“Mean Girls” the new movie musical has terrific performances, hilarious dialogue, tremendous choreography (Kyle Hanagami), great songs, inventive cinematography (Bill Kirstein), with use of cell phone and social media imagery, and clever editing (Andrew Marcus).

“Mean Girls,” based on the Broadway stage musical that is based on the movie that is based on a book, is in the tradition of teen-themed movie musicals and movies.

The movie musicals include “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963), “Grease” (1978) and “Hairspray” (2007 musical based on the 1988 original film); teen-age-angst movies, such as “American Graffiti” (1971), “Back to the Future” (1985), “Breakfast Club” (1985) and any number of director John Hughes movies (“Sixteen Candles,” 1984; “Pretty in Pink,” 1986), as well as teen female theme movies, “Heathers” (1988), “Clueless” (1995), “Cruel Intentions” (1999), “Legally Blonde” (2001), “The Clique” (2008) and “Easy A” (2010).

It’s two decades after the original “Mean Girls” (2004), starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lizzy Caplan and Allentown’s Amanda Seyfried in her movie acting debut.

Tina Fey, who reprises her role from the 2004 movie as a teacher in “Mean Girls” the movie musical, wrote the screenplay for the movie musical, the Broadway musical (March 2018 - March 2020) and the original movie, which was based on the book, “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” by Rosalind Wiseman. There was a “Mean Girls 2” (2011).

Fey has said she based the “Mean Girls” scripts on her experiences as a student at Upper Darby High School, Upper Darby Township, Delaware County.

“Mean Girls” is a cultural capstone, an iconic influencer and exploder of shibboleths.

The stereotypes being spoofed are obvious, scornful and laughable, none more so than “The Plastics,” the cool-girl clique led by Regina (Reneé Rapp, reprising her role from the Broadway show).

Regina has Histrionic Personality Disorder, which makes her a perfect leader to be fawned over by her female sycophants, Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika).

Cady (Angourie Rice), the new girl in school, becomes fast friends with Janis (Auli’l Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey).

Cady has a crush on Aaron (Christopher Briney), the best-looking guy in AP Calculus if not all of North Shore High School.

Samantha Jayne and her husband Arturo Perez Jr. (in their feature film directorial debut; directors, TV mini-series, “Quarter Life Poetry: Poems for the Young Broke & Hangry, 2016) direct “Mean Girls” from the screenplay by Tina Fey.

The songs for the stage musical and movie musical are by composer Jeff Richmond (Tony Award nominee, “Mean Girls,” 2018; and Tina Fey’s husband) and lyricist Nell Benjamin (Tony Award nominee, “Legally Blonde,” 2011).

The cast is Ah!mayZing!

Angourie Rice (“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” 2021; TV‘s “The Mare Of Easttown,” 2021) is genuine and natural as Cady.

Renee Rapp (TV’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” 2021-22; “Not My Fault” music video with Megan Thee Stallion, 2024) is intense and hilarious as Regina.

Auli’i Cravalho (voice, title character, “Moana,” 2016) is charming as Janis.

Jaquel Spivey (Grammy nominee, Broadway cast, “A Strange Loop,” 2023) is fantastic as Damian.

Avantika (TV’s “Mira, Royal Detective, 2020-22) is phenomenal, giving a whole new spin to Karen (the role Amanda Seyfried played in the original film).

Christopher Briney (TV’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” 2022-23) is memorable as Aaron.

Bebe Wood (“Crushed,” 2022) is very funny as Gretchen.

The leads are in fantastic voice.

The songs, in production, delivery and choreography, are satirical, zany and camp.

Song highlights include “A Cautionary Tale,” Janis and Damian; “Stupid with Love,” Cady; “What’s Wrong With Me?,” Gretchen; “Apex Predator,” Janis, Cady; “Someone Gets Hurt,” Regina, and “Revenge Party,” Janis, Damian, Cady and Company.

Noteworthy in the cast are Jenna Fischer (Cady’s mother), Busy Philipps (Regina’s mother), Tim Meadows (school principal), Jon Hamm (phys-ed teacher), Ashley Park (French teacher), Tina Fey (math teacher) and Lindsay Lohan (math contest host).

“Mean Girls” is a send-up of the clichés, trends and fads of class culture, and not only the test scores, but the popularity, fashion, gossip, rivalries and bullying at a typical American high school. “Mean Girls” checks all the boxes not only of the contemporary high school scene, but possibly of your high school experience.

