A Lifetime of Happiness: Movies, TV, and Video Games

Mean Girls (2004)

• Steve Bennet-Martin, Stephen Martin-Bennet • Season 1 • Episode 71

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The Steves discuss the 2004 cult classic, Mean Girls, along with what's making them happy and what they are binging in TV and movies.

  • X-Men: Leadup to the Hellfire Gala- Binge
  • Evita and Legally Blonde soundtracks- Binge
  • Mare of Easttown (HBO Max)- Binge
  • Legendary Season 2 (HBO Max)- Binge #TeamTisci
  • Black Lady Sketch Show Season 2 (HBO Max)- Binge

Mean Girls topics

  • How it's source material, Queen Bees and Wannabees, is actually a self-help book
  • The creative team and stars- then and now
  • Trying to fit in during high school
  • Why was/is it uncool to be smart in school?
  • Damien's positive depiction and it's importance in the LGBT+ community
  • Our high school best friends and lunch tables
  • The Plastics and our high school fueds
  • Holidays in high school vs. adulthood
  • Details on the musical, Mean Girls

Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.

Support the show

Steve:

Hello, we're returning happies and new listeners. This is Steve

Stephen:

Bennet-Martin, and this is Stephen Martin- Bennet. And welcome to a

Steve:

lifetime of happiness. The podcast where we take you on our journey through some of the movies, TV shows, and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy while hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way. And we're

Stephen:

traveling back to high school today. So make sure to wear your pink or you can't sit with us. Well, we talk about the 2004 cult classic meaning girls. Yes. And

Steve:

a celebration of not only pride month, because it is a favorite of us gays and people of the LGBTQ plus community. But it also is something that brings us back to thoughts of high school. And I am going. Or have just come back from long island where I grew up after this is coming out. And so it's bringing me back to that time mentally to prepare before

Stephen:

my trip. Exactly. And I mean, it's just such a good movie. And as we said, it holds up. Extraordinarily. Well,

Steve:

yes, it certainly does. But before we get into that, my love what's been making you happy. So

Stephen:

I I'm usually at work, I'm listening to podcasts and things, but this week we're prepping for some renovations in our offices at work. And so I've been loading up boxes and stuff. So I was like, you know what? I want some music to listen to, and I didn't want anything new. And I was like, I'm going to go back into the archives. Of Broadway. And so I've been listening to legally blonde, the musical and the Madonna version of Avita. And both of those have been making me happy back in the day when I was in Cincinnati. Whenever Brady and I were in the car, we were either belting out hairspray, wicked, or legally blonde the musical.

Steve:

Well, well, we'll have to have Brady on real soon then for legally blonde.

Stephen:

That is a great idea. We should get in touch with Brady about doing a legally blonde episode.

Steve:

Wink, wink. We already dead. Yes. Now what about you? Well, I've been happy catching up on comics in time for the health fire

Stephen:

gala. Yes. So we are X-Men comic book fans me from a long way back and Steve, because I dragged him into it and it turns out he loves

Steve:

it. Yes. And for the past month or so every night that I want to read comics, you're like, babe, I'm too tired. And it's definitely not the other way around it. All and so with that being said I did finally manage to have the energy, to get all caught up on it. And over, already in time for the hellfire gala, which should be the event of the summer, we actually got a mail invitation. We

Stephen:

got an invitation in the mail to the hell fire gala. So we still need to figure out our

Steve:

yes, we will, but whatever they are, they'll be

Stephen:

fabulous. Now this week, we're going to talk about in our binge and purge section, the things that you should. Be absolutely bingeing or that you should purge from your life. Darlene what's one of the first do you want to talk about, is it, and is it a bins or,

Steve:

well, overall we have all three benches spoiler alert and we're getting the best out of our HBO subscription possible from HBO first touch, touching up as kind of a followup to Elaine's recommendation of mayor of east town is we did end up catching up with it and it. Ended. And it was awesome. And bendy and twisty and turny

Stephen:

Kate Winslet was amazing. And for those that heard our conversation I believe in our Dr. Sleep episode, the accent comes from the Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania. And the reason I was able to pick that up is because she said, what water as in. W U D D E R. Meaning the stuff that came out of her faucet.

Steve:

Yes. And so definitely if you didn't follow a Lane's recommendation, cause she was a new stranger for you and you trust us a little bit more. Definitely. We, we back her up. She was awesome. And then the show was awesome.

Stephen:

Yes. Not feel the need to have stranger danger around Elaine. I give her. Consent to give advice. She always has really good taste in TV and movies.

Steve:

Yes. And the two follow-ups that we've mentioned before in our urban section during their season ones. But we want to mention that. Cause now that we're in season two black lady sketch show just wrapped up season two. Yeah. We love that

Stephen:

with Robin theedy is the creator and the main star, but it's a group of five women. Ashley, Nicole Black is another standout performer. It has been. Renewed for a season three. And I just hope that we continue with more of. A black lady courtroom, black lady courtroom.

