“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.” “It’s October 3rd.”
Happy Mean Girls Day! Today we are celebrating Tina Fey, a writer of this iconic film, and a leader in the world of comedy.
Tina Fey is a well-loved and talented everywoman in the entertainment industry. As an actress, writer, director and producer, Tina has been nominated for 45 Emmys and won 9, nominated for 10 Golden Globes and won 3, and even received nominations for a Grammy and a Tony.
Tina is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live from 1997 to 2006, her creation of the beloved comedy series 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and even her comedic autobiography, Bossypants. Perhaps Tina’s most iconic creation is Mean Girls, which she wrote and acted in, and which has become something of a cultural touchstone.
In Mean Girls, Cady Haron is the new girl in school, who is targeted by the school’s powerful “popular” crew headed by Regina George. However, she eventually becomes the fifth member of the group. It’s the quintessential parody of a classic high school plotline, with Tina Fey’s signature over-the-top voice behind it. Its extra aesthetic, dialogue, characters and plotline are not only hilarious but memorable; anyone that watches it is immediately equipped with references that make them a part of the universal Mean Girls fan club. Tina’s writing put the inherently comical “high school alpha female” trope in its place, so that it could never again be done without a hint of irony. Tina even plays the hilariously inappropriate math teacher, inserting her comedic genius not only into the writing but into the performance.
As FF2 contributor Katusha Jin writes, “Back in middle school and high school, [Mean Girls] was a go-to movie during any sort of girls’ night in or end-of-year celebrations—I’m fairly sure all of my friends not only know the movie, but have watched it multiple times.”
I’m fairly sure all of my friends not only know the movie, but have watched it multiple times.
With endless well-known quotes, iconic outfits, widely-recreated props (AKA the Burn Book), and even a Tony-nominated musical version, Mean Girls is the girls night film to end all girls night films, and it couldn’t be done without Tina Fey.
© Julia Lasker (10/3/2022)
LEARN MORE/DO MORE
Read Katusha Jin’s tribute to Tina Fey here.
Stream Mean Girls here.
CREDITS & PERMISSIONS
Featured photo: Tina Fey (Credit: ROSALIND O’CONNOR/NBC).
