Thursday List – Teri’s Favourite Mean Girls
This weeks list is written by Teri, and it is a subject close to her heart, MEAN GIRLS. Here are her favourite on screen meanies!
‘Young Adult’ was my last cinema trip, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was like a sequel to the films I was brought up on, the ‘what happens next’ to that horrible but enviable Queen Bee that is loved and loathed throughout film. Whether she’s delivering a sharp insult or munching on the guts of your resident emo boy until he resembles “lasagne with teeth”, I have always been fascinated by this character. She’s cool, she’s calculated, and sometimes, but not all of the time, she gets what’s coming to her. Charlize’s turn at playing the 30-something veteran mean girl is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of what the ‘real-life’ version could really be like, but I’m equally still in love with the camp. Here I have compiled my top mean girls in cinema – see any you love or hate?
Regina George, Mean Girls
The quintessential mean girl from the film that coined the term, Regina (Rachel McAdams) is fake, bullying and spiteful, but worshipped for it by the school at large. “Regina George is flawless. I hear her hair’s insured for ten thousand dollars. I hear she does car commercials… in Japan. One time she punched me in the face – it was awesome.” She keeps a Burn Book (a manual filled with nasty classmate gossip), steals dates and generally rules the roost when it comes to high school politics. Ultimately though, Regina becomes the target and the tables are turned, and like most teen films (but perhaps more cleverly realized, thanks to Tina Fey’s great script), her comeuppance ends in eventual harmony amongst the school body.
Jennifer Check, Jennifer’s Body
Another Diablo Cody creation and one of Megan Fox’s better and more forgivable performances – Jennifer is a head cheerleader who actually isn’t as bad as her mean girl peers – with a penchant for dropping some acidic lines (such as “it smells like Thai food in here – have you guys been fucking?”), it’s the only thing that really makes her ‘mean’… until she is possessed by a demon summoned by her favourite rock band, of course. After that, she turns on her sweet, nerdy best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and her boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) during her ploy to eat the guts of her fellow classmates. Oh, and her insults become a little elevated after possession, too – “I am going to eat your soul and shit it out”. Ouch.
Betty Rizzo, Grease
Known as simply Rizzo (Stockard Channing) amongst her peers, the leader of the Pink Ladies is one of cinema’s first mean girls – and one with depth. She is the poster girl for rebellious teenage women of the 1950s – she smokes, she drinks, she wears capri pants and neck scarves, she’s sexually active and she has a sharp tongue. She believes she’s everything that Sandy (Olivia Newton John) isn’t, and for that she’s downright horrible to her. Sandy takes it on the chin though, and eventually the pair find a common ground – Rizzo never loses her spunk, and Sandy gains a little.
Hilary Faye, Saved!
Not so much an inherent ‘mean girl’ as a ‘psychotic obsessive bitch’ – Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) is a much-adored student at a large American faith school – but she has a darker side. She bullies her disabled brother (played brilliantly by Macaulay Culkin) by attempting to dictate his life, she turns on those who don’t live up to her standards (of which she has many), she’s homophobic and intolerant and singles out the film’s protagonist Mary (Jena Malone) for her out-of-wedlock pregnancy – “Shut up, you fornicator!” Mandy Moore is at her best in this a criminally overlooked teen comedy – with a lot of smart dialogue and a great cast (it also includes the likes of Mary-Louise Parker and Patrick Fugit), it’s a perfect satire of not only religious politics, but teenage ones, too.
Courtney Shayne, Jawbreaker
Courtney (Rose McGowan) is left leader of the pack after she and her cohorts accidentally kill their other best friend during a practical joke carried out on her birthday – yes, you guessed it, with a jawbreaker. It’s up to them to keep the accidental murder a secret, and the further the pressure builds, the bigger bitch she becomes. On top of already being disrespectful to authority figures, she soon enough bullies her friends to keep mum about her evil and ever increasingly drastic schemes to shy the blame away from herself. Jawbreaker takes a more interesting turn than the conventional teen movie – let’s just say there is little in the way of handshakes and kisses come its climax.