Steve:

I know that is some of the, those are some of your favorite sketches are I just love it so much. They're all really creative. And I just love that it's so many strong, powerful black women just succeeding at what they do in comedy and that it's, it's being so well received and being supported by the network 100% similarly. Also supporting black excellence and the queer form especially is legendary because we're bringing it to the ballroom honey.

Stephen:

get down on the floor and duck walk for me.

Steve:

Yes. And so that, as we mentioned before, is a ballroom competition, Allah ballroom of the eighties, New York city. It was all around scene. Yes. Not ballroom, like, so you say you dance

Stephen:

or dancing with the stars and the host. Needs to get a special shout out. His name is Deshaun Wesley, and he is so good as the host that there are sections where they're competing head to head and there's a beat in the background. And then he freestyles these lyrics and they're fantastic. Awesome. It's oh, and we love Jameela Jamil. One of the Judges. And then there's late judges, judges. They owe me Maldonado, who is an icon from the ballroom scene. And then also we love Megan thee stallion. Yes.

Steve:

Susan icon from every rap song now.

Stephen:

Yeah. Yes. So it's really good if you haven't seen season one or season two yet. Get on HBO, watch it. If you're watching

Steve:

along the way, thus we're hashtag team Tishi or Balenciaga, just in case something happens with sheet, but I'm pretty sure they're going to run away with it because they are just grabbing the crown and right.

Stephen:

Especially this last week with the GI Joe Green toy soldier thing. Yeah. I never thought

Steve:

I'd be so turned on by a little green toy. It

Stephen:

was so good. But that is what we've been watching and. Like feel free in whenever you interact with us. Tell us what you've been watching. If there's something that we haven't talked about that you think that we're missing out on, let us know,

Steve:

email us@happylifepodatgmail.com.

Stephen:

We are always open to suggestions.

Steve:

Yes. Except on Sundays. No, just kidding. And so let's get back to high school and talk about mean girls from, I love when did that come out?

Stephen:

So. It doesn't feel like that long ago, but it was over 17 years ago. It came out April 30th. Of 2004 with only a budget of 17 million, but it had a box office of 130 million. So it was a block.

Steve:

Yes, it certainly was. And it was based on queen bees and wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. And I found out when researching this, that was actually a. Self-help book for parents of troubling, teenage girls and the girls being victimized by the trembling teenage girls. And that's not what you would think that this movie was based on? No,

Stephen:

because like the title queen bees and wannabes, I was like, oh, it's just. A novelization, like that sounds like the title of this

Steve:

would be the book from 2002 describes itself as a self-help book that focuses on the ways in which girls in high schools form clicks and on patterns of aggressive teen girl behavior and how to deal with them.

Stephen:

Well, I think that that is definitely. A book that is necessary,

Steve:

but I mean, of course the brilliant Tina Fey sees this book, reads this book and sees the movie in it. And so she goes to a Saturday night, live executive Lauren Michaels who produces the movie and lets her write the screenplay.

Stephen:

Yep. And it was directed by Mark Waters who was best known at that point for his 2003, redo a freaky Friday. With Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Levin and Lindsay Lohan ends up starring in mean girls.

Steve:

Yes. And speaking of Lindsay, she stars as catty.

Stephen:

No, that's

Steve:

Katie. Oh, oops. My bad. I didn't know that. Wink, wink,

Stephen:

Rachel Mick Adams as Regina, George, Jonathan

Steve:

Bennett. Aaron Samuel's

Stephen:

Amanda Seyfried as Karen Lizzy Caplan is Janice Lacy Shabbir as

Steve:

Gretchen Daniel frenzies as Damien

Stephen:

and Tina Fey plays Ms. Norbury. They're a math teacher

Steve:

and you'll see a bunch of other familiar faces, especially from anyone who's ever been on Saturday night live.

Stephen:

Yeah, because you had Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler and a gas Dyer. Some really high caliber comedic actors.

Steve:

Yes. Now I am DB describes the movie as katie Heron is a hit with the plastics, an alias girl, click at her new school until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron. Samuel's the ex-boyfriend of alpha plastic Ridge

Stephen:

George. So that's a horrible. Synopsis by IMDB they had done so good on Dr. Sleep. Yes, this was bad. That's not the ball that like, what about you? How would you sum it up? Darling,

Steve:

new girl, Katie, but friends, two unpopular kids who encouraged her to infiltrate the plastics, the popular girls only to find herself becoming a mean girl, to get revenge on their leader leader. Regina boy,

Stephen:

that's actually a very good summation. I am DB take note.

Steve:

Yes. Now as the main character, Katie is struggling to fit in at her new school. And the reason why she's struggling as our point of entry characters, because she was homeschooled in

Stephen:

Africa. Yes. And because her parents are zoologists for tribes and animals. And so they spent. Her entire childhood over there. And so she's extraordinarily intelligent and just doesn't have any normal social skills doesn't know slang. But she's pretty. Yeah.

