Mean Girls VS. Mean Girls 2: What went wrong with Mean Girls 2

Mean Girls has become an iconic phenomenon in Pop culture, when you hear "So Fetch" or "on Wednesdays we wear pink!" you immediately think of Gretchen Wieners or Karen Smith. Every single character from this movie is iconic and memorable. When you compare it to Mean Girls 2 you can't help but notice there are a lot of things missing, including that spark that made the original movie special. I this video we break down the symbolism that worked well in Mean Girls and look at how that cause Mean Girls 2 to inevitably fail. I will be breaking down the plots in order to highlight the points where the sequel fell flat. All footage used in this video is intended for the purpose of commentary and analysis.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:35 Mean Girls Plot Overview
8:23 Mean Girls analysis
13:58 Mean Girls 2 plot review
19:18 Mean Girls 2 analysis

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

For those not interested in watching the full video here are some time stamps of the different parts of the video Mean Girls analysis begins at: 8:23 Mean Girls 2 plot review 13:58 Mean Girls 2 analysis 19:18

[@hm3563]

It wont let me press read more :(

[@tehe8161]

@@hm3563 same

[@cynthialee461]

@@hm3563 pp

[@JaiProdz]

@@hm3563 just click the comment instead

[@kpopscenario1406]

Hiii

[@AluCine]

Mean girls 2 is basically a Disney channel original movie with curse words

[@RedHeadThriller10]

lol I felt like I was watching camp rock except she became good girl character

[@MsSingingV]

Except Disney channel movies become iconic, mean girls 2 was just not lol

[@princess1peach]

Truth bc it was

[@kitkatcarebear7170]

@@RedHeadThriller10 Mean Girls 2: The Tess Tyler Origin Story

[@johnathainbanks5455]

Don't insult Disney Channel movies

[@JesusLopez-wk6tt]

Stop trying to make Mean Girls 2 happen, it's not gonna happen.

[@choloyolo8522]

😂😂😂

[@Treegona]

Mean Girls is already Heathers with the murder sanded off. Honestly, Mean Girls is more like Heathers than Mean Girls 2 is like Mean Girls 1.

[@mckennalauren]

@@Treegona no cap, heathers is the absolute best!

[@Treegona]

@@mckennalauren you're right and you should say it

[@vvvnoon758]

Lmfao😂😂😂

[@mehboobhassan371]

They went from "Be yourself. Don't try to be different just for popularity" to "Tomboy good. Girly girl bad"

[@LDAR]

They werent even tomboys at all lmfao the people who made this movie are like if you watched mean girls and didn't understand a single thing the movie tried to say.. Like if you dont wear pink youre not GIRLY

[@sasha43630]

@@LDAR you obviously do not understand what he was trying to say. He was not saying that "if you don't where pink you're not girly", he is critiquing a very common trope in Hollywood about extremely feminine women. The 2010s era is when the "not like these other girls" trope became cool and they went to far. The media demeans girly girls as dumb. mean, and shallow, while less feminine women are seen a strong, more sophisticated, and better people in general. The first Mean Girls movie did a good job of depicting mean girls in high school, because some girly girls do act like that, but it was a much more realistic way of portraying high school girl drama. But, just like the OP said the moral of the first movie is to not change who you really are just to fit in, its actually a lot deeper than that. Janice is a reject character that gets no sympathy because she is bitter and used Cady for revenge. Yes, Regina did terrible things to her, but using Cady was just wrong. Now if the first movie come out ten years later, Janice would have been made out to be the hero of the story. That's where the second movie failed because they made the main character a cool girl who rides motorcycles and the mean girls were so unrealistic, it was cringe.

[@LDAR]

@@sasha43630 I was agreeing with him. I was criticizing the movie. The girl in the 2nd movie wasnt even a tomboy. She was just a girl with bracelets lol, but Hollywood seems to think anything outside of pink glitter isn't feminine. I think YOU didn't understand my comment.

[@sasha43630]

@@LDAR honey please, you must not be seeing the same Hollywood that I see. NO one said the girl in the second movie was a tomboy, he is saying how the second movie basically showed the extremely girly girls as evil for not apparent reason and the "good" character as the "cool girl". Whereas the first movie was for more realistic in the portrayal of mean girls in high school. Hollywood portrays feminine women in far more different aspects of than wearing pink. If anything they are constantly demeaning women that are actually very girly, like Mean Girls 2 did. Liking pink is not even in at this current time for women.

[@LDAR]

@@sasha43630 She was obviously meant to be a tomboy or at least "different from other girls" for liking mechanics and wearing flannels and shit the hell are you saying

[@TheInvisibleShadow95]

Notice that at the end of Mean Girls, Gretchen's hair is flat and straight, as it is no longer "full of secrets"

[@someoneyouprobablyknowandl9964]

Wasn't it just because she was trying to fit in with the Asian queen bee?

[@bethanyvarre9142]

Also her hoop earrings!

[@victoriat7961]

she straightened it so it would match the rest of the cool asians clique

[@TheInvisibleShadow95]

So I guess I need to clarify, I understand it is to fit it in with her new clique. I was just making a joke and looking a bit deeper into it for fun.

[@stephaniewozny3852]

@@TheInvisibleShadow95 I liked your take on it. Yes, superficially, it's so she can better fit in with the cool Asians. But if you want to take it as thematic symbolism, you're right, her hair isn't big anymore because she's not keeping secrets now. 👍

[@zariyahsaoirse5952]

The original plastics have a better sense of fashion 😙

[@Mysteriuminiquitatis1998]

Everyone in the original had a better sense of style lol

[@Yuulssss]

trueee 😭😭 the clothes in the second movie looked like something a little girl would wear

[@thetruth.7858]

Cherry Blossom 1111 well i mean jo dressed normal .

[@woozihae]

I thought it was a Disney film lol

[@sandravermeulen9729]

Actually the plastics are what the mean girls in my school thought they looked like. Mean girls 2 is what they really looked and acted like. I see both movies as a separate thing.

[@anirrelevantchild5516]

Why do all the characters in mean girls 2 dress like 7 year olds?

