WELCOME TO GIRL WORLD.

After being raised in Africa, 16-year-old Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) moves home to Illinois with her family and goes to high school for the first time in her life; she soon becomes embroiled in social politics.

Several Saturday Night Live performers collaborated on this comedy that may be formulaic but still manages to say something about how young girls treat each other; that was the point of the book that inspired it. Plenty of funny oneliners; as far as the tone goes the filmmakers owe predecessors like Heathers (1989) a lot.

Very good cast, including Lohan as the girl who finds her new school bewildering.

2004-U.S. 97 min. Color. Produced by Lorne Michaels. Directed by Mark Waters. Screenplay: Tina Fey. Book: Rosalind Wiseman (”Queen Bees and Wannabees”). Cast: Lindsay Lohan (Cady Heron), Tina Fey (Sharon Norbury), Rachel McAdams (Regina George), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan.

Trivia: Seyfried’s film debut. Followed by a TV movie sequel, Mean Girls 2 (2011). Later a stage musical, which was turned into a movie in 2024.

Quote: “I’m kinda psychic. I have a fifth sense. It’s like I have ESPN or something. My breasts can always tell when it’s going to rain.” (Seyfried)