharon Norbury also appeared in the Burn Book since Cady blurted out that she is probably selling drugs on the side. Ms. Norbury makes all the girls around Cady’s year realise that all of them are at fault for hurting their peers, and she makes them apologise to the rest of the girls. Things were going well until Janis confesses her plan to destroy Regina and tells of the partnership between herself and Cady. To make matters worse she mocks Regina and the rest of the school supports her, this was the last straw for Regina and she storms out of the stadium, followed by an apologetic Cady. Regina walks out onto the road and gets hit by a bus. Word that Cady pushed Regina in front of the bus spread around the school like wild fire. Almost everyone believed this, even her parents are unsure of just what they should believe.
Regina, now friendless, ignored by Aaron and distrusted by every student at North Shore High, Cady decides to try set things right by taking full responsibility for the Burn Book, even though she endures the severe consequences her guilt disappears and she returns to her old personality. To punish Cady for making up rumours about her in the Burn Book, Ms. Norbury makes Cady join the Mathletes, which was earlier described by Janis, Damien and the Plastics as “social suicide”. The grand finale of the Mathletes competition happened to be on the same night as the school’s ‘Spring Fling’ dance. Although Cady is grounded, her father – unclear on the rules of being grounded – lets her out and Cady goes to compete. During the crucial win-or-lose moment, Cady has an experience that changes her outlook on life. She is called to go head-to-head with a very unattractive girl, Cady realises that people can make fun of others as much as they like but it’s not going to make them any better, nor is it going to stop her opponent beating her. Cady wins the tournament and with Ms. Norbury’s encouragement Cady returns to the school gym for the dance.
She arrives at the dance just as they are announcing the Spring Fling Queen, Cady is announced the winner and gives a speech to the audience that her victory is basically meaningless; that everyone there looks beautiful and are special in their own way, and that everyone is a winner tonight. To symbolise her belief that everyone is a winner, she breaks her tiara into multiple pieces and gives a piece to all the other nominees, and throws the remainder to her fellow classmates. Cady makes up with Janis and Damien, reconciles with Aaron, and makes a treaty with the Plastics.
The story end with Regina joining the lacrosse team as a way to focus her aggression in a positive way, Gretchen joins the “Cool Asians” clique and Karen becomes the school weather girl. Cady dates Aaron and stays close to Janis and Damien. Cady, now liked by most people reflects that “Girl World” is at peace.
© - Bee xx - 2011