[@xx-zp4mj]

they got the disney channel treatment, first MG felt more lire real life

[@jailawright2258]

There not when I saw the poster I thought it was all kids

[@izzieb.2926]

Mandi dresses like melanie Martinez would if she were queen bee except mel would slay

[@moonlitskylight5740]

Cause they're not 30 in real life.

[@janetsdrawstation]

I drew mean girls on my channel:) 🦋💜🎨

[@chakrakhan8624]

Lmao Reginas little sister was such a nice touch that people often gloss over

[@sylviehoward3156]

i knoww it makes her seem more human

[@user-bz7qg5xw6h]

Probably because she was a child watching Girls Gone Wild in daytime lol. Not gonna fly in 2023. AND dancing to Kelis- Milkshake lolllllllllllllll. Not worth discussing to get taken out of context. Which people WILL do. :P

[@KrisBryant99]

@@user-bz7qg5xw6h Regina's sister was more interesting than the Mean Girls 2 movie as a whole.

[@stxrglare4081]

The first mean girls was amazing because the meaning was that we should stop putting girls against each other, but the second was a whole “I’m not like other girls” mess

[@malubarroso]

It was like Disney Channel tried to remake Mean Girls

[@kennedyjojackson1202]

Right, even the outfits,,, I got Camp Rock vibes from them 💀

[@darla9824]

i’m pretty sure mean girls 2 was made by some disney channel people lmao

[@kennedyjojackson1202]

@@darla9824 Update: the girl who played Jo in 'Mean Girls 2' played Tess Tyler in camp rock 💀wat a coincidence

[@PinkBubbleMartini]

Disney original written all over it 😭

[@mgbcreates]

It was shown in ABC Family. So, you're not wrong 😅

[@fioxeraviari5002]

i hate '' not like other girls!'' its so sexist, just let people be themselves

[@Njx063]

It’s not sexist oop- nm

[@marijajanicijevic8211]

Yes, THAT'S RIGHT, I kinda related to that , but as I grew up I found out that the "other girls" are not just boys obsessed hormonal wannabe stars (and by stars as a girl I had a Kim Kardashian picture in my head).Now I know we're all more than that and, ofc, just like "Men don't cry." thing, it's just a fucking gender propaganda.I mean we all cry when we feel like, regardless of being men or women.There are no "boy's things to do" or "girl's things to do".You can't generalise something so complex as the way people are.That's bad that society does that-and NOT only to gender thing, but even with gooding and bading people.When I was 8 years old, I litterally thought just whores have sex because of good-bad thing.I didn't even perceive this BASIC human thing as normal because of this.We're all BOTH good and bad, there is not a single good or bad person.Kids should know that too.

[@lauren-he4fr]

@@Njx063 it is. because the whole "i'm not like other girls" idea is shunning femininity and praising "masculine" traits as superior.

[@utterlyautumn]

@@lauren-he4fr Right! And they think they're pandering to female empowerment, when in reality, they are saying that women should not be treated as equals if they are not masculine enough. THAT is sexist all on its own

[@Njx063]

@@lauren-he4fr ooohh

[@machinedrum17]

At the end of the first Mean Girls, we got to see the new “Freshman Plastics”...I think they should’ve continued the sequel with THOSE 3 actresses, at the same high school as well. and then at the end of THAT sequel, we get introduced to the new Freshman Plastics. I think they could’ve continued this storyline with different but clever plot lines each time. They could’ve made Mean Girls into a franchise this way I think.

[@jeniestra.]

Maybe not a franchise, because that can get exhausting but that would have been a better idea than the one scripted on Mean Girls 2.

[@JJ-jm2ls]

Maybe it could've been a prequel in middle school when janis was friends with Regina?

[@itsuplike9947]

@@JJ-jm2ls i like the way you think

[@releasethealbum6190]

definitely not. I think if they made another mean girls 2 with the same actress in the original film I'm pretty sure it's going to get criticized the same way this movie did. They're basically gonna milk the whole Mean girls movie if it were to be a franchise so yeah no. It's better to leave the movie as is

[@stephaniewozny3852]

Technically you could...but I think it would be redundant. The point of showing the "Freshman Plastics" is to illustrate that these social dynamics are cylindrical.

[@anshupadigla5916]

Regina George is literal and real. “Mean girls” mostly aren’t mean to you’re face they outwardly “nice” and then behind your back or to your friends they talk about and/or judge you which is literally Regina

[@t0asterbra1n]

I hate how they tried to make Jo different and not like other girls by having the other characters think she's so cool and badass for riding a motorcycle 💀

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

It’s embarrassing 😂

[@MissCaraMint]

It’s not even a motorcycle though It’s just a scooter. Don’t get me wrong I love scootes and think they are super cute, but they are far from the badassery of a real motorcycle.

[@danielleslider1253]

@@MissCaraMint exactly what i thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@miss.dior_.]

LMAOO IKR

[@afz5355]

@@MissCaraMint oh mygod I found her character ridiculously cringeworthy

[@lei7414]

This is practically a wattpad fanfic of mean girls. I refuse to call it a sequel to a amazing iconic relatable movie.

[@fashion_gurl4life451]

IKR!!

[@annaconigliaro2907]

Are we sure it's even that... Wattpad has more common sense then this movie

[@elisek3912]

Tbh a wattpad fanfic would probably be better than this piece of shit of a movie

[@tunafxsh]

Off topic but this is like the “cursed child” Harry Potter book. Everyone thought the exact same thing

[@arislamb35]

Omg yesss plus mean girls is such a quotable movie

[@sineual6470]

What I found weird was that Mandi went out of her way to ruin Jo’s life. Regina wouldn’t stoop down to that level by getting involved, because she recognizes she’s above everyone else in their schools social dynamic. Regina knows she’s essentially a mythical being at the school. She has Gretchen do her dirty work, and even then she doesn’t have the need to ruin a random persons life. (Unless her trusties aka Gretchen and Karen are being compromised, she enters the situation to help keep them in power alongside her.) Only reason Regina exposed the burn book was because she was being challenged and knows her competition (Kady) is becoming the biggest threat to her position. Jo wasn’t a threat. She knows what girls are like and had experience with them. She knows what she has to watch out for and what she doesn’t. Kady was oblivious, so she had no reason to listen to* or fear Regina. Jo wasn’t a “regulation hottie” like Kady. She was a wannabe edgy girl at the school. If the movie wanted to attempt to be realistic, they shouldn’t have gone down the ramp with Mandi being a one dimensional “villain.” It’s a sloppy analysis but it’s my opinion.

