Back for the third day in a row. I'm seeing Troy later tonight, so I'll report back with that as well as my thoughts on the film Seeing Other People. Check back often.
Mean Girls
Review by Jon Waterman
***
After living in Africa and being home schooled all her life, Cady (pronounced Katie) is finally off to public school. Her first day of high school does not go well, as anyone could guess. Soon, she befriends a couple of outcasts and they teach her the ins and outs of the social system there. There are the nerds, the jocks, the stoners, the outcasts and the plastics. The plastics are the super-hotties that all the guys lust after and all the girls wish they could be. It makes the outcasts sick. Cady finds herself with an opportunity to join the plastics. The plan is to infiltrate their ranks and discover their secrets and dismantle them from the inside. So, which group is worse: The fakest, most insulting girls in school or the ones trying to destroy them?
“Saturday Night Live” head writer Tina Fey wrote the script based on the book “Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman. What it sort of comes down to is “Heathers” without the killing in a way. I think there’s more of a message in this film. Before I get into that, let’s talk about the writing and the humor in general. It’s good. The jokes work to an extent. There are a couple of off-the-wall attempts, but the movie really gets its charm from the more subtle moments. You’ll probably find yourself smiling rather than laughing. Either way, there’s still a positive reaction, and that mood carries without. Fey does a great job of capturing the teenage language. The adults are separated from these girls in their speech patterns and the result is a much more natural acting job by most of the young girls.
This is a teen comedy targeted at girls. And I hope they see it. Rather than the humor, I think I more enjoyed the social commentary and the potential lessons that could and should be learned. It shows how similar these cliques can be. It shows the pointlessness and stupidity of high school gossiping. It shows how easy it can be to alienate yourself from your friends and how easy it is to get swept up in the high school hierarchy. And it does it all without coming off preachy. What I wish was handled a little bit more was how this budding slutty and catty attitude is influencing younger girls. It is there with the younger sister watching TV, dancing and lifting her shirt. But those quick moments could have been worked on more. I also enjoyed the influence of the Plastic mother, who encourages her daughter to act this way just so she can be popular.
Even though I haven’t been in high school for a while, this film still seems like an accurate portrayal of many aspects of teenage life in this country. It’s disheartening. I think kids should see this movie to understand that they’re not alone in their high school struggles. I think parents should see this movie to better understand the current culture of schools. I think people looking for a solid comedy should look someplace else.
Mean Girls
Review by Jon Waterman
***
After living in Africa and being home schooled all her life, Cady (pronounced Katie) is finally off to public school. Her first day of high school does not go well, as anyone could guess. Soon, she befriends a couple of outcasts and they teach her the ins and outs of the social system there. There are the nerds, the jocks, the stoners, the outcasts and the plastics. The plastics are the super-hotties that all the guys lust after and all the girls wish they could be. It makes the outcasts sick. Cady finds herself with an opportunity to join the plastics. The plan is to infiltrate their ranks and discover their secrets and dismantle them from the inside. So, which group is worse: The fakest, most insulting girls in school or the ones trying to destroy them?
“Saturday Night Live” head writer Tina Fey wrote the script based on the book “Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman. What it sort of comes down to is “Heathers” without the killing in a way. I think there’s more of a message in this film. Before I get into that, let’s talk about the writing and the humor in general. It’s good. The jokes work to an extent. There are a couple of off-the-wall attempts, but the movie really gets its charm from the more subtle moments. You’ll probably find yourself smiling rather than laughing. Either way, there’s still a positive reaction, and that mood carries without. Fey does a great job of capturing the teenage language. The adults are separated from these girls in their speech patterns and the result is a much more natural acting job by most of the young girls.
This is a teen comedy targeted at girls. And I hope they see it. Rather than the humor, I think I more enjoyed the social commentary and the potential lessons that could and should be learned. It shows how similar these cliques can be. It shows the pointlessness and stupidity of high school gossiping. It shows how easy it can be to alienate yourself from your friends and how easy it is to get swept up in the high school hierarchy. And it does it all without coming off preachy. What I wish was handled a little bit more was how this budding slutty and catty attitude is influencing younger girls. It is there with the younger sister watching TV, dancing and lifting her shirt. But those quick moments could have been worked on more. I also enjoyed the influence of the Plastic mother, who encourages her daughter to act this way just so she can be popular.
Even though I haven’t been in high school for a while, this film still seems like an accurate portrayal of many aspects of teenage life in this country. It’s disheartening. I think kids should see this movie to understand that they’re not alone in their high school struggles. I think parents should see this movie to better understand the current culture of schools. I think people looking for a solid comedy should look someplace else.
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