It is so hard to believe a cult classic as Mean Girls aired so long ago, in 2004. When it arrived first, it became an unbelievably huge hit giving the cinema the greatest stars of their generation, which rule the industry. We are talking about Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.
Though the leading cast member was Lindsay Lohan, she blew up her career faster than anything! Mean Girls is touted as one of the greatest American teen comedy films ever. It was directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film’s other cast includes Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Fey.
The story begins when suddenly a homeschooled girl Cady Heron returns to America. She’s lived in Africa all her life, accompanying her parents on a twelve-year research trip. Her family settles in Evanston, Illinois. Cady is a sixteen-year-old homeschooled simpleton with no high school experience in America. Her parents are zoologists, namely, Betsy and Chip Heron.
Best Movies Like Mean Girls
The main cast of Mean Girls includes Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, who we just introduced above. She is sweet sixteen and transferred to a public high school after being homeschooled her whole life in Africa with her super cool parents. Rachel McAdams heads The Plastics as Regina George. She has everything that a rich, popular teenager would have in school.
On top of everything, Regina is beautiful. But she has her flaws. Lacey Chabert plays Gretchen Wieners, a member of the Plastics who only wants Regina’s acceptance. Amanda Seyfried plays Karen Smith, who is just a simpleton, a numbskull, and the best friend of Regina and Gretchen.
Lizzy Caplan plays Janis Ian, a hard-to-avoid, a goth artistic girl who befriends Cady on day one to take down Regina. Janis’s only friend with Damian, Regina’s ex-best friend. Daniel Franzese plays Damian Leigh. He is Janis and Cady’s homosexual best friend. He is into music a lot!
Finally, the guy who stirs the hornet’s nest is Jonathan Bennett, Aaron Samuels, who plays the eye candy. He used to date Regina, and now he is Cady’s love interest. There are way too many movies that remind us of Mean Girls.
After its success, cheap attempts were made to recreate another hit like it, but only some became popular. While Mean Girls wasn’t the first-of-its-kind movie, you would be surprised to know how many movies have crossed the mark before it in various decades. So here we go with the list.
Sixteen Candles
When we say Sixteen Candles is one similarity in the list, we ignore that it is a 1984 coming-of-age movie. Hollywood showed the world the way when it came to teenage flicks with lessons and breaking fresh ground. The film stars Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Sixteen Candles was written and directed by John Hughes.
The story is so damn engrossing. It is 1983 when a high school sophomore Samantha “Sam” Baker, hopes her sweet screen will start the most incredible year ever. But life has other plans for her. Her family members forget her birthday because her older, haughty sister Ginny is getting married the next day. She is also mad because her crush, a senior at school named Jake Ryan, has zero ideas about how she feels.
Easy A
Will Gluck’s romantic-comedy Easy A was Emma Stone’s major break. Not that she was any less of an artist before this, but people started recognizing her more after this. This movie is way too similar to the pattern of Mean Girls, but the protagonist is alone throughout. Also, her parents are way too much like Cady’s parents. Bert V. Royal writes the movie. It stars Emma in the lead role. Her dance to Pocketful of Sunshine is everything! Again the screenplay of this movie is partly based on the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter.
Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play her parents. The other cast members include Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, and Amanda Bynes. Amanda plays an uptight Christian girl. Penn Badgley, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, and Aly Michalka are in the supporting role.
John Tucker Must Die
This film premiered at a time when the rom-com Crazy was more vital than ever.
John Tucker Must Die a 2006 film directed by Betty Thomas. The movie features the following stars in the main cast:
- Jesse Metcalfe as John Tucker
- Brittany Snow as Kate Spencer
- Arielle Kebbel as Carrie Schaeffer
- Ashanti as Heather Montgomery
- Sophia Bush as Beth McIntyre and
- Arielle Kebbel as Carrie Schaeffer, amongst others.