[@RichieW90210]

For gods sake, it’s Cady!

[@notCinnamonroll]

Took the words right out of my mouth !

[@andreawolf4057]

The fact that Mandy in mean girls 2 dresses like a 5 year old who belongs to a rich family I can’t-💀💀

[@ML-nb3ct]

You just perfectly described why the original is a classic. As mean as Regina was, you can see why she was popular and why her classmates wanted her approval. Tina Fey’s script was genius.

[@agatazietek9098]

Regina may be mean but she has tons of charm and charisma; Mandi is just obnoxious and acts more like 14 than 17 yo

[@arby133]

i also heard that fetch was made up because she knew whatever would be famous at the time would be old when the movie gets released

[@annaconigliaro2907]

FAAACCCTTTTTSSSSSS

[@Yuulssss]

Especially the actor, she was perfect for her role.

[@MariqStefan]

@@Yuulssss she is a wonderful actress unlike others

[@in_99]

Mean girls is a movie about how it’s hard to be a teenage girl and how people can be mean in different ways. Mean girls two is the I’m not like other girls meme in a movie.

[@oi_felixx6076]

Omg lmao

[@cyralamen]

and the meaness in mean girls two is so in your face like haha food on face lmaololrofl and just really stupid-

[@Hana-me6ri]

Yeahh

[@thatissofetch.2140]

Ugh she isn’t even that “badass” or whatever she rides a scooter. Give her a motorcycle and then we’ll talk 😮‍💨

[@jxstine8454]

@@thatissofetch.2140 but I don't own motorbike-

[@bonniehowell4259]

I love how in the beginning of the film Regina is carried by a group of guys showing how she is queen B. However, in the third act Janice is lifted up and carried through the crowd symbolizing she has been replaced as well as Cady.

[@chelseaxoxo784]

Huh?

[@user-bz7qg5xw6h]

@@chelseaxoxo784 Are you blind, or American and unable to comprehend basic communication?

[@vibin9476]

The sequel literally just shows how iconic and amazing the original is. The sequel is a literal dumpster fire. If the sequel was a person, it would deserve to be in the burn book

[@SleepyChihuahua]

And be the only one to actually deserve being in the Burn Book ☠️

[@rotem1437]

The second one is just a cash grab. The first one was work of art

[@NarlieQuinzel-Slytherin]

Several reasons why that it should never be created at all... like honestly, it’s not the same school and how completely that it went different while yet, it’s barely a ‘sequel’ at all 🤦🏻‍♀️😒 My reaction if someone has actually said from their self that they ‘loved’ MG2 instead MG 2004: You can’t sit with us! 😒

[@yaaniamusa]

Its only because the actors in mean girls are great actors.

[@yoyoyowantsumchicken2go721]

yãnia yanêz nah the entire plot of mean girls 2 was bad and they filmed in 20 days

[@ryunn._]

Im mad at netflix for deleting the original mean girls movie

[@rufiarzpogodzinach8382]

@@ryunn._ but it’s not deleted?

[@thea._.6599]

Mean girls was an iconic movie and didn't need or deserve a garbage sequel like this. Honestly, what did we expect from a movie that was filmed over 20 days.

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

Exactly!

[@NarlieQuinzel-Slytherin]

Several reasons why MG 2004 is one of those early 2000s movies that never gets old ✨💕 “You can’t sit with us!” “Get in, loser! We’re going shopping.”

[@zitawhitlock8444]

I know a really good movie that has been filmed in 10 days...

[@capsuled1375]

@@zitawhitlock8444 what

[@limcosta5955]

@@zitawhitlock8444 what?²

[@me.gabby212]

You know that a movie is iconic if even the deleted scenes are iconic

[@uglytelevision]

If Tina Fey had written Mean Girls 2, it may have turned out to be an acceptable sequel. Alas we got this instead xD

[@cloemoore6279]

this is like an insult to mean girls honestly

[@youjustgotburned3980]

It should be a parody rather

[@heyy6171]

@@youjustgotburned3980 yeah like not another teen movie (parody of she’s all that)

[@pandeebean7657]

Means girls 2 doesn't make sense compared to the original movie Sorry not sorry but the second movie is straight up trash

[@aversondelosreyes9968]

Yeah they will never beat the plastics

[@callythornfield3056]

Don’t be sorry about saying the truth

[@izzieb.2926]

Yeah this seems more like a parody some amateur KZbin filmmakers threw together because they were bored🤣

[@pandeebean7657]

@@callythornfield3056 thx ig 😂

[@pandeebean7657]

@@izzieb.2926 Okay, I meannnnn.... 😬👌 U AIN'T WRONGGGGGG, LIKE AT ALLLLLLLL 👍

[@ainamgamnoh]

Topic "why mean girls 2 failed? What went wrong?".... Me: literally everything...

[@minstastic7705]

If they didn't name it "Mean girls 2" people wouldn't have hated it that much, but since it's a sequel to the original movie people had high expectation and those expectations were crushed down. I guess Mean girls is one of the most iconic movies and it's hard to top it 👌

[@jkjkjjkjkkjkjkjkjkj2849]

this movie is so dumb, like they did not arrest jo for stealing money but arrested Mandy.

[@afz5355]

THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING

[@Isabelle-xp7qb]

sure but mandy not only stole the money but also framed jo, so that's 2 crimes

[@annaconigliaro2907]

because Jo is "not like other girls" which that brand of idiot is infuriating on it's own

[@apenstaartjeanna3889]

Well yeah but framing someone is for stealing something you stole, is worse than just stealing

[@coolgurl2033]

everyone saying mandy did worse things - yea, she did. but that just means her sentence is longer. doesn’t mean jo gets off the hook

[@blackpink.am_4792]

And the ending: Original Mean girls actually had a good ending where the villian (Regina) changes and actually becomes a better person, where as in the 2nd one, the villian (Mandi) gets the classic ending where she just gets a punishment and doesn't change at all

[@zwena4574]

facts

[@dancingbears539]

Also nobody was innocent (just like real life) like they were all mean girls.

