Neither as evil as Heathers nor as shocking as Thirteen, Mean Girls takes elements from both and dilutes them to come up with a movie that'll appeal to geeks and prom queens alike.
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) returns from being home-taught in Africa to start high school in Chicago. Oblivious to the cliques, she's befriended by both the outcasts - - artful Goth Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese), who's "almost too gay to function" - - and the pristine `Plastics' who rule the school. Torn between aiding Janis' bid to bring down Queen Plastic, Regina (Rachel McAdams), and becoming one of the most popular girls in school herself, brainbox Cady soon learns that social skills are anything but academic.
Building on her perky turn in Freaky Friday, Lohan makes for a pretty, likeable lead. The other teens aren't bad, either, though it's the adult supporting cast - - Saturday Night Live regulars, here playing teachers and parents - - who most burp the spiky script for belly-laughs. Take a look, bee-yatches.