The film’s plot follows John Tucker, a jock that’s broken many a girl’s hearts. Tired of his antics, a group of his ex-girlfriends decides to plot revenge. Part of the plan includes making him fall in love with a girl who is in it just for the said plot. They plan on making him miserable when the girl eventually breaks up with him. The movie revolves around these characters as they try to make this work.
The Outcasts
The Outcasts isn’t all that old; it only came out in 2017! Like other films on the list, The Outcasts is an American teen comedy film. Peter Hutchings directs it. The cast is the most considerable ensemble of actors: Victoria Justice, Eden Sher, Ashley Rickards, Claudia Lee, and Katie Chang.
The story is simple; it traces a group of misfit teenagers who join hands to overthrow the popular clique ruling their high school. The movie was supposed to name The Outskirts, but they changed it to The Outcasts. It was released limitedly in and through video-on-demand on April 14, 2017. Doesn’t that remind you of something that would happen these days? Video-on-demand!
Clueless
This is one film we are apprehensive about pitching against Mean Girls for one reason and one reason only – this is a classic in its own right. Clueless is a romantic comedy that initially premiered in the year 1995. Amy Heckerling wrote and directed it, and the film is loosely based on the Jane Austen novel – Emma.
The cast of Clueless features:
- Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz
- Dan Hedaya as Melvin Horowitz
- Brittany Murphy as Tai Frasier
- Stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport
- Paul Rudd as Josh Lucas
- Justin Walker as Christian Stovitz and
- Elisa Donovan as Amber Mariens
The plot of Clueless follows Cher – a super-rich high school student with a heart of gold. The movie follows her as she tries to navigate through her teenage and everything it has to offer while trying to help a peer gain popularity. It is a coming-of-age film in that we see Cher discover herself and her feelings as the film progresses.
The movie is similar to Mean Girls because both films have given the cinematic universe so much and continue to do so.
She’s the Man
Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum star together in the romantic comedy. She’s the Man. The story is simple: Amanda is a girl interested in soccer more than anything else. Her mother wants her to take a beauty pageant, something she’s not cut out for. Viola Hastings is the girl who, still in her teens, takes part in her brother’s new boarding school, Illyria Prep. Her brother is into music, but Viola wants to join the boy’s soccer team. Best believe she’s fantastic at it! Tatum plays Duke Orsino, a hot soccer player and Illyria’s team captain. Viola fails at the tryouts but manages to impress Coach Dinklage (Vinnie Jones) and is assigned to the second string.
She’s Andy Fickman directs the Man. The movie is inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. It’s exciting to note how all of these accessible watches are inspired by hard-hitting literature. That’s another thing they have in common besides being teenage flicks!
Bring It On
We are always hell-bent on bringing you only the best suggestions. On that note, the next film we suggest fans of Mean Girls stream is Bring It On.
Bring It On is a 2000 film directed by Steve Rash, Peyton Reed, Damon Santostefano, Bille Woodruff, and Robert Adetuyi. The movie features the following stars in the cast:
- Kirsten Dunst as Torrance Shipman
- Jesse Bradford as Cliff Pantone
- Eliza Dushku as Missy Pantone
- Clare Kramer as Courtney
- Nicole Bilderback as Whitney
- Gabrielle Union as Isis
- Tsianina Joelson as Darcy and
- Rini Bell as Kasey, among others.
The film’s plot follows two cheerleading groups from different schools competing for the National Cheerleading Title. As Torrance takes over as the new cheer captain, she uncovers some dirty secrets about her team’s past. The movie revolves around the events that unfold after.
If you are looking for a classic teen rom-com with a punch, this movie is it.
Freaky Friday
Lindsay Lohan, yet again! Freaky Friday arrived in 2003. It is an American fantasy-comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon. Like many movies in the list, this is partly based on some form of literature. Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name is the inspiration for this movie.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan star as a mother and daughter whose bodies are interchanged into each other by a mysterious and magical Chinese fortune cookie. They freak out as hard as you could imagine. It’s fun to see Jamie Lee Curtis dressed as a rocker and Lindsay as a mom.
10 Things I Hate About You
You should watch this film for two reasons: Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. If you think we’re kidding, we are not. This film will forever be remembered for the cast’s stellar performance and just the characters’ overall chemistry. Apart from these two stars, the movie also has Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Larisa Oleynik in the lead.
Said to be based on The Taming of the Shrew, the movie is a tremendous high-school romantic comedy, much like Mean Girls. The best part about the film is that it premiered even before the latter was in production. The movie is well-loved by fans of this genre, and we are happy to tell you that there are reasons for this reception. And perfect ones at that!
The DUFF
Now, if you’re wondering when we’ll get a slight current, it is your time because we have some great suggestions for you. The DUFF is one film that made headlines the moment it came out and, as a result, changed many a teen rom-com lover’s life.
The film first premiered in 2015 with Ari Sandel behind the direction and a story by Kody Keplinger. The movie featured the following stars:
- Mae Whitman as Bianca Piper
- Allison Janney as Dottie Piper
- Robbie Amell as Wesley Rush
- Bianca Santos as Casey Cordero
- Skyler Samuels as Jess Harris
- Nick Eversman as Toby Tucker and
- Bella Thorne as Madison Morgan
The movie is lauded for its unique storyline because it features an idea that has not been done this way before. It revolves around the title DUFF and what happens after Bianca learns she is one. It is funny and heartwarming towards the end – something all teen romedy fans look out for in films.
The Breakfast Club
When we say The Breakfast Club is the most excellent movie ever made, best believe us! The movie continues to inspire TV shows, movies, and other similar forms of entertainment today. The Breakfast Club was released in 1985 American teen comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. The star cast of the movie includes Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. Who can forget the way Molly Ringwald applies lipstick? Not me!
They are teenagers from the same high school and have been detained on a Saturday. As they spend the entire Saturday in detention, they realize their authoritarian assistant principal (Paul Gleason) is a sham.
Dead Poet’s Society
You cannot watch Dead Poets Society without shedding a tear or two. Though the movie doesn’t involve the usual high clique theme, it is based on a more severe subject–finding yourself.
Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film. It is directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman. You would be kidding if you didn’t know it stars Robin Williams in the lead role. The plot is based on the 1959 elite conservative prep school in Vermont. The boarding school, called Welton Academy, claims to churn out society leaders amidst all the drama. Robin arrives as an English teacher who makes something else out of his students by teaching poetry, lessons, and literature.
Booksmart
This is probably the most underrated film on this list. Booksmart is a romedy that came out in 2019 and had been doing the rounds online ever since.
Olivia Wilde directs the film and has Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever playing the lead roles of Molly Davidson and Amy Antsler. The plot is fresh, and the casting is perfect – reminding us of the essence of Mean Girls. It is a coming-of-age film for anyone looking to watch a movie and have a good time. It will give you giggles and make you feel many other positive things that you might expect from a film of this kind.
Legally Blonde
Reese Witherspoon’s iconic and best role ever, IMO! Legally Blonde isn’t just a romantic comedy; it is a lesson for all young women and women that anything under the sun is achievable!
The story is a 2001 American comedy film based on Amanda Brown’s novel, which goes by the same name. Robert Luketic directs it. Reese Witherspoon stars as Elle Woods, a sorority chick who gets dumped by her boyfriend. She attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend, played by Matthew Davis, by getting a Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School. She wins in life and establishes a successful career for herself. But she leaves her boyfriend behind to realize her self-worth in the end.
Mean Girls spoiled the genre for all of us in the best way possible. Although it is impossible for another work to completely emulate what the film is to fans, many come close. We believe that the films mentioned above have something unique to offer to fans of this genre. We assure you that you will not be disappointed if you choose to check these recommendations out – ones we very carefully picked out just for you!