[@kellystan4597]

@kibblewibble lacrosse isn’t just a men’s sport. A lot of people find that physical exercise gives them an outlet for their feelings and bonding with a team over something healthy and productive like a sport is much better for your mental health that bonding to a group over bullying and superiority complexes. It’s a great ending.

[@sheesh1483]

@kibblewibble maybe it doesn't work for you, but it does for someone else, everyone is different and copes with things in their own way. Women can also be in sport teams and its not something only for men so stop with your gender norms bullshit. Yes we didn't see her ever interested in sports during the movie, but remember there's a time lapse in between the ending and the rest of the story, maybe when regina recovered from her injury she somehow got into a situation where she had to play sports and realized that she enjoys it, thats how people discover their hobbies and passions after all.

[@milkcrownASMR]

@kibblewibble I think they answered your points fairly well - you were the one bringing up gender norms in the first place, and they tried to explain that sports is a good way of handling feelings just as other hobbies could be, and it's not specifically just a "male way of dealing with it". Regina wasn't the only one who changed and found other ways of handling negative emotions, she just happens to be the main mean girl, and her coping mechanism just happens to be sport. The movie didn't say it was the only right way. And frankly, competitive sports does sound 100 times more healthy than manipulating everyone around you - and that's definitely not how healthy female friendships should work either.

[@kearathegoddess]

Also, we didn’t even get a northshore winter talent show in the second movie. It was definitely a “Disney” mean girls. They could’ve honestly made Kylie (Regina’s little sister) the new leader of the plastics. I’m sure they could’ve threw in her family getting a lawsuit settlement from Regina getting hit by a school bus. The second movie also lacked the background characters that the original had. I agreed with everything you said, especially about cady coming in as a “blank canvas”. Some writers don’t care about character development though 🤷🏽‍♀️.

[@asherphoenix]

My Sophomore year of high school my English teacher actually had us watch this movie in class and compare it to the story of Julius Cesar. Probably one of my favorite class projects that I remember.

[@t0asterbra1n]

MEAN GIRLS 2 WASN'T EVEN FILMED AT THE SAME SCHOOL AS THE ORIGINAL LMAOOOO

[@aversondelosreyes9968]

Yeah the classroom of cady and the classroom of jo is defferent

[@angelitatraviesa5]

Mean Girls 2 doesn't even go here!

[@luvjnell]

@@angelitatraviesa5 BAHAHA

[@Sodapop-gi4bu]

@@angelitatraviesa5 lmaooooo

[@remurin3147]

@@angelitatraviesa5 that was so fetch

[@pixiestxNyomouf]

Another one of the bad things about MG2 was Mandi's character. She had no human qualities or likability like Regina. You never felt bad for her cause she was such a bitch and not the good kind. Honestly, her "pranks" didn't escalate like in MG. She literally STARTED with destroying her father's business but then went on to mess up her grades???

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

Mandy was just crazy and spoiled 😂

[@aversondelosreyes9968]

Regine goerge is just a evil bitch but she is good thats why i love her mandi is bully she is bad thats why i hate her she will never beat regina

[@chereipeach345]

Actually that's the thing with bad character development according to me. irl no one is literally like mandi, atleast in hs, but girls like Regina can be found.

[@PinkBubbleMartini]

Yeah.. it felt like Regina was actually a REAL person and not some bully character from a low budget Disney original.

[@miraclepainting8596]

like- i wanted to be like regina and when i look at Mandi is-

[@charlotte9362]

The way Mandi introduced herself to Jo reminds me of how Draco tried to be friends with Harry in Philosopher's Stone lol

[@sierrajohnson2393]

personally i think it would’ve been way better if they introduced Jo as a girl who wasn’t always in the spotlight and stayed away from drama , and when she came to her new school she ended up getting manipulated by Mandi just to show how determined she was to get her on her side because of how big of a threat she found her to be . That would’ve been 10x better than this mess

[@sleepyghostgirl]

They didn’t deserve principal duvall

[@moonlightdancer2750]

They honestly ruined his character☹️

[@lady_raineidv9297]

FOR REAL

[@jecarlin]

@@zoebernardo6400 Also, this one is set in Ohio and the other one in Illinois.

[@horrorvictim]

Despite Cady being a "blank canvas" she was very much like everyone else, it made her relatable Because despite her upbringing, everyone could relate with feeling out of place, wanting to fit in, making bad decisions.

[@grace.4481]

Yeah

[@vaishnavi_0]

u know i saw the movie in 2020 on my phone alone coz im still 12 and no one would allow me so yeah but for me Cady was the most beautiful girl... her natural beauty is like- so good... but after all , everyone was sooo beautiful... and her personality is so pure

[@demolisher8795]

@@vaishnavi_0 WHERED YOU WATCH IT

[@vaishnavi_0]

@@demolisher8795 netflix~ i mean like ofc my parents wouldn't subscribe netflix for me , so i downloaded the mod version which is free... if u want to know how to download it , u can ask me.

[@demolisher8795]

@@elenesamkharadze4941 thank yooouuu but I found a website where I could watch it :)

[@bonniehowell4259]

19:46 Who the hell files their nails over a plate of food?!🤢

[@iluvmayna2026]

LMFAOAO

[@rosemary-shirai4267]

Regina: omg I love your movie! Mandi: thanks! *walks away* Regina:...that was the worst f-ing I've ever seen.

[@lovefromwonderland]

Mean Girls 2 is, without a doubt, the most unnecessary sequel of all time. Not to mention the most non-sequel sequel I've ever seen, since it has no characters from the original except Principal Duvall and the only thing similar about the two is the theme of popularity and how it fucks you up or whatever. Original is iconic. Screw the second one. I’m out.

[@user-ur4io5lh5s]

@@sunnyc4853 *someone on my wavelength* I don’t even acknowledge the tired work in either

[@lovefromwonderland]

@@sunnyc4853 at least legally blonde 2 had Reese Witherspoon. Mean Girls 2 has.. nothing.

[@annaconigliaro2907]

I'll put my comment here because there is room for a sequal I think a good premise for the sequel would have been to follow kylie around and have her be the new Regina just for another new girl to take her down. I would have enjoyed seeing Regina tell her that popularity isn't everything and Regina being the one to help the new girl take down Kylie.

