It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years (what???) since we learned about the daughter of the inventor of Toaster Strudel, and, more importantly, about how learning to not be a mean girl/queen B or you’ll get hit by a bus is a Shakespearian tragedy, in a way. This can only be referring to one singular movie which changed the way younger people were and became simply because this movie was the definition of fetch — which we’re still unsure what it exactly means. To marking the 20th anniversary of the original movie Mean Girls, Paramount has decided to give the people what they want, and that’s a totally grool 4K where the presentation and not the features are certainly the selling point.

L-R: Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith, Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Weiners, and Rachel McAdams as Regina George in MEAN GIRLS. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

So, what is it about Mean Girls that had it define a generation? First and foremost, co-written by Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend) and Rosalind Wiseman (Mean Girls (both)) and directed by Mark Waters (Freaky Friday), this movie became a new generation’s Clueless (1995). The movie focuses on Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) as she transfers to North Shore after being home schooled in Africa. There she learns that high school is almost as daunting as the jungles of Africa, but she makes friends with the coolest people you could ever know, Janis and Damian (Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese, respectively). What Cady doesn’t know is there’re cliques in high school, and the most dangerous one of them all is the Plastics, consisting of Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), Karen (Amanda Seyfried), and, Queen Bee herself, Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Cady has to navigate the inner workings of high school and gets caught up in the plan that Janice hatches for her, after Regina stabs Cady in the back, to take Regina and the Plastics down. Does chaos erupt? Yes. In the end, we get one of the most iconic 2000s movies of all time which defined a generation, spawned a Broadway musical which then, in turn, created a movie adaptation of that exact musical (for more on that home review check out Mallory Moore’s thoughts here).

Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury in MEAN GIRLS. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Mean Girls 4K for the 20^th anniversary copies something similar the 15^th anniversary Blu-ray has done, and that the fans wanted. It brought back the pink case, which is so very indeed fetch! However, there will be some naysayers who would argue it ruins the feng shui of their entire black shelf, but, to that I say, “you cannot sit with us”. Atop of the wonderfully fitting case, its slipcover is simply sublime and is none other than the Burn Book itself! The physical packaging of this 20^th anniversary is stunning on the outside and will always be wearing pink on Wednesdays on your shelf.

MEAN GIRLS 4K UHD steelbook. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Now, it is important to talk about how this 4K release looks different than the Blu-ray from five years ago and whether the change in quality is noticeable and worth the upgrade. First and foremost, I want to state that I do appreciate grain in film, especially when its preserved and given to us in the best version possible. With that being said, Mean Girls does eliminate the grain for the 4K, but nothing looks waxy or out of place, it just looks cleaned up. A 2004 movie that was shot on film certainly isn’t going to have as much grain as something from the ‘70s per se, but the grain was still there and present in the Blu-ray and in all other releases. So this just cleans up the picture and brings less noise to the picture itself. Nothing else noticeable has been done to the picture. The colors are still the same and the tones haven’t changed, so truly the most noticeable change is the lack of grain. Overall, this is the cleanest Mean Girls has ever looked, and that does not necessarily mean the best, but in this case, it is the best the movie has ever looked.

Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall in MEAN GIRLS. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

There is one singular new feature on this 4K, as well, titled “Mean Girls: Class of ’04,” which is about 20 minutes long, give or take. It is a look back at the classic film with brief discussions of what made the film a classic with Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels (SNL), Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr (the directors of the 2024 version), along with some of the cast from the 2024 movie. However, this is not the only feature on the 4K, it is just the sole new feature. All of the legacy features are still included. Overall, with the upgrade in picture, the pink case, the burn book slipcover and the new feature, Mean Girls (2004) on 4K is a worthy edition to your shelf, and, if you already own the 15^th anniversary Blu-ray, a steelbook, or a VHS, just know that the limit does not exist.

Mean Girls 2004 Special Features

• “Mean Girls: Class of ‘04” — Tina Fey and cast from the new movie look back at the original film and discuss why it became a cult classic.
• Commentary by director Mark Waters, screenwriter and actress Tina Fey, and producer Lorne Michaels
• “Only the Strong Survive”
• “The Politics of Girl World”
• “Plastic Fashion”
• “Word Vomit” (Blooper Reel)
• “So Fetch” — Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by director Mark Waters and screenwriter and actress Tina Fey
• Interstitials
• Theatrical Trailer

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital April 30^th, 2024.

Categories: Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, adaptation, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Broadway Video, comedy, Daniel Franzese, drama, home release, home video, Jonathan Bennett, Ky Pham, Lacey Chabert, Lindsay Lohan, Lizzy Caplan, M.G. Films, Mark Waters, Mean Girls, Neil Flynn, Paramount Pictures, Rachel McAdams, Rajiv Surendra, Rosalind Wiseman, steelbook, Tim Meadows, Tina Fey