‘Mean Girls’ main cast reunites for Black Friday ad — but where is Regina George?
The Plastics were accustomed to setting trends at North Shore High School — nearly 20 years later, the main cast of “Mean Girls” is all grown up and back to influence you to buy a bunch of things on Black Friday.
In the latest use of marketing to the nostalgia of consumers, Walmart hired Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert for a two-minute advertisement to reprise their iconic characters: Cady, Karen and Gretchen.
Noticeably absent was Rachel McAdams, who plays the group’s alpha, Regina George. She was reportedly offered the job, along with the other three, but declined, according to Page Six.
When we last saw the “Mean Girls” crew, Cady Heron had learned a lesson and the “Plastics” -- Gretchen Wieners, Karen Smith and Regina George -- had split up and gone their separate ways.
The commercial, which is part of a larger Walmart ad campaign leading up to the holiday shopping season, is packed with direct references from the original 2004 film. And fans get a glimpse into what most of the crew has been up to.
“Get in sweetie, we’re going deal shopping,” says Chabert as Gretchen, who is now a mother pulling up to school in a convertible car and calling out to her visibly embarrassed daughter.
Seyfried’s Karen is still a weather reporter. But this time, she’s seen reporting from the school’s football field for the local news channel.
Paramount Pictures made ‘Mean Girls’ free to stream Tuesday on TikTok. Some in Hollywood were unsettled by what they saw as the studio’s attempt to bypass residuals.
Lohan’s Cady is now a guidance counselor at the high school while admitting she “is still getting schooled,” as two students give her a quizzical side eye for trying to use the phrase, “grool,” a portmanteau of “great” and “cool” from the movie.
“Mean Girls” has remained in pop cultural relevance since its release, heading into its 20th anniversary next year. And to mark ‘Mean Girls’ Day on Oct. 3 and perhaps to drum up hype despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike, Paramount Pictures released the comedy classic in its entirety on TikTok, which sparked debate about residuals and compensation for the film’s actors.
Also, the movie adaptation of Tina Fey’s Tony-nominated Broadway musical of the same name is set to release in January. Fey will reprise her role as teacher Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows will return as the principal. However, the rest of the original cast is not expected to appear in the film. “The Sex Lives of College Girls” actor and pop singer Reneé Rapp is playing Regina George, a role she also played on the theater stage.
Lindsay Lohan revisited her time on ‘Mean Girls’ for a ‘Good Morning America’ interview Tuesday. She also promoted her Netflix film ‘Falling for Christmas.’
Later in the ad, we see more of Gretchen as a mother, who is struggling to relate to the next generation. She is seen manning a ring light stand, filming her daughter and two friends for a TikTok dance.
“This is gonna be so fetch,” she excitedly says.
“Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen, mom,” her daughter barks back, bursting her bubble just as Regina often would. “It’s still not gonna’ happen.”
Kevin G, a character known for his rap performance and played by Rajiv Surendra in the movie, also makes an appearance as a father. As he watches his son play in his living room, he encourages him to never “let the haters stop you from doing your thing, Kevin Jr.”
‘Mean Girl’s’ tale of beast-taming isn’t new, but it is done with affection and humor.
Missy Elliott, who will soon become the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame makes a cameo as the school’s gym teacher, though she wasn’t in the original film. She reminds the viewers this is indeed an ad and is seen educating her class on Black Friday deals.
The ad ends with Cady, Karen and Gretchen sitting together at the school’s winter talent show. One of their former classmates, Damian, played by Daniel Franzese, is manning the spotlight and calling out to the group, while Gretchen’s daughter leads a performance mimicking the original “Jingle Bell Rock” dance.
“It was so nice being back together after all these years,” Lohan told Variety.
“It was great catching up with everyone,” Chabert added. “It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda and Lindsay. It was so much fun to reminisce and be together again after all these years.”
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