[@user-ur4io5lh5s]

@@lovefromwonderland teamwork matters Because I have to remind myself Mark Waters did both projects 😬

[@lovefromwonderland]

@@annaconigliaro2907 I'm not sure you get it. Mean Girls doesn't need a sequel. Like at all. It is a commentary on dictatorship and the parellels it has to a high school hierarchy. Making a sequel is kind of pointless cause what else is there to tell? It said all it needed to say. The premise you presented is pretty redundant because Mean Girls has proved more than enough that popularity isn't everything.

[@livslife187]

I don't get why they didnt make a spin off of mean girls about the 3 girls at the end who where nearly hit by the bus become the new plastics like an origin story yk

[@numbuhbee]

I think it was supposed to be about them too. I have the dvd for mean girls, and in the commentary I’m fairly certain they casted them for that.

[@nashaymarie2567]

Those girls looks like they were in 6grade and just no

[@urdadsonic1036]

there was absolutely no point cause the 1st movie was supposed to just end there wasnt supposed to be a second which is why the second is shit

[@paulaflorez357]

The second she said “I am not like other girls” I mean the✨ pick me energy✨

[@BigMastah79]

The original Mean Girls was a pretty powerful social commentary on issues in the life of modern girls and high school, while also being ICONIC and having so many quotable moments. The sequel just, lacked that aspect. It didn’t have the quotability, which was my favorite part.

[@yonicorn1641]

You know, one thing that really doesnt make sense is that, in the original Mean Girls, Cady was home schooled and lived in Africa until now, so of course she doesnt know how normal teenagers act and what's cool, how to behave etc. So her being manipulated by Regina, Regina seeing her as a threat /because Cady was pretty, new and didnt fear the plastics because she didnt know she have to/ made a lot more sense. Cady was not QuiRkY and NoT LiKe OtHeR GiRLs, she was different because she didnt know any better and all. In the sequel Jo has lived in America all her life, attended public school and all and knew what teens liked, what was trendy and all, she was QuiRkY and NoT LiKe OthEr girLS on purpose and just so there was drama. There was no point of the mean girls trying to take her down except maybe the fact that she's new??? And she's not like other girls??? But like, she's not the only outcast, Abby is not girly and popular but an art kid too, the mean girls could have just outcasted Jo and that would be the end of all drama??? Literally no need for all the dumb shit that happen in the movie

[@PinkBubbleMartini]

LITERALLY 💀 And Janis did kinda manipulate Cady as well tbh

[@observantalien]

YUPP

[@yonicorn1641]

@@PinkBubbleMartini YES! Something I dont like is how Janis is praised as not being like the Plastics while SHE'S EXACTLY LIKE THEM! Taking Cady, the blank canvas, and turning her into what she wants to fit her wishes. Also there's a mean girls musical and there Janis is made into this cool artsy alt girl or whatever and her mean side is not acknowledged /also in the part in the end where they all have to apologize for something they did to another girl, you know in the movie she confesses what they did to Regina but in the musical she just sings this songs about how she's not like other girls and like not being like the popular girls and in the movie that was kinda the point, she was exactly like them, but not feminine and popular and pink, but exactly like them/.

[@ondiiina]

@@yonicorn1641 In the movie she didn't really take accountability either. She JOKED about how she ruined Regina's. She made herself look cool and heroic for doing what she did. In the musical, Fearless shows Cady doing exactly that. She "took down a bitch for everyone". Cady isn't as nice (she took down Regina to date Aaron and not because she ruined Janis's life. She made her decision literally after Janis told her about that traumatic event in her life. AND she states exactly that she's doing it to get the boy.) Janis became a lot nicer: she was genuinely friends with Cady and at the beginning her and Damien only wanted her to "find her flock". Janis also admits that they went too far during the second act I think? And she admits her wrong doings at the end. She also tried to get Cady to stop and tried to not let her become more like Regina. The musical is also sort of a retelling of what happened by Janis and Damien and you can see that she's highly critical of what they did. My point is that it is acknowledged just as much in the musical but Janis is less at fault since they made her less mean while making Cady more mean. The movie didn't acknowledge Janis's wrongdoings that much. It's only the most common interpretation and take. There is no moment where Janis is told that what she did was cruel, ruthless and that nobody deserves what she did to Regina and how she used Cady. Even when she claims to know how "mean" she is, it's to hurt Cady and deny that she made Cady like that. She doesn't see the full extend of her actions and the movie doesn't show it either. Tbf Cady is still guilty for going along with everything and choosing to become a new Regina but she also never had a kind, healthy friendship. One that isn't based on hating someone, on mocking them, on how she can be useful for them. At that point, she had interiorized how to behave around the Plastics and since she was chosen to be the new Regina, she didn't get to stop being around them. Yes, she could have chosen to ditch them but power was more attractive. She dreamt of it and she never got to experience anything else. It's complicated and not the subject tho. My point is that Janis is part of why Cady ended up like that. She didn't offer her a good friendship. She WAS like Regina but the movie didn't show it all and what it did show wasn't really on purpose. The musical tried to make the friendship better which made Janis nicer. But it also doesn't acknowledge her wrong doings a lot. Not sure if she doesn't do her speech right before I'd Rather Be me? But since it's performed live, Janis's level of mean-ess and regret depends on the performer.

[@spacemilk4010]

@@yonicorn1641 that’s true! after watching moderngurlz to me it showed that there really isn’t a thing as “not like other girls”. janis who grew up in the same environment as regina was just like her except her color palette was black and purple. she also at some point wanted regina’s approval. when regina turned janis into a social outcast she wanted revenge not to change the environment of the school.

[@urdad1725]

The thing I liked the most about Mean girls was that Regina is on good terms with Cady by the end, she is shown as a human too who does mistakes but improves herself. While the sequel has a typical ending of the villain getting a taste of their own medicine, going to jail, etc. We were able to relate with the original movie. The sequel had to be seen without using much of brains.

[@mysterykiddo2167]

Well said, sir

[@julezdroolz]

Janis ian was actually worse than regina in my eyes. She made regina gain weight, turned her friends against her, etc. I even watched a video about it. What do u guys think?

[@squidypeachy7274]

my mind permanently removed this "sequel" from my mind only to come back to haunt me

[@kelseyhorton8514]

The thing about mean girls, is they're not usually openly mean. It's a behind the scenes mean. Regina was well liked, she stood up for Cady when they met.

[@mozorellastick2583]

And she was scary, people needed to be liked by her so they listened to everything she said, it was so sneaky and manipulative it was super interesting to watch, the second mean girls was a very cheap imitation

[@lucydonohue4919]

exactly, the fact that Kady's first impression of Regena was that she seemed nice was such a crucial aspect of demonstrating how real mean girls operate.

[@noelle4477]

The mean girls 2 movie was filmed in 20 DAYS- that's when you KNOW it's going to be TRASH.

[@thrivfty9601]

WHATT...I COULDNT EVEN MAKE A SCHOOL PROJECT WITH 2 MONTHS OF WORKING TIME.

[@lxlaa679]

@@thrivfty9601 fr-

[@evanieee236]

@@thrivfty9601 SAMEEE

[@TrelliessRose]

Okay but... _HP Sorcerer's Stone_ was shot in two weeks and _Purple Rain_ was shot in two days.

[@larcenystation]

I asked my friend which character I fit in to the best, and she said Gretchen and I was so happy :)

[@juanitamorgan5475]

I'm really glad that she's explaining it more thoroughly about the movie because I've watched mean girls over 100 times and more and I've never really thought of all of the information and what the movie actually teaches and how certain things that took place in the movie actually affects people in real life

[@swain-Ix1tv]

ok kinda unrelated but i bought a pack of scrunchies a few months ago and I always wear the pink one on wednesdays. edit: i lost the scrunchie :( edit: i found it again haha am wearing it rn edit: it is lost forever. i only use a black hairtie now edit: lost the hairtie unfortunately but i brought another pack and there's pink ones!! circle of life edit (2023): i keep on losing hair ties wtf

[@sofvckingtired]

nice lol

[@Carla-gu3us]

That is so fetch

[@katysikkema]

i love that 💓

[@itsbarbiebltch]

My cousin does that too LMAO

[@erintitus2204]

as you should

[@squeaky748]

Mandy's costumes look like something my mom tried to make me wear when I was 8 💀

[@zahra-zm9bw]

I'M WHEEZING-

[@codey7701]

lmaooo

[@bonniehowell4259]

My daughter was around 8 when this film was released. All I thought was "Wow, Mandy's clothes look like what I buy my daughter at Justice. Lol

[@oO0yuu0Oo]

@@bonniehowell4259 Waitttt ur a mom how interesting

[@amakakalu2403]

Her room even makes me cringe.

[@Jiainara4756]

Actually, Joe is really simular to Janis Ean because they both want to be cool and different and don‘t care what other people think about their appearance.

[@sylviehoward3156]

i remember watching mean girls and MG2 back to back one night with my friends and half of us fell asleep during MG2 😭

[@fatum3978]

Their "fashion" suck. And you know which movie I'm talking about.

[@ftsataros25]

I know like on one side you got ugly 2012 ‘not like other girls’ punk outfits and then on the OTHER side you got 2012 comically pink girly outfits 🤢

[@youjustgotburned3980]

True. They (mean girls and main girl) seemed so basic

[@aWERFRGT6545BGFG]

fashion isnt really a thing style is subjective so who cares

[@mrykhai]

LOL I agree. One of the things I like about Mean Girls is their outfits every scene

[@zuzu9190]

@@aWERFRGT6545BGFG true. But this is a movie. An outfit/costume in a movie doesnt have to look good it just has to make sense with the character and the story. The fashion in mean girls 2 made no sense with the characters. Especially the plastics.

[@_chairespeanut_]

no actual mean girl even would wear those clothes that maddy does- edit: LOL I MEANT MANDI/MADDI IDK IM SORRY AND ALSO THANK U FOR THE LIKES THOUGH

[@youjustgotburned3980]

That awkward moment when you have more fashion sense then the "mean girl" 🤣

[@elianadobbs7603]

It’s mandi “with an I” 😂 god I hate this movie

[@lesbiangoddess290]

@@elianadobbs7603 who spells it like that

[@J4hm4rii]

Mean girls on the disney channel dress like that.

[@princess1peach]

Who

[@isaiah9496]

Mean girls 2 feels like a Disney channel movie 😂

[@makmuralimuddin3795]

Or the worst Disney channel movie

[@kudolily590]

Regina is really an appealing and interesting character as you can feel how she actually knows what she is doing, planning and saying things that are totally MEAN. However, Mandy gives me a totally opposite image. i cannot even be angry or feel stupid at what she does to revenge on Joe, just like she is a full stereotype machine of a traditional queen bee, no personality but only does “MEAN” things mechanically (For the plot). In summary, I feel I would rather like to use the 1 hour for rewatching Meangirls1

[@itzmealexgpc18]

Regina: *writes a comment about the guy who made this film in her burn book*

[@Mia-oe2mu]

@@chloeisasleep mean girls 2 did suck

[@chuuu4610]

I think a big reason why Meaghan was THAT monotone is because she hated the movie as much as us 😅

[@kolcheks]

fr, she’s actually a talented actress in other stuff like until dawn😭

[@PlaystationSimmer]

@@kolcheks She was a better mean girl there than Mandi in the second movie lmao

[@SavouryGalette]

​@@kolcheks Oh my God, YES. Meaghan nailed Jessica in that game, and she's still one of my favorite characters. When I learned that _she_ was the one who was starring in this shitshow, I was so surprised.

[@miralynn2975]

ok this is my new favorite youtube video. you honestly broke down the plots and storylines so well. you deserve so much more recognition

[@ishitajain5315]

The "Thankyou, Next" music video is the only Mean Girls 2. Period.

[@emmabagshaw9370]

Mr Duvall in the original mean girl's movie was iconic. The second movie had the audacity to take that iconic character....and turn him into some unfunny guy whose only personality trait was that he was a borderline sex offender. fml

[@emmabagshaw9370]

They made countless attempts at humour by making jokes that Duvall was a sex offender (in the second movie) but my point still stands that in the second movie he felt like all the other characters. Unfunny and like they belong in a Disney channel movie rather than in a sequel to the iconic original movie

[@Chameleousa]

Wait... He was borderline sex offender?