In “Mean Girls,” there’s the “Burn Book,” a secret scrapbook of photos, drawings and insults and infatuations about classmates. At the former Lanark Elementary School that I attended in the Southern Lehigh School District, the “Slam Book” was surreptitiously passed across the aisle from student to student in the sixth grade classroom. Check.

In “Mean Girls,” the high school formal dance is called the “Spring Fling,” where a King and Queen is chosen. Cady is chosen the Queen. At Southern Lehigh High School, in 1966, I was King of the “Spring Fling” and the late Marissa Hendley was Queen. Check.

In “Mean Girls,” there’s a “Winter Talent Show,” with disastrous results for The Plastics’ dance routine. In the Southern Lehigh “Talent Show” in 1966, I sang lead vocals in the Cherry Street Trio on “Greenback Dollar,” “The Sounds of Silence” and “Yesterday” with John Labate and his brother, the late Carmen Labate, on acoustic guitars. And in tight white jeans and a surfer polo shirt, I led a line of go-go dancers down the aisles and onto the stage of the auditorium. Check.

“Mean Girls” should resonate with many age groups. Whether you are a grandparent reflecting on your high school years; or a parent navigating the teen years of your children, or a teen or young adult yourself, or a fan of Taylor Swift songs, “Mean Girls” will check off many of the boxes on your list.

“Mean Girls” the musical, as Gretchen says, is Grool, as in great and cool. “Mean Girls” is also fetch, another word that Gretchen is determined to enter into the lexicon of teen slang. Check.

If you’re a fan of all things “Mean Girls,” you should enjoy the movie musical.

“Mean Girls,”

MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.) for sexual material, strong language, and teen drinking; Genre: Musical Comedy; Run time: 1 hour, 52 minutes; distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

“Mean Girls” filming locations included Mater Del Preparatory School, Middletown, N.J. The Kälteen Bars that Cady gives to Regina in “Mean Girls” are Swedish nutrition bars intended for weight gain. The end credits include prom dance scenes. A scene at the very end is full-on Regina at her meanest.

At The Movies:

“Mean Girls” was seen in the Dolby Cinema at AMC, AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Weekend Box Office,

Jan. 26-28: “Mean Girls” made it a three-peat, staying at No. 1 three weeks in a row after box office figures were updated, $6.9 million in 3,544 theaters, $60.4 million, three weeks. 2. “The Beekeeper” stayed in place, $6.6 million in 3,337 theaters, $41.5 million, three weeks. 3. “Wonka” stayed in place, $5.6 million in 3,014 theaters, $194.9 million, seven weeks. 4. “Migration” stayed in place, $4.8 million in 2,962 theaters, $101 million, six weeks. 5. “Anyone But You” stayed in place, $4.6 million in 2,885 theaters, $71 million, six weeks. 6. “Poor Things” got an Oscar nominee bounce, with 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actress (Emma Stone), moving up four places, $2.9 million in 2,300 theaters, $24.6 million, eight weeks. 7. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” dropped one place, $2.7 million in 2,118 theaters, $118 million, six weeks. 8. “Godzilla Minus One” moved up 10 places, $2.7 million in 2,051 theaters, $55.1 million, nine weeks. 9. “American Fiction” got an Oscar nominee bounce, with five Oscar nominations, including best picture and actor (Jeffrey Wright), moving up three places, $2.5 million in 1,702 theaters, $11.5 million, seven weeks. 10. “Night Swim” dropped two places, $2 million in 2,268 theaters, $26.7 million, four weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Jan. 29 is subject to change.

Unreel,

Feb. 2:

“Argylle,”

PG-13: Mathew Vaughn directs Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena, Rob Delaney, Catherine O’Hara, Bryan Cranston, Jason Fuchs, Grecia De la Paz, Alaa Habib and Sofia Boutella in the Action Thriller. A spy novelist gets mixed up with real-life bad guys.

“The Promised Land,”

R: Nikolaj Arcel directs Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Gustav Lindh, Kristina Kujath Thorpe, Simon Bennebjerg and Patricia Slauf in the Biography, Drama History, The story of the real-life Ludvig von Kahlen in the 1700s is told.

Movie opening date information from Internet Movie Database as of Jan. 28 is subject to change.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes