Michelle Cyca discusses the Mean Girls reboot trailer, questioning its appeal to Gen-Z without context, hiding it's a musical, and Tina Fey's uncancellable status. Analyzing the humor and problematic aspects of Mean Girls, they reflect on evolving perspectives and Tina Fey's humor. They explore the portrayal of the Mean Girls musical in the trailer and the trend of adapting films into musicals. The podcast also touches on the resurgence of early 2000s music, financial motivations for movie reboots, and why millennials love throwbacks.
The Mean Girls reboot trailer fails to clearly communicate that it is a musical adaptation, potentially causing confusion among viewers.
Despite facing criticism for racist jokes, Tina Fey remains successful and uncanceled, highlighting the industry's treatment of white female comedians.
The prevalence of throwbacks and reboots extends beyond millennials and may feel more frequent due to rapid remakes and studio risk-minimization strategies.
Deep dives
A confusing marketing strategy
The trailer for the Mean Girls reboot fails to clearly communicate that it is a musical adaptation, which may lead to confusion among viewers.
Tina Fey's resilience
Tina Fey, despite facing criticism for including racist undertones in her jokes, continues to be successful and remain uncanceled, which raises questions about the industry's treatment of white female comedians.
The trend of reboots and nostalgia
The prevalence of throwbacks and reboots is not limited to millennials, but it may feel more frequent due to the rapid pace of remakes and the risk-minimization strategy of studios.
Nostalgia and the desire for a cinematic experience
Studios aim to attract audiences by promising a nostalgic experience and creating films that offer an immersive cinematic experience, hoping to entice viewers to theaters.
The challenges of updating Mean Girls
The original Mean Girls tackled the cattiness among women, which may not resonate well in today's culture, calling into question the success of the reboot's attempt to update the storyline.
This week I’m joined by Michelle Cyca to talk about the trailer for the Mean Girls reboot. You might think: wow, that’s a very small thing to focus on, what could you possibly talk about for 45 minutes… but just you wait. WHY are they hiding that it’s a musical? WHO do they think is the actual audience for this movie? What happens when millennial content is rebooted for Gen-Z audiences without context? And why is Tina Fey apparently uncancellable? We cover it all.
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Got a question or idea for a future episode? Let us know here. This week, we’re looking for your questions for future episodes about: Goodreads (what has made it so bad, a particular trend you’ve observed, should you go to Storygraph, you can take this anywhere you want); sitting (think expansively here); Moms for Liberty; the cultural force that is/was Contemporary Christian Music; whatever Bradley Cooper's whole deal is.
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