Steve:

And, but, and of course she doesn't know it. No, but it's just, I think she was the perfect point of entry character because especially in high school, whether we have a reason to, we're not all of us feel like the new kid or the outcast or the one who's always on the outside. Yeah. Even when we know the slang. I remember, you know, even when I knew the words I was using a kind of doubting myself or feeling insecure about things that I would say before, I said them, because I'd be worried about what everyone around me would say for every word. Now I don't think about a single word that comes out of my mouth before I say, I know. I know, but I remember being so worried about, about those types of things in high school and doing my best to fit in. How was it for you, Mr. Mr. Popular?

Stephen:

That was not actually the case. I was well-known. Yes, because I come from a small town and pretty much everybody knows everybody. I wasn't disliked. I was not part of the cool click hanging out, like outside of school, but they were all my friends because we had grown up together. My friends were the theater kids, the band kids. The softball players and smart kids, but a lot of that was overlapping. Yes. So like the, a lot of people like. And he probably like in every school, you're not just pigeonholed to one group, like you're going to overlap to a lot of groups.

Steve:

Yes. I mean, it is a fun game and a great intro when they're navigating the, you know, the infamous picture of the school cafeteria with all the little tables of how everyone is segregated. And I do agree that that's an extreme version, but that things like that do happen where people have their tables and they sit in it. But there also is some like carry over where I would sit in my one share like maybe four days a week. But like that fifth day I'd sit with those other kids.

Stephen:

I like we always sat together from eighth grade

Steve:

on what would you name your table in a little bowl on a board if you were drawing it, which would you be? Would you be the sexually active band

Stephen:

geeks? No, we would have probably just been the smart kids. Yes. Like

Steve:

the math nerds, like the mathletes kind

Stephen:

of, not that to that extreme. No we didn't. We actually didn't. Like, that's a stereotype that didn't exist at our school. Like we didn't have academic competitions to that degree. You like, we had math field day. That was just whoever was in calculus at the time. Got to go to that. What about you, if you were in your group, what would you guys have been. I w I

Steve:

was just, I was the unpopular. Well, for the longest time, I would have said, and I feel like most gay people would say that they were always Damien and Janice with like their, their best girlfriend. And that was what I would say to myself as that Laura and I were Janice and Damien, but had we had to be at a table, it probably would have been like the art scene, nerdy kids, or my senior year, the sexually active band geeks probably. Pretty well. But speaking of the different cliques in school, one thing that she is naturally good at her favorite subject in school is math. But she finds herself in terms of trying to fit in also dumbing herself down to the point where she's failing. And I don't know how it is right now, cause I don't have a kid in high school. But why do you think it is, or was uncool to be smart in high school?

Stephen:

I think it's because men are fragile and I think she was afraid and it turns out unjustly. So that if she was going to get errands attention, she had to appear. Dumber than him. But I think that you also have that in real life because of fragile straight men, they don't want women to have a higher position than them be smarter than them be more attractive than them funnier than them be more fit than them. Like, well, actually, no, I want them to be more, they want them to be more fitted because CBS comedy, it's an overweight, funny guy. And a hot wife that he really couldn't usually get. Yes.

Steve:

And so, I don't know, but I love that, you know, all the people who are up, you know, especially things like math, you want to be good at math for a life. Cause you do pretty well. Right money. Like Mr. Money, counter CFO,

Stephen:

Hey, math has helped me out in the long run numbers just come naturally to me. And that's one of the things I love that she says that math is the same in any language lindsay Lohan in this movie is phenomenal. She

Steve:

is, I wished that she was still acting, so

Stephen:

she is going to be acting again. I just smell something on Twitter the other day because she, you know, she's been She was on the London stage for a bit, doing some stuff. And then she had a reality show where she, he bought a private club resort type of thing in Greece. But she just signed a deal with Netflix. She's doing a movie project with the Netflix, so that's a pretty big deal. And we'll actually be great to boost her back up because. You know, she was a child Disney star from parent trap Herbie and some other stuff. And she didn't have a strong parental influence. Like the Olsen twins. Yeah. You didn't see them go crazy. No, they, because their parents must have been really good. I mean, their sister Elizabeth, excellent actress now is the Scarlet witch in the Marvel movies. Lindsay didn't have that support. Her

Steve:

mom went on big brother celebrity. Yeah.

Stephen:

Dina low-end from long island. Yes. Well,

Steve:

she, Lindsay Lohan was from the mainland as well. So I do know people that knew her growing up, but that is a different story for a different podcast.