[@itswhateverforme9385]

After he called out Coach Carr to stay away from the underage girls??

[@erikapavedtheway]

@@Chameleousa he would take pictures of Chastity making out with guys and also made a comment about how "everyone would love to see two teenage girls wrestling"

[@lnterestingg]

Firstly mean girls 2 is way too unrelatable with the designers, the comebacks and name-calling are way too intelligent and clean for teens who instead use more profane language. The high school hierarchy also doesn’t make sense, it never explains why Mandi is at the ‘top’ of popularity. She’s not an authority on gossip or social scenes whereas Regina is. Everyone changes in mean girls 1

[@brooklyn4338]

if they were types of phones: Heathers: Iphone 12 Mean Girls: Iphone X Mean Girls 2: one of those burnout walmart phones

[@siyagreen5557]

Your summary of Mean Girls 2 was better than the actual movie. Love your review! I look forward to watching more from you 🦋💫

[@Ariaraee]

Regina drew you in and made you think she was friends. Mandy was just mean. There was no betrayal like there was with Cady.

[@theofficialVEVOformu]

Everything that made the first Mean Girls Movie great is what the second one lacked. Not only that but Mean Girls 2 copied almost every single character from the original movie yet managed to screw up their personalities.

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

They copied the characters but somehow still managed to mess up the character.

[@theofficialVEVOformu]

The VHS Tape exactly I mean they made Hope a stalker (Gretchen) didn’t stalk people she gossiped They made chasity a really mean girl and extremely sluty (karen was not mean and she was promiscuous) And they made mandi a criminal and a super cruel person(regina was mean but was not a criminal)

[@theofficialVEVOformu]

@The Queen well at least she didn’t sneak into someone’s home like Hope 💀

[@katherinealvarez9216]

14:11 Ah the Not Like Other Girls trope, complete with a leather jacket, dark and pragmatic clothes (for Hollywood) and she rides a moped. Yup. The precursor to The Cool Girl.

[@mp3music804]

Mean girls 2 missed what Mean Girls was talking about. It wasn’t LITERALLY about taking the bullies down. It was about Queen Bees and Wannabes

[@edwinsalino5422]

I so hate the saying "I'm not like other girls" just to make that someone special 🙄

[@jackymaya4583]

My husband and I are teaching our son, if you ever hear a girl say she's "not like the other girls, RUN!" 😆

[@avenue7713]

@@jackymaya4583 LMAO AHAHHA

[@youjustgotburned3980]

Not like the other girls is a nice way of saying:"I'm a misfit with low-self esteem"

[@aWERFRGT6545BGFG]

@@jackymaya4583 also if u ever hear a boy say " im not like other guys" run

[@cnstqnce2841]

@@aWERFRGT6545BGFG if you ever hear “im a nice guy” RUNNNNNN 🏃🏾‍♀️

[@katiekatie6439]

long story short: mean girls 2 isn’t iconic, it was rushed, and honestly, the actors aren’t near as funny. they dressed weird and just aren’t what we grew up with. the original movie was what made so many childhoods, it is just a throw back while the sequel was just the knock off.

[@miralynn2975]

exactly! and its sad bc they had a good talented cast and they wasted so much potential with the their storylines and script

[@abcdisaster]

The first time I saw it I was actually shocked that it *wasn't* a Disney movie

[@fantasticlady1343]

OMG I've been saying for years that they could've named that movie literally anything else and it would've been more successful! And honestly this could be applied to so many "sequels" and "remainings."

[@KoolKukumber]

The second mean girls feels like a Disney channel movie

[@SaKura-il8op]

Why does no one like mean girls two? Short answer: because it’s trash. Long answer: because it’s traaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash.

[@justjossgk3438]

Mean girls two is literally at the backside of my middle school. It was in a Kahoot... lol they added grass to the parking lot

[@All-ze9cl]

I love how the principal cares about Reginas love life

[@deaddogproductions7363]

the "sequel" didn't even feel like a sequel to me. it felt like a different movie, not entirely, but it just felt off. it feels like a very low budget, cheap "movie" that had an entirely different plot and they knew it wouldn't work, so they pathetically passed it off as 'mean girls 2.' to me it felt like it should've premiered on the syfy channel or ABC family, so you were right when you said it should've been on disney channel because that's exactly what it feels like. p.s. are you hispanic? you sound hispanic. just curious.

[@TheVhsTapeYT]

Hahah nope I’m not Hispanic, but I do understand some Spanish 😂

[@prettyprince7711]

They just dumbed down the iconic, flawless Mean Girls movie to a soulless movie they think younger audience will connect to when they just made a dull movie NO ONE will remember.

[@yuina5832]

yup, i totally forgot there was a mean girls 2 movie until i saw this vid

[@puterisri2643]

I didn't even remember a single thing about Mean Girls 2 until I watch this video. The movie really is a movie that no one would remember.

[@veronicageorge3825]

I didn't even know there was a Mean Girls 2 until some years ago.

[@numbuhbee]

Coming back to say this: in September 2020, a comic book called “mean girls: senior year” was released as a sequel to mean girls!

[@Kamphoria]

I love Mean Girls and cause it's so iconic and I can quote it a lot. ALL I REMEMBER FROM MG2 IS THAT THE BLONDE HAD A MOTORCYCLE AND THAT ONE GIRL WAS A GERMAPHOBIA THAT IT

[@electric_gymnastics859]

regina george would DESTROY the WHOLE cast of meangirls 2!!!!

[@Iunarski]

They are literally just middle school mean girls man

[@yoshibts4180]

“Stay down there and never look at me again.” I die every time 😹😹😹

[@RakeshPandey-ch4eb]

This video was so *FETCH*

[@peblezQ]

I feel like Jo's character would have worked better as Janis' replacement character. If she were the bitter friend of the protagonist she might have been more likeable.

