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Our take
Mean Girls is a sharp teen comedy about popularity, school cliques, and how quickly cruelty can spread. Insults are frequent, and there are frank jokes about sex and bodies, party drinking, and a rumour about drug dealing. Nothing is graphic. The story ultimately favours kindness, but the social meanness is the main thing families will feel. Most teens around 13 and up should be comfortable with it.
Uplifting themes
Under the comedy is a real message about how cliques and cruelty hurt everyone, and the last act is all about owning your mistakes and making amends. Being yourself beats chasing status Cady learns from getting it badly wrong, a steady teacher pushes the girls to take responsibility, and the ending rewards honesty over popularity. Mixed behaviour, but the growth is clear Cady's love of maths and the Mathletes team get a small, positive spotlight. It is light, but brains are treated as a good thing here
Story (may spoil tone)
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
Details
Violence Physical stuff is played for shock and laughs: a girl is clipped by a b…
Physical stuff is played for shock and laughs: a girl is clipped by a bus, and a hallway tips into a brief brawl when the feud turns feral. It is startling but never bloody
Language Insults are frequent, especially the b-word, alongside the a-word, crap…
Insults are frequent, especially the b-word, alongside the a-word, crap, hell, and damn. A song includes a bleeped stronger word. It sounds like cutting teen talk rather than a stream of aggressive swearing
Sex / nudity Sex comes up in jokes and talk, from a blunt abstinence lecture and a c…
Sex comes up in jokes and talk, from a blunt abstinence lecture and a condom gag to a 'baby prostitute' crack and skimpy party costumes. There is no nudity or sex scene, but the innuendo is steady
Drugs / alcohol Teens drink at a house party, a sex-ed class name-checks marijuana and…
Teens drink at a house party, a sex-ed class name-checks marijuana and ecstasy, and a false rumour accuses a teacher of dealing drugs. The substance talk is frequent even if use stays light
Bullying / discrimination This is the heart of the film: a secret burn book, backstabbing, rumour…
This is the heart of the film: a secret burn book, backstabbing, rumour campaigns, and girls torn down over looks and background power the whole plot. The cruelty is sharp before the story turns it around
Eating disorders / body image Body image runs through it, from a mirror scene where girls pick apart…
Body image runs through it, from a mirror scene where girls pick apart their own figures to a scheme that tricks a rival into eating weight-gain bars. It is comic, but the fixation on bodies is clear
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- The burn book spreads cruelty fast. How does that compare to the way rumours travel online now?
- Cady fits in by changing who she is. How do you talk with your teen about staying yourself under pressure?
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Mean Girls
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