Heather Chandler, Heathers
The late Kim Walker played the leader of the Heathers in this dark 80s comedy, and I suppose I could have picked all three Heathers, but she was the catalyst, the leader, the possessor of the red scrunchie. And she was the first victim of Veronica and JD’s double act, giving her little time to redeem her mean girl ways. Before choking on a cocktail of drain cleaner, she was the deliverer of such lines as “Grow up Heather, bulimia’s so ’87” and “Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw. Do I look like Mother Theresa? “ Classic.
Helen Sharp and Madeline Ashton, Death Becomes Her
Death Becomes Her was one of my favourite movies as a child – it enthralled me as much as it horrified me. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play rivals both in love with hapless (but ridiculously wealthy) plastic surgeon Ernest (Bruce Willis). It’s a dark, screwball comedy down to the teeth and insanely over the top – and not just in storyline, but in attitudes. The ladies aren’t just fighting over men, after all – they’re fighting to keep their bodies young and beautiful after taking a potion that claims to keep them alive forever. They’re manipulative, image-obsessed and ruthlessly selfish – and ultimately, they’re stuck with each other.
Nancy Downs, The Craft
Nancy Downs (Fairuza Balk) is many things – megalomanic probably best covers all of the bases. She is the boss of the misfits in this 1996 Andrew Fleming directed movie that claims to be half Clueless, half Carrie. Another seminal film from my youth, the story follows four young witches and all of their trials and tribulations within the coven as well as those inside the walls of their school. Nancy is mean-spirited and power-hungry and as soon as she gets a smidge of that power – thanks to newly elected coven member Sarah (Robin Tunney – schwing!) – she turns into a crazy psycho hose beast with a taste for some serious social hazing and grizzly, less than empathetic murder.
About The Author – Teri Williams
Teri is a former film student from Edinburgh and currently works in book publishing in London. She is a fan of bad taste films, horror, fantasy, science fiction and vintage teen comedy and has been described by her friends as a “proper nerd” and a human imdb. She can be found speaking nonsense under the twitter name @msenidcoleslaw and scribbling similar nonsense on her blog Enid’s Revenge
Who would be your top meanie? Has Teri missed any? Comment below…
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09 Feb 2012, 9:41 am
Ooh great list. Love ‘em mean girls! I guess Marla Singer from Fight Club could be considered a mean girl.
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09 Feb 2012, 1:46 pm
Oh, I love Marla too!
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09 Feb 2012, 9:42 am
Ah…The Craft, I used to really like that film but haven’t seen it in years.
Great to see Heathers highlighted – you can’t beat it for mean girls!
I think my favourite film on this list has to be Death Becomes Her. Two great performances backed up by Bruce Willis!
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09 Feb 2012, 1:49 pm
I rather shamelessly own The Craft on DVD. I love it!
Heathers is a classic, for sure. It’s always worth a rewatch every year or so (or every six months, if you’re me…)
Death Becomes Her was an absolute seminal film for me – there’s so much in it that has burned in my memory since seeing it as a kid. Goldie Hawn’s crazy eyes is probably the thing that stuck with me the most even over that huge shotgun wound in her stomach!
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09 Feb 2012, 10:39 am
I once had an incredibly lengthy argument with an IMDBer about Jennifer’s Body based on an analysis done that proves the whole film is a Catholic statement and Jennifer Check is the returned saviour. They claimed there are about two dozen clear and undeniable religiously symbolic hints in the movie that can’t be denied. I claimed it didn’t matter if those hints were so badly explained that absolutely no one who hadn’t been to Sunday School could see them and apply the symbolism to their interpretation of the movie. Funnily enough though she convinced me, the Catholic symbols are fascinating. Kind of a shame, had people known Jen is supposed to be a twisted Jesus Christ I’m sure the film woulda done better.
Love the list. Especially the inclusion of Jawbreaker since I’ve not seen it. But the girl wears purple so now I will!
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09 Feb 2012, 1:51 pm
I will have to rewatch JB with that in mind… I have to say, I’d never thought of it before!
I hope you do watch Jawbreaker – thanks for your comments, Hels!