Stephen:

I know, but I I'm, I have always been a low hand fan. I've always been rooting for her. And I really hope I know I'm rooting for you. And I hope that this is Netflix project is the thing that gets her career back going because whatever she's been punished for in the past, I think it's been long enough. Let her back

Steve:

in. Yep. Now, in addition to the plastics being attractive towards the, the gay culture, I also in looking at it critically, critically and thinking about it, I feel like a big part of the reason why I'm so attracted to the movie in general is also the character of Damien, because he is. Portrayed so positively during the movie, he has what I would consider a normal body type. But in a high school movie, he would be considered or get fat. Yeah,

Stephen:

absolutely. You would, then you would normally think he would be fat shamed, which they don't

Steve:

do. Yep. And I watched for this time, they don't, you know, he gets the, you know, the. And even the bullying for being gay, isn't what you would think in a school. So rampant with bullying that I think that that positive representation of him in it was just probably the first movie I ever saw where someone was just like, yeah, I'm gay. And everyone's like, pretty much okay with it. And in high school, seeing that representation. Both him not being, you know, Uber duper femme, and also like not being about him being bullied or, you know, anything like that was just something really good to see. Yes.

Stephen:

And like, he has one of the best quotes about him, where Janice says, you know, he's almost too gay to function for any of our listeners that are hearing weird sounds in the background. That's Remi. Yes. Just saying

Steve:

hello while we're trying to tell him, please stop.

Stephen:

But no, Damian is one of the best characters and Daniel, Daniel performs that. So good. I hope that, you know, we're seeing him in more stuff and we are starting to see him in more things. And because wasn't he, the older brother. In the show, it was an ABC show that starred Haley at well. And you know, where she was the drug addict?

Steve:

Yes. I just don't remember the name of conviction conviction. Okay. Yes,

Stephen:

she was an attorney and former first daughter. And he played her brother. Gotcha. And he was really good in that. That was a show that should have continued BU on UABC. Yes.

Steve:

Well, if every show that you watched continue, there wouldn't be room for any new shows.

Stephen:

I've cut back a lot. Thank you very much. Okay. Let's go over to one of the, just. Best characters in the movie as well. JNS played by Lizzy Kaplan.

Steve:

Yes. She certainly does remind everyone of their high school. She goes good high school, best friend vibes. Don't you think? Okay.

Stephen:

Like Janice is somebody that she's a good friend. And like you look at all the things and she and Damien are the type of friends that you would want. And whenever. Katie hooks up with Janice and Damian at the beginning of the movie, you're like, these are the people she needs to be with. They're sincere. They're real

Steve:

the line when sh Katie was like, well, are you sure we should be doing it if this closed down? And they're like, well, of course, you're my friend. Why would I get you in trouble? And I'm like, you have,

Stephen:

yup. You won me over. Right. They're like, yeah, we're not going to get you in trouble. Where your friends like right

Steve:

there. That's what you want in the high school, best friend. And I had that in Laura. Who did you have that

Stephen:

in? So I had my friends, Jessalyn, salvo, Tracy pits Jay cough and effort that you've met. Jay and I have been friends forever. I met Tracy and Jess, whenever their elementary school merged with ours for seventh and eighth grade. And still talk to all of them and, you know, it's just people that you knew had your back and we had a very good. Group. My friend, Missy widen, who I'm still in contact to this day. She and I were a big Stephen King fans from way back when. So like they, it, it's important to find the people in high school that you can be you around. And I think that's a lesson you see here, and that is a lesson that will always be true. Yes.

Steve:

And that's part of why the movie is timeless. Even if some of the references are not now or some of the word usage as well by the mean girls. But before we get into the mean girls, which is going to be the big heart of the matter I would say that Erin is a character of note as well, being the love interest of the movie Virginia's ex-boyfriend and Katie's love interest. What do you, what do you buy him as a love interest for her?

Stephen:

So. I actually buy it because he seems genuine. He was trying to be real with her the whole time. He never tried to dumb her down. She was falling into certain traps. He was not setting them for her. So I think Aaron Samuels is pretty blameless in this movie. Yes.

Steve:

Always did think he was gay. And I think that's just because of the gay face that they end here in real life in real life. And I guess maybe just gay Cece, same, but I was like, why is everyone fanning over him? He should be the one dating Damian.

Stephen:

Well, on October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. It's October 3rd. Yeah. This is another one of those movies that has a lot of meme treatments. Like every October 3rd, you're going to see all over, all over Facebook and Twitter that meme right there. Just like the one from miss congeniality for What do you, what would you consider the perfect date? I think it's April 25th because it's not too hot, not too cold. And you just need a light jacket. Like if that level of you're going to see it all over social media.

Steve:

Yes. And one thing though that, I mean, I, might've also struggled with this cause I never dated anyone in my school. That I was in school with, I always dated kids in public school. I was in a private school because it was the only real way to be able to go on dates because I'm private school. We were all like lived half an hour to 45 minutes away. And my parents didn't love me enough to drive me all over town for dates.

Stephen:

So I came from the middle of nowhere. There was only one school. We all went to it.

Steve:

Did you have girlfriends or boyfriends? I

Stephen:

had girlfriends the. Boyfriend thing didn't come until college. The dating boys didn't come until college. Gotcha.

Steve:

Yeah. Being more specific for our adult listeners to read between the lines there. Yes. Now with Regina and the plastics, those are some of the most iconic characters in terms of the mean girls that you could ever think of, right. That they

Stephen:

truly

Steve:

are do, which is your favorite that you want to start with.

Stephen:

Like I have a deep love for Amanda Seyfried, but I think it's Gretchen Wiener that I really enjoy.

Steve:

You mean, let's hear a little bit more about Gretchen. That little one it's Gretchen wieners. She's totally

Stephen:

rich because her dad invented toaster strudel. Christian leaders has everybody's business. She knows everything about everyone. That's why her hair is so big.

Steve:

It's secret what's happening.

Stephen:

So I love that. And because there's later when they're called to the principal's office, I don't think my father, the inventor of toaster strudel would be very happy about this. Yes. It's her performance. And that's one of the thing with everybody in this movie. They all went all in. Nobody held

Steve:

back. I was gonna say, because I mean playing the role of the gossipy, but overly insecure, best friend, like you could see, she just has that vulnerability just on her sleeve at all times. And she's just like constantly overthinking and analyzing everything, her poor taste in men. Just everything about her just makes you want to just be like, oh no, I want to give you a hug. I know, but

Stephen:

she's so fat.

Steve:

She is so fat, but babe. That is so

Stephen:

fetch, Gretchen stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going

Steve:

to happen. Yeah. It's not going to happen, babe, except to totally did, because fetch is one of those words where if you say the word fetch, you will think of mean girls and people know exactly what the word

Stephen:

means. And most likely they're going to respond back. Quit trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to

Steve:

happen. Exactly. But I think at that point, the fact that everyone would reply that way says that in fact they were wrong,

Stephen:

but yeah. Now Amanda sigh frayed. A lot of people know her from the mamma Mia movies. She was the star of both of those. She has an incredible voice. She was also in Les Miz. And let's

Steve:

say she wasn't using those talents here. No. That's Karen Smith.

Stephen:

She is one of the dumbest girls. You will ever meet Damien next to extra in English last year. She asked me how to spell orange. That little one is so, yeah, she's really dumb. She doesn't understand, like she has the section where she is has the hots for someone and they're like, you can't. That's your cousin? No, it's okay. He's my first cousin. See, there's your cousin. And then there's your first cousin. Wait, that's not right. Is it? No, sweetie.

Steve:

Now. And she also has ESPN or something. She has her boobs can kind of tell when the weathers are.

Stephen:

Yeah, it's going to say she at first says I can tell when it's going to rain, actually, I can tell you when, if it's already raining. Yeah. So she just does. An amazing job with that part, but the role that everyone remembers, probably even more than Katie Heron. Is Regina George Regina, George, even begin to explain Regina George

Steve:

Regina. George is flawless. She has two Fendi

Stephen:

purses and a silver Lexus. I hear her hair's insured for$10,000. I hear she does car commercials

Steve:

in new Japan. Her favorite movie is

Stephen:

varsity blues. One time she met John Stamos on a plane and he told her she was pretty on time. She punched me in the face.

Steve:

It was awesome.

Stephen:

It's and she does. She like, she walks the school as if she owns it. I mean, you even, we even see later whenever she takes Katie to her house the first time, and Katie says your bedroom is amazing. Thanks. It wasn't my parents, but I made them switch with me like. That

Steve:

doesn't happen? No, it doesn't. But I mean, her mom was an enabler cause she's a cool, nah,

Stephen:

I'm not like the other moms. I'm a

Steve:

cool mom. If one of your friends have a cool mom or was mom the cool mom?

Stephen:

I'm not that kind of no, like none of my friends and had a mom like this, a lot of my friend's parents were teachers. So not the drink at my house. Cool mom, it was. Like a lot. Well, all my friend's parents were great and. But none of them were like Amy Poehler. Thank goodness. I was gonna say so. Cause typically, I

Steve:

mean, I, I had it like Laura's parents were always cool and chill, but they weren't like the cool moms. So they were pretty much like you guys do it and you guys do, but then like Dennis Andrew, and I mean Dennis's parents had their sticks so far up their assholes that like they had no personality whatsoever other than like, you know, Whitey, toity, waspy. You know, horribleness. So Drew's parents just because they were friendly and approachable automatically seemed like the coolest.

Stephen:

Now, did you have plastics at your school?

Steve:

Yes we did. I remember some of their faces and names. I remember the, the one leader of them was all Margot because I just remember her name was so unique and there was a Samantha. There's probably more of them. We, yeah, we definitely had our plastics cause they all, especially, cause when I went to high school, it was that time where the tanning salons was really popular, especially on long island. Yeah. So they were all orange Trumpy looking girls with the platinum hair. Yeah.

Stephen:

So we definitely, we didn't have a plastics in my grade. Like even the most popular of the girls were down to earth relatable and stuff like. We thankfully didn't have an evil click, not anybody that was like that at all. So w

Steve:

w well, I went to high school with the Gotti, so it's like, they were planning to be like the next mob wives, if they just tried their heart enough. And like, gotbronze did enough. God. Yes. And while you might not have had that, did you have any high school rivalry? Like Katie ended up having with

Stephen:

Regina. So like there were several, all of us that were gunning for valedictorian and we all knew that if you were going to be valedictorian, you needed to get a 4.0, so there were some great rivalries. There's one that I think I feel kind of bad about. There was a kid at our school, his name was Colby cannon and. He transferred into our school freshman year. And he tried really hard to be friends with us. And I don't even remember now, but we were not kind to him. And I regret that. Yeah. And then there was another kid that I had had a rivalry with. Since we were little and we were thrown into a lot of the same situations. We never liked each other. Senior year, I finally got the forever one up, which I will not say on the podcast, but. Yeah, that's all said and done. Now, what about you?

Steve:

I would say that the closest thing I could remember to this was in high school, because like I mentioned, Laura and I were the best of friends and inseparable. There was two people that we had all the same friends with, but I was not friends with them. It was a chain and Erica, I think her name was, and it was. A similar kind of shadow version of myself and Laura of like an awkward, obviously gay kid with his like, you know, girl BFF. And there was nothing about him. No reason why I didn't like him or know him. We never had any sort of altercation that I can recall at least, but it's just, we never talked. And in a school of 96, the kids in your class, it's very hard to actively wait someone for four full years, but somehow he men should do it for each other. And there was like no reason other than just, we just didn't.

Stephen:

So strange. And also that your school was so small. Like my school had a thousand kids, that's a fit. The whole town did that. I actually, the whole county, just so we're clear. That was the, that we were a consolidated county.

Steve:

Gotcha. Now, out of all of the plastics, if you had to place yourself as one of the plastics, which one would you be?

Stephen:

So I think everybody wants to be Regina, George, where they can rule the school and things, but if we were actually. Talking about which one I would be, it would be Gretchen Wiener because I was easy to talk to. Like I still am the person that people will go to. So I knew all kinds of

Steve:

secrets. Yes. And that's why your hair is so big and flawless.

Stephen:

I have always had big hair, so yeah, that was so I would definitely have been Gretchen Wiener because I knew everybody's secrets. What about you?

Steve:

I would say that as much as I likely would be Gretchen as well with just my anxiety and insecurity, I would like to be carrying the dumb one. Cause it just, she seems so happy. She did, she

Stephen:

seemed to go through life, like in a, in

Steve:

a, in a world full of just like nasty girls being horrible all around them. She was just, she just existed. She's just like my cousin's cute. Yeah. You know, how can, how can you hate her? Oh,

Stephen:

that like. It's just so really good. I mean, so one of the things, one of the quotes that I like about Regina is Janice says that, and it's one of those that once you hear it, I quote it and she's like, she's a life ruiner. She ruins people's

Steve:

lives. Yeah. I love that. Now, in addition to all the amazing kids in the movie who all did an amazing job acting, as we mentioned, there are a lot of SNL alums, especially like miss Norbury played by Tina Fey. What do you think are the adults in the movie and how they,

Stephen:

so Tina Fey's performance in this is amazing. It was one of the first times where I was like, Really acknowledging because Tina Fey had a lot of time behind the weekend update desk and she was really good online delivery, but you didn't really know if she could act and then you do this and you're like, she's really talented. She's got the sardonic wit she's got good. We saw good comedic timing, but, and her line delivery was really good. She was empathetic when she needed to be like with the. There's nothing. You need to apologize for Katie. I'm really disappointed in you. Like she

Steve:

could still be serious when she needs to, so many of the adults seem to be just characatures of like your adult friend, you know, your child has friends, parents growing up. Yes.

Stephen:

Now the, one of the things that gets a lot of people in trouble is this is the burn book. Yeah. Yes.

Steve:

Now, did you have a burn book in school or have any stories? Like a

Stephen:

burn book? So I. Did not except whenever. And so this is going to really date me. This movie came out and I love the idea of it so much. I started a MySpace page called the Cincinnati burn book, and I got people to send in. Gossip about other people and I would release blind. Oh no, you're so cruel. I did it as blind items. I didn't name the piece. That's all, that's still something, but I only did it for like six months and then I just couldn't keep it in anymore that I was the one doing it. So I had to like, get rid of it before I just told everyone. Which I did now. Yes.

Steve:

Well, because I didn't have a burn book, but I do remember just passing notes in school and writing and gossiping. And I was like, I remember being lucky. It was junior, sophomore, junior year, but I was passing notes and it got picked up by a teacher and I was so afraid. It was one of the gossiping ones. It was not, it was when we were writing, like Or they like, cause it fell out of my bag and they found it. Cause you keep all your notes, your notes and your side of your bag. And one of the notes fell out and a teacher found it and I was so afraid. It was like gossipy one, but it was one of the ones where Laura and I were writing, like and sync erotica to one another. So that will also date me. But the team teacher was just so embarrassed. He just kind of ripped it up and threw it out and was not going to address the gay erotica written by a queer kid in a Catholic school. He just kind of was like, don't

Stephen:

pass notes. So in eighth grade, my friend. Tater Tracy and I we created a, like puberty was full on, we were hormonal and we created a restaurant with a really, really filthy double entendre. And sometimes not really that double, just pretty glaring menu items with suggestive names and things. And My rival, the one that I finally got revenge on went and told our teacher. And thankfully, so one of our friends heard him tattle on us eighth grade and tattling. And so Tracy hit it in her bra and denied it and I denied it. And then Tracy just tore it up when she got home. But like, it was one of the things that really solidified that I was never going to like that kid.

