Mean Girls (20th Anniversary Edition) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
When Mean Girls was initially released, I have to wonder if anyone thought the film would be as successful as it has been over the last two decades. Whether it’s the quotable lines or the cast of well-known actors or the simple yet commanding direction the film takes to hold your attention, you have to wonder if the filmmakers realized what they were making when they were filming it. Catch up with my nostalgia and of course the vital technical review within and be sure to click the paid link at the end (pssst, it’s the cover artwork!) to buy yourself a copy of Mean Girls.
Film 
After living in Africa with her zoologist parents, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) must brave the wilds of high school where she is taken under the wing of the popular girls, The Plastics, led by the cool and cruel Regina George (Rachel McAdams). What follows is a treasure trove of sharp, witty humor that defined a generation and inspired countless catchphrases, a hit Broadway musical, and a new twist on the tale in 2024. Co-Starring and written by Tina Fey, and featuring Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, and Amy Poehler, MEAN GIRLS is nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon and an iconic classic.
The coming-of-age comedy is one of my favorite subgenres. Seeing the trials and tribulation of kids and teens was already relatable to the young me, but as I get older, I find myself drawn to those awkward years with lots of empathy. I can still remember buying a used copy of Mean Girls on DVD from Hollywood Video. All that time ago, I was a fresh out of high school, fresh out of the closet gay man and still trying to find out what to do in life. I wasn’t career oriented and had no clue what I was going to be doing in community college. I found so much of myself in the characters in this film and its theme was so relatable to me.
I found a lot to relate to in the characters. Besides Damien and his being “too gay to function”, I could relate to Cady’s newness in her school, trying to find her place. I did that through four years of high school with people I’d known forever. I also could identify which each one of the so-called “Plastics”, fighting with their own body issues, their own jealousies and insecurities. I could identify with Damien and Janis and their issues fitting in and being different. I could even identify with some very minor characters who are differently able. I have always been a fat guy, and then a fat man and even to this day at 37, I am teased, judged and poorly treated regarding my weight. It’s unfortunate to be nearing middle age and still feeling that hatred, but 20 years back, I was finding solace in this film.
Cut to 2024, and I still can relate to every primary and secondary character including the teachers now. I still laugh at the one-liners and find myself feeling a warm nostalgia for Mean Girls. There are certainly parts of the film that haven’t aged well, but we aren’t foolish viewers and know that what’s OK and not OK differ from person to person year after year. Put your memory goggles on and go all in for fun! That’s the best way to take this film in if you’ve seen it before. For those new to Mean Girls, this is the best way to see it and the better choice of film between this and the 2024 Musical.
Video
Stills are for promotional use only and not from the 4K UHD Blu-ray
Encoding: HEVC/H.265
Resolution: 4K
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
HDR: Dolby Vision
Layers: BD-100
Clarity/Detail: Released in tandem with the 2024 remake, Mean Girls comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray with a pleasing, albeit not revolutionary new transfer. There are moments of softness in some parts of the film and clarity is overall great with a few hiccups along the way.
Depth: Depth wise, the softness in some shots is only a small complaint, otherwise the focus in each scene is just as it should be.
Color Reproduction: Mean Girls is a parade of colors. Dolby Vision encourages lush reds and sprightly pinks clash with other more cool blues and greens. The drab school even has color pop!
Black Levels: Blacks are spot on and contribute to the well-rounded color palette in the film. Shadow detail is nice too!
Flesh Tones: Natural overall unless someone is wearing excessive makeup.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean
Audio
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Candadian French and French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Dynamics: Mean Girls carries over its existing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Dynamically this sounds like a 2009 Blu-ray, but that doesn’t mean bad. There is light surround activity, good sound for music and nice clear dialogue.
Height: N/A
Low-Frequency Extension: Music carries the most love for the subwoofer, with light sound effects coming through also.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surround sound usage is light but complimentary to the action on-screen. The party sequence and anything involving large groups of people seem the carry the most surround activity.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is mostly center staged and sounds clear and crisp.
Extras
This 20th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray edition of Mean Girls carries over all previous extras and one new one. The release comes with a slipcover variant of the previously issued Steelbook edition and a hot pink amaray case. A digital code comes with this edition as well. No HD Blu-ray is included.
- 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. NEW!
- 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
Summary
Mean Girls is a time-capsule of the early 2000s. The slang (yes, even Fetch…), fashion, music and even the screenwriting are exactly how things were then. Tina Fey wrote something that was obviously from her heart, and the film has mostly aged well. This new release is the one that looks and sounds the best, and at it’s price-point it’s a sure pickup for fans of the film who collect their films on disc. For me, now it’s time to retire my 20 year old DVD, which is very Grool.