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11 Feb 2012, 11:05 am
It was actually quite fascinating, really in depth stuff to do with the period Jesus agreed to become the saviour. Like the scene where they escape the bar and the singer gives Jen a drink before she gets in the van? Apparently thats a reference to Jesus sipping from the wine after the purifying fire as an agreed sign to his father he’ll sacrifice himself. Diablo does come from that kind of background but if I say so anyone with no knowledge of catholicism is just gonna think she’s all dazed and confused and he’s just trying to get her drunk like the creep he is :p
Good call on Jawbreaker, saw it last night. Love Judy Greer in it, she’s awesome! x
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09 Feb 2012, 12:21 pm
I used to LOVE the Craft when I was a teenager, it was my favourite film. I wouldn’t watch it now because I don’t like films which sex up the Occult but that Nancy was a psycho! Perfectly cast and played by Fariza Baulk. She is genuinely unsettling in that film. Good list Teri!
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09 Feb 2012, 1:52 pm
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Ronan!
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09 Feb 2012, 1:41 pm
I often wonder what happened to Fairuza Balk? She kinda disappeared after CRAFT and ISLAND OF DR MOREAU.
And DEATH BECOMES HER is my fave of Meryl’s trashy films from the early 90s too, beside SHEDEVIL
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09 Feb 2012, 1:57 pm
I love Fairuza – she’s one of my favourites. She had a small part in Bad Lieutenant and has been in a couple of bits and pieces over the years, nothing incredibly recent, though, but it looks like she has a feature coming out this year, according to imdb…
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09 Feb 2012, 1:51 pm
Hi, Teri and company:
Excellent topic and superb break down!
‘Heathers’ set the overall tone in film. ‘The Craft’ showed the ramifications when the clique begins to fall apart.
‘Jawbreakers’ offers an in depth view of the internal politics and seemed to have the most fun with it.
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09 Feb 2012, 1:59 pm
Hi Jack, thanks for your comment!
Jawbreaker is, indeed, loads of fun. It’s the kind of trashy movie I always turn to when I need cheering up, despite some of its darker tones.
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09 Feb 2012, 6:38 pm
I love Jaime Pressly in Not Another Teen Movie. Yes it’s a OTT parody but it’s not so different to a few of these! Great list, looooove Heathers!
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09 Feb 2012, 9:05 pm
I like the pictures. Who was the name of the actress at the last picture?
I like mean girls a lot too. Thanks for posting!
-Sahara
http://howtopickupgirlsz.com/
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09 Feb 2012, 10:24 pm
Fab list, Teri, I didn’t realise there were so many! I caught Death Becomes Her on TV the other day – it’s such a bizarre but fantastic film. Dan’s right, Streep and Hawn are great in it.
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10 Feb 2012, 2:56 am
Ahah, fun list, Teri, can’t disagree w/ any of these. As one of the first mean girls, Rizzo is definitely iconic, it’s a juicy role and Channing nailed it. Love her spunk!
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10 Feb 2012, 3:59 am
I have to admit, I only saw a few of the films on your list but Fairuza Balk scare the crap out of me the first time I saw The Craft. She sort of got type cast after that film, even in Waterboy where she played the love interest of Adam Sandler, she was still the scary girl type.
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10 Feb 2012, 5:56 am
No one beats Regina George! Mean Girls was so much fun
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10 Feb 2012, 10:11 pm
Brilliant list, I owned The Craft and Death Becomes Her on VHS when I was probably far too young to see them. I still love watching Death Becomes Her, not seen The Craft in years though. Mean Girls is another favourite of mine, my friend and I watched it countless times at uni and quoted lines at the most inappropriate times (I quoted the tampon line whilst in an indian restaurant, when the other members of the room conveniently went silent; I don’t think they got it)
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12 Feb 2012, 1:13 am
a great list. i’d have to add Kathryn from Cruel Intentions!
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14 Feb 2012, 11:07 am
I love Fairuza Balk’s Nancy! Think she was the template for a lot of modern day mean girls in films. Definitely add Kathryn from Cruel Intentions to the list. That girl was cold!
Really great list!
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17 Feb 2012, 7:38 pm
Awesome list! I’d add that mean chick from Carrie and Emily from The Devil Wears Prada.
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11 Mar 2012, 9:19 pm
What a brilliant list! I practically know the scripts to Heathers and The Craft I watched them so much when I was younger. Haven’t seen Jawbreaker yet though,I’ll have to check that one out…
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