Steve:

Yes. Well, and in terms of gossiping and like knowing things that are going on in school, I also, their four way call scene also brings me back to high school. Did you have any stories of four way calling? No way

Stephen:

calling? No, we didn't do that. Like,

Steve:

it's an, it's a recipe for disaster. Just like this. Oh, you can tell me, hold on. Oh my God. She's so annoying.

Stephen:

Who is, is this Gretchen right? Hold on.

Steve:

Oh my God. She's so

Stephen:

annoying. I know. Just

Steve:

get rid of her. Okay. Regina says, everyone hates you because you're such a slender.

Stephen:

She said that

Steve:

he didn't hear from me. You didn't hear from

Stephen:

me. And then she goes and talk to Regina and she goes, I can't go out. Hey, I'm sick, boo.

Steve:

You whore. Exactly. Yes. And so I love that clip, but I do remember multiple times when you had like an incoming call or you think you were hanging up or swapping a call and it was never like. That bad. I never really embarrassed myself, but I did have the ones where I was like, all right, I got rid of them, like your turn. And they're like, no, you did it. And you didn't. Oops. And so I was always like, but I was like, it's a colloquialism, not like I use that word back then, but I was like, you know what I meant? Yeah.

Stephen:

So one of the things I saw in this that was not in my high school. I didn't see it until college was. The Halloween slot role. Yes.

Steve:

I didn't have that in high school either, but I, whether they,

Stephen:

because I don't think our parents would have let in, like, Even the most popular girls wouldn't have been allowed out of the house wearing lingerie and animal years.

Steve:

I think that some of the girls that I went to high school with some parents would have let them go out, but it was a different group than the one that I was rolling in. I was going to be more of the kids that are going to an art festival because one of us submitted a painting that got accepted. Like that definitely was more of my crew thing, going to the slutty, you know, party.

Stephen:

Yeah. And it's not until adulthood that the gays are like, we can do that too. I'm Freddy Krueger, just because I wear a brown hat and underwear,

Steve:

or were gay roller disco disco's zombies. Hey, I worked really

Stephen:

hard on

Steve:

those costumes and they were awesome, but yes, that was our own little Halloween slat role. Yes.

Stephen:

The at Christmas, whenever Katie is working on her plan to get revenge because there was ruin Regina, his body get rid of her man and destroy her army of skanks and they go with the candy grams. Yes. And none

Steve:

for you. Gretchen wieners

Stephen:

and three for you, Glen Coco, you go Glenn, Coco. And so that was a

Steve:

prelude

Stephen:

to the jingle bell rock show. I know, but that was Damien. Yeah. Oh yes. That was, yeah. Like

Steve:

that was, he was the man behind the mask with Janice at the whole time with a lot of these plans.

Stephen:

Yeah. So then at the, another iconic scene from the movie is whenever they're all performing a very. Suggestive version of jingle bell rock, mainly they're just dancing and slapping their thighs and wearing not many clothes until the music breaks. Gretchen kicks the CD player into a boy's head and Katie has to start singing live, which Lindsay Lohan is a great voice, so that works. And then everybody sings along and it's a big success and it's great. But talent shows.

Steve:

Yes. I never had a talent show. Cause my high school, I guess, was too small to have talent. What

Stephen:

about yours? Oh, no. We had a talent show every year. We my friends, Clint and Roy had hard rock, heavy metal band. They were really talented. And so they would perform my friend's older sister, Brianna bogs. She. W had just one of the most amazing voices. She won one year for singing this operetta in Italian and it was beautiful, but she performed two songs. The other song she sang was the hidden song from Alana's Morissette, jagged little pill CD. And, but then we had these girls who came from one of the other elementary schools whenever for the consolidated. So I never grew up with them. And I don't remember. I know that they both got pregnant their sophomore year, but they did this dance called Mars meets women. And I just remember the only lyrics in the song where Mars meets women. And it was one of those that everybody in the audience and it was West Virginia. And I think that if, so you think you can dance existed back then? It would've had a different. Outcome. Yeah. But mainly all the kids in the audience looked at them with this expression.

Steve:

That's a great expression for a

Stephen:

audio podcast. I know. That's why I said the sound of

Steve:

I'm sure they got that. Well, you know, you know, what made me make that sound? Was when Regina got hit by a freaking bus.