[@Heyyyyyyybestaess]

Yeah Abby, or Addy whatever her name was didn’t make a good replacement, Janis had likable traits but the other girl was nothing more than a sidekick

[@MissCaraMint]

The not like other girls aspect to Jo could have worked really well if it showed Jo realizing that her assertions about other girls were wrong. If framed in a different way say kinda more like an outsider character who doesn’t want to fit in because being normal is for losers, as upposed to the blank slate we allready had in Cady’s character from the first movie. The tearing down of the hierarchy could be the same with the eventual unity of girl world also reaching the same conclusion, but with the added twist of the main character gaining respect for her own sex as a whole and viewing them as more than the steriotyped ideas she voices early on in the beginning. It would nessecitate the mean popular girl though in not really being the bad person who we think her to be though and having say an unexpected tallent or dream we then respect, though we don’t nessacerily need to outright like her by the end of the movie.

[@ambrosiablack2061]

This sounds cool ngl

[@orangegreen3769]

Already a better plot than the whole entire movie

[@blackbangtan8943]

I actually watched mean girls 2 first then when I saw mean girls I was like this will be bad too. Then I watched and I loved it.

[@jashninodiaz2048]

I remember the first time I watched Mean Girls, I was still an elementary student that time but I was so into this movie. Iconic and nostalgic 💅✨

[@mette9279]

Even watching the movie in 2020, mean girls has stood the test of time. Some remarks that are made can't be made nowadays, but overall its a good movie. It has so many iconic moments, the characters are well developed and the movie has great lessons.

[@bellac6311]

i agree, i mean the amount of times regina says the r slur makes me uncomfortable upon rewatching (im autistic btw) but other than that it has aged like fine wine

[@katgreer6113]

yeah, and the racist undertones and body shaming...yikes!

[@leoninenoble]

​@@katgreer6113I mean, duh, it's mean girls. Of course there's body shaming jokes.

[@SleepyChihuahua]

Oh my God, you can't just ask someone if they're black!

[@kalluzeb021]

I hated Janis. She was the one who actually made Cadi do all this, and when it all went sideways, she just threw Cadi under the bus, in this crash course xD I mean, sure, Cadi made mistakes, but she didn't even do it on purpose, she lost her way. XD

[@For_Show]

Then on top of that she came from Africa where she really had no friends and didn’t really know what was popular and what was not so it was really easy to manipulate her

[@lady_raineidv9297]

I didn't like Janis the moment she said "Why would we get you in trouble? We're your friends." literally on Cady's second day. That was manipulative af, and for me, on the same level red flag as "So you agree? You think you're really pretty?"

[@Chikitew]

I don’t hate Janis, and I can sympathize with her to a degree, but I really disliked how one of the key elements in her story is how she was made fun of for being a lesbian when she wasn’t. And the movie, rather than addressing it is in fact not okay to make fun of someone for their sexuality, treats the word “lesbian” as an insult and makes one of Janis’s biggest accomplishments landing a boyfriend and solidly proving herself as straight. It’s just so messy…

[@aanyasrivastava9652]

@@For_Show She had friends in Africa. Wtf are you talking about? She says that during the first day montage. "I had a lot of friends in Africa, but in Arizona no luck so far".

[@For_Show]

@@aanyasrivastava9652 yeah ok

[@opheliaduokie766]

what went wrong was they tried to make a sequel to such a iconic movie and failed horrendously 😬

[@christinafurlow6815]

This could have been a good movie. There were many girls at that time period who hated preppy girly girls, and looked down upon things that were pink and feminine. During the 2000s feminine, sexy and girly styles were very popular, for example a lot of young women were inspired Paris Hilton’s fashion. I was in middle school during that time and many of the popular kids wore “Preppy” clothing ( Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry, Abercrombie & Fitch, and PAC Sun to name a few. Of course there was Justice for the younger children.) Then No Doubt, Avril Lavigne, Hayley Williams rose to popularity and teens wanted to dress more edgy. Emo, Scene, and Skater fashion was on the rise and stores like Hot topic became popular. Feminine fashion and hobbies were associated with weakness, vanity, superficiality, and promiscuity. Some of the meanest judgmental girls at my school were girls like the protagonist. They claimed to be feminists, but are very sexist to girls who embrace their femininity, and associate masculine traits as “cool.” . The protagonist is mean girl and has a superiority complex over girls who are different from her. They should’ve delved deeper into how her beliefs developed and gave her rival more character depth, showing that these girls are more a like than different. Jo should’ve came to epiphany that she’s a mean girl, and to stop being so judgmental towards people. Perhaps she starts to embrace some of the girly things she once thought were lame. The worst part is that Jo really didn’t change or gain a new perspective of her biases.The movie didn’t allow the audience to receive insight on western society’s perception of femininity, sexism, and misogyny. We didn’t gain anything from being placed in Jo’s perspective, unlike Katy herring. Both characters were pretty bland. They were supposed to be lenses into a world in which many of us now can’t be apart of, and for those who are our part of that world , so many things get missed because of the mundaneness of life and our own biases at that age. I feel that our society still misunderstands adolescents. There are many misconceptions of what it means to come of age, and there are certain behaviors we carry into adulthood. Mean girls is an iconic movie because we received an opportunity to observe our own behavior and to understand ourselves better. That’s what made it a great film and a great piece of art.

[@halliezhao2406]

Y'now what would be good? An actual sequel of MG where all the characters are adults.

[@barryseiko1868]

Yeah let's say Regina George survived and wants revenge

[@Itsbritney94]

They actually wanna make a sequel called Mean Moms

[@numbuhbee]

@@barryseiko1868 Regina did survive though??

[@barryseiko1868]

@@numbuhbee but I thought she got ran over

[@LadyAhro]

@@barryseiko1868 only hit

[@yonicorn1641]

Also the sequel feels like a DCOM, probably because of the actresses who were in Disney at the time /not their fault/, the outfits, the pg-13 rating and the dumb plot.

[@fakename3440]

Mean girls is also pg-13 but at least they could make the plot and characters not cringe.

[@poppinc8145]

It was a TV Movie, but aired on ABC Family (now Freeform) instead of Disney Channel. They should have just called it something else, or at the very least not used the "2" in its name and just used a subtitle, which would make it a spin-off instead of a sequel. People still ask "Will there ever be a Mean Girls 2"...except there already is and they took that name away from any possible sequel involving the original cast if one ever comes out.

[@baileychism8265]

Lol the end where Cady breaks the crown and gives it to people gives me Radio Rebel vibes 😂