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‘Mean Girls’ With Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, and Amanda Dobbins

April 30, 2019 · Mean Girls (2004) · Comedy · 1:22:26 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Amanda Dobbins▶ 21:49The talent show (Jingle Bell Rock performance)
Bill Simmons▶ 21:45Multiple scenes: the talent show, the sabotage montage, and the four-way phone call
Juliet Litman▶ 22:51The talent show, particularly Amy Poehler dancing along with her daughter in the aisle

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 32:09Army of Skanks as a fantasy team name and nutrition bar sabotage
Juliet Litman▶ 32:20Agrees with nutrition bar sabotage, noting how nutrition bars are uniformly not good for you

What's Aged the Worst

Amanda Dobbins▶ 45:02The basic insensitivities — the Coach Carr underage plotline and the uncomfortable stereotype/racial jokes ('you're laughing at a joke you don't feel great about'); also ranted that the soundtrack underestimates young women's taste ('sounds like a deodorant commercial').
Bill Simmons▶ 44:49Four-way calls — 'they don't have them anymore, it seems like it's from another era' (his final pick); along the way also flagged the weak soundtrack (no hip hop), Jonathan Bennett's post-Aaron-Samuels IMDb, Coach Carr's step toward underage girls, and the Samantha Ronson song given Lohan later dated her.
Juliet Litman▶ 44:26The 'in the jungle / in Africa' references treating Africa as one singular place — 'that one's not great.'

Casting What-Ifs

Amanda Dobbins▶ 52:00James Franco — James Franco would change the movie's energy by taking up more space, which could work for satire but would shift focus from the girls-centered story; acknowledges off-set issues would taint viewing
Bill Simmons▶ 50:49James Franco — Discusses multiple what-ifs: Lohan/McAdams role swap wouldn't work due to McAdams being too old for Katie; James Franco as Aaron Samuels would be 'darker, less jockey'; Elisha Cuthbert as Regina would be interesting but movie is perfect as is
Juliet Litman▶ 51:50James Franco — James Franco would have been good as Aaron Samuels but a different type; questions if Elisha Cuthbert has ever played mean characters, notes she's always likable

Dion Waiters Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 56:13Amanda Seyfried
Bill Simmons▶ 56:46Tim Meadows
Juliet Litman▶ 57:04Tim Meadows — Tim Meadows (agrees with Bill)

Half-Assed Internet Research

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:03:06Amy Poehler would be the hardest cast member to book for a sequel
Bill Simmons▶ 57:35Shared extensive trivia including: Mean Girls Day on October 3rd, original title 'Homeschooled', Tina Fey's pitch about 'relational aggression', R-to-PG-13 rating changes, Tim Meadows' real broken hand becoming carpal tunnel subplot, Amanda Seyfried listening to Dido with Lacey Chabert, and Lindsay Lohan's sequel pitches
Juliet Litman▶ 1:03:06Amy Poehler would be the hardest cast member to book for a sequel

Apex Mountain

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:03:51Tina Fey — Tina Fey's apex was later during 30 Rock and Sarah Palin period when 'she literally swung an election'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:21Lindsay Lohan — Lindsay Lohan definitive yes, Tina Fey debatable (Mean Girls vs later Sarah Palin/30 Rock period), Tim Meadows maybe, others no including Seyfried and Lacey Chabert, McAdams debatable (this vs Wedding Crashers trilogy peak)
Juliet Litman▶ 1:04:33Rachel McAdams — Rachel McAdams apex mountain through cultural impact including the MTV Movie Awards kiss with Ryan Gosling

Joey Pants Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:05:29Daniel Franzese — Damien - 'I think he's just Damien. I think he walks around and people go, Damien!'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:10Daniel Franzese — Damien from Mean Girls
Juliet Litman▶ 1:05:15Rajiv Surendra — The woman who ended up in the Ariana Grande video, the nerdy girl who says 'Regina George said X was cool, so I did blah, blah, blah'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:17:31Regina George would have gone to Duke because she can't totally leave her Regina George persona behind
Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:04Regina George would have gone to Duke or Northwestern for lacrosse and would have become an all-American; Lindsay Lohan and Aaron Samuels broke up at Thanksgiving
Juliet Litman▶ 1:17:00Regina George would have gone to Williams or a NESCAC school for lacrosse and would have become an all-American; Lindsay Lohan and Aaron Samuels broke up at Thanksgiving after a fight on Halloween

Movies Referenced (28)

Clueless (1995)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman▶ 2:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wedding Crashers (2005)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 26:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Easy A (2010)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pretty Woman (1990)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 45:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cruel Intentions (1999)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 3:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Freaky Friday (2003)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 3:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Pie (1999)

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons▶ 3:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Morning Glory (2010)

2 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons▶ 27:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (4)

John Hughes

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 6:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amy Heckerling

1 mentions · Juliet Litman · Known for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who's Talking▶ 7:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bridget Jones

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:08:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cameron Crowe

1 mentions · Juliet Litman · Known for Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky▶ 6:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (62)

Lindsay Lohan

45 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Mean Girls, The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday▶ 7:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Katie Holmes

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman · Known for Disturbing Behavior, Batman Begins▶ 0:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rachel McAdams

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Notebook, Mean Girls, Red Eye▶ 26:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tim Meadows

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Mean Girls, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping▶ 23:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tina Fey

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Date Night, Mean Girls▶ 7:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amanda Seyfried

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls▶ 0:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amy Poehler

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Inside Out▶ 22:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Queen Bee

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 9:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alicia Silverstone

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Clueless, Batman & Robin, Blast from the Past▶ 17:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Franco

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons · Known for Spring Breakers, The Disaster Artist, 127 Hours▶ 51:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Lee

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Almost Famous, Chasing Amy, Vanilla Sky▶ 7:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kyle Richards

3 mentions · Juliet Litman, Bill Simmons · Known for Halloween, Halloween Kills▶ 21:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Lorne Michaels

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 58:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Waters

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Heathers, Hudson Hawk▶ 6:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taylor Worst

1 mentions · Juliet Litman▶ 31:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