Stephen:

Yeah. Like what the hell

Steve:

is up with that? I love, I love that. Like that's when I was like, all right, this movie is just like, it was already ridiculous by the time he had already got there that it wasn't, I just wasn't expecting it though. Especially that first time I was like, what I was expecting to be like, just kidding. And then they're like, no, it actually happened. I was like, wow,

Stephen:

fuck. Yeah. Like that was because at first, and especially when she says. And that's how Regina George died and you're like, what? And she goes, I'm kidding. Yes.

Steve:

But then I thought that like she was kicking at the bus of the tech, the Chicago it's still hit by the bus was just shocking.

Stephen:

Danielle.

Steve:

Yes. And so that led though to a prom where everyone got a piece of the crown and Katie learned to accept the fact that she was smart and she still got the boy, except

Stephen:

that you're missing the important thing that led to all that. They had to have a school assembly because the burn book got it. Oh

Steve:

yes. And the scene where the burn book got out was one of my favorites from the movie, with all the girls, just going

Stephen:

crazy, beating the crap out of each other and Regina had released it, but she made it seem as if it were Katie Gretchen and Karen that had released it. And it just, they had to go to this thing and yeah. Raise your hand. If you've ever been personally victimized by Regina, George, everyone does everyone, or even the teachers raise their hand. And that was, and they had to do these trust falls, like. Did you ever do trust falls?

Steve:

Never. I don't have it in me. I don't think either. I like, cause I remember there was one like once or twice, we never were encouraged to do it off of a stage or anything like that. But we had just standing on the ground and leaning back. And even that I sucked at doing so bad and was so uncomfortable doing it. It took so long that the teacher was like, forget it. You

Stephen:

fail. Well, you had to do it. When I went to camp horseshoe and which best summer camp ever for anyone in West Virginia send your kid to camp horseshoe And we had to do the trust falls off of a table. So there's a moment where you're just falling through the air and you have to hope that people are going to catch you. And there's a pit of your stomach feeling from the moment that you've left the table till you're in their arms. And, and it only lasts a second, but it feels so much longer. But then, you know, there's that girl that's up there and she goes, I wish we could all. Be friends like we were in middle school and I would like to take rainbows and make a cake and let everyone have a piece. And Damien from the back of it, the auditorium says need to go here, which I still love. She doesn't even go here. And because Katie had messed up so much trying to dumb herself down for Aaron, Samuel's the burn book she's in trouble. And to make up her grade in her calculus class, Ms. Norbury makes her join them athletes, which has one of the other, very memorable things from this about what is the limit limit does not exist? Yes. So, you know, the whole movie is pretty Grohl.

Steve:

Yes, it is very grool. It ends though with the prom and everyone living happily ever after, even senior year, there was all better. There was no conflict

Stephen:

and it was a healthier senior year because they had broken up the plastics. People started hanging out with the groups that they were more personally personality wise aligned with instead of a click hierarchy. And. Ended up. It ended really well. I do say that I still want Tina Fey and the original cast to do a mean moms. Yes. Where they come up and Katie like her daughter's going to school, but it's the moms running the PTA and the awesome. And they're awful. And so she has to compete against. These mean moms and let Aaron Samuels be in it, but let Jonathan Bennett play him as gay and that he and Damien are actually together. I'll

Steve:

take it, sign me up because we didn't get a chance to see the Broadway musical version of this. So we're going to need to have a new version of it to be able to watch.

Stephen:

I know, and I was. Very sad that we didn't get to see it on Broadway, but maybe it will tour some time and it'll come near and we can see it. But what are your final thoughts on the movie as a whole?

Steve:

I ju I just love it for what it is. I feel like it aged very well. That it is funny that cheers me up. It brings us back so many memories for someone who has trouble remembering what I did last week.

Stephen:

Totally have bad memory about.

Steve:

I know, I know. And like movies like this help you because it does bring me back to a certain time. And I remember rewatching this movie so many times in my formative years of like high school and college that it just, you know, it was perfect timing. It came out for me in 2004, which I think was my senior year of high school or freshman year of college. So I was right there at the, it was 24. I know you little cradle robber,

Stephen:

but the movie is infinitely quotable, infinitely re watchable. Yes. Yeah. And I mean, it has. Amazing cast, Rachel McAdams went on. If you've never seen her in the notebook. Well, everybody's seen that, but I was going to say red. I was silly and Murphy. It's a horror film. It's very good. Yes.

Steve:

And I love Amanda Seyfried and everything that she does.

Stephen:

She's yeah, she's always really, really good. And Tina Fey, we've seen in so many. Amazing thing since she finished SNL. Yeah. And

Steve:

so one way that we would love to hear from you about what you think of the mean girls show. We'd also love to hear from you on what you think of the movie. Yes.

Stephen:

So you can get in touch with us on all of the socials, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, happy life pod,

Steve:

or you can also email us@happylifepodatgmail.com or leave a review wherever it is that you're listening to us right now, because

Stephen:

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode or. How we're doing in general?

Steve:

Yes. Or what you recommend for binge and purge recommendations for us to check out. We'll give you kudos in the episode,

Stephen:

100% we will.

Steve:

And until next time everyone

Stephen:

stay happy.