Mean Girls by Tina Fey - Outline

BIGGEST LESSONS:
1) Third act is about righting wrongs and making amends. 
2) This is an event that changes not just the main characters but also the SCHOOL.  This is possible because this story is really about something ALL kids struggle with, so it effects all kids in the end. We have that in the story we're working on too. 
3) Using tent pole HS movie moments like "spring fling" helps provide structure to the third act. 
4) Adults are basically all stupid or inept (and somewhat also caught up in image) except one KEY ally. 
5) Characters are connected in a great way. (I.E. Regina George and Janis being ex best friends). 
6) Runners are used really well (bleeping expletives) and side characters ALL have their own comedic games which makes it fun when they are on screen (Karen, Kevin G., come to mind.) This MUST be done. 

- What is our “say one nice thing about your body” scene?
ARC ALERT “So that’s how I went from homeschooled jungle freak to solid plastic to most hated person in the world to partial spring fling queen to actual human being.”

—> so much great character changing stuff in this movie. it’s not just something that happens at the end. she isn’t in a fixed state and then realizes something and then morphs. she is changing the whole time, then at the end realizes the right way to be.

NOTE: Classic tools like spring fling are ESSENTIAL in movies like these to create an obvious symbol and third act thing

NOTE: Third act can be about righting social wrongs.

Message of self acceptance is HUGE. Realizing who you are and being that person. and everyone at this school feeling better about themselves. Like… THIS SHOULD CHANGE THE SCHOOL, not just the characters. 

MEAN GIRLS OL

- Meet Cady. She’s nice to cats and dogs in her house.
- through VO we learn that Cady is home schooled and this is her first day at a normal school
- VO gives bg. was in africa. now in illinois cuz her mom became a professor


- Cady dropped off at school. Sees the clicks. Has nowhere to go or fit in.
- Cady meets Janis and Damian. Misfit kids who are nice to her.
- Cady learns about spring fling and that it’s important. Then she learns about the mean girls as we watch the mean girls stroll out toward gym.


- Cady in math class. She loves it. She meets Aaron who she falls in love with .


NOTE: the whole “falling in love instantly thing” is handled basiically by: ROMANTIC MUSIC swells.


- CAFETERIA: Cady is hassled by a douche. Regina George intervenes.
- Regina is head of students. declares Cady is her project girl.
- Cady invited to lunch. Told on Tuesdays we wear pink.


- Cady sees some benefits of hanging with RB.
- Cady told she can’t have Aaron because he’s RGs ex. Also told other plastic rules.
- Cady watches teacher dispose of drugs.


- Cady hanging at the George house
- bullied into writing teacher keeps x in her desk in the burn book.


- Cady at mall. Sees kids as aimals at watering hole. Refuses to mess with RG even though Damian and Janis want her to.


- RG calls Cady. Says she’ll talk to Aaron on Cady’s behalf. Tricks Cady into shit talking Gretchen on a secret 3 way call.


- Cady plays dumb to get Aaron to like her. Gets invited to a party.


- Cady blows off first mathletes meeting to go home and work on her costume.


- Cady goes to party. she’s a zombie but all other igrls are slutty animals.
- Regina kisses Aaron so Cady leaves. But we hang back and learn Aaron didn’t want it.


- Cady vents with friends abouet RB and Aaron. VO tells us she decided to “grow some balls”


NOTE: The “from Africa” thing is perfect because it lends so well to HS social dynamics.


- Cady launches a plan. Keep RG close. Act like everything is fine. Pull Aaron closer by faking math dumbness.


- Cady finds fat gaining food and tells RG they are for losing weight.


- Cady rigs the scale so RG won’t know.


- Cady VO says being in the plasitcs means everyone knows about you and it feels famous.


NOTE: this is the first time we see her like something about it.


- Cady caught talking to Janis. Gets back story from RG. They were friends but RG thought Janis was a lesbian.


NOTE: Cady deduces the compliment Regina paid wearly on was actually an insult


- Cady launches a plan to take RG down with a candy cane scheme.


- IN CLASS: Cady gets a candy cane gram from RG “thanks for being a -  friend.” Gretchen gets jealous. (We deduce Cady sent the gram to herself.)


- Cady saves a skipping cd moment at hte winter talent show. Aaron suspects she may have a crush on Kevin G. Also he is confused that she wanted to join mathletes because she “hates” math.


- Gretchen freaks out while reading Caesar in class. “She has cracked.”


- Gretchen spills taht RG is cheating on Aarron.


- Damian tries to photo the cheating but doesn’t get the pic.


- VO tells us that “by spring break something had changed.”


- Cady switches out zit cream for zit creating cream.


- Cady complains about Regina to her real freinds. She is kinda talking like REgina. Obsessing and vapid. In VO she knows it’s bad…


NOTE: this is a double life movie.


- Damian is on the comittee so he noms RG and Gretchen for queen. And janis. cady is nommed too but she earned it through votes, not scam. Real friends think she’s lame for being flattered by this.


- Cady tells Aaron RG is cheating.


- RG cries about it. Cady stays mum.


- RG can’t fit into a dress at the store.


- 3 way call thing. Cady orhestrates it. RG talks shit about Karen.


- More 3 way calls demonstrate the friend group is splintering.


- RG wears sweats on monday. not allowed. so the other girls cast her off the lunch table.


- CADY fails a math quiz. Teacher knows it’s for the guy.


- Cady lies. Says she can’t go to Janis art show. But she’s really having people over.

• The party. Regina shows up looking for Cady cuz RG wasn’t invited.

• Cady finds Aaron in bedroom. Tries to be hot and pukes on him.

• OUTSIDE: Janis and Damian mad about party. They yell she’s not pretedning to be plastci she IS plasitc.

• Cady accuses Janis of being in love with her. (This accusation is what ruined J’s friending with RG in middle school.”

• RG at school. Leanrs Cady’s bars cause weight GAIN not loss. Figures out she’s been tricked.

• RG makes the burn book look like something Cady made.

• As CADY and G and Karen get questioned about the book, RG spreads the pages in the halls and kids read them.

• kids lose their minds and fight each other in the halls.

• Teacher’s confiscated x is found in her desk

• all sophomores are gathered in the auditorium.

• I got the latin kings out of Marshall, I can handle a bunch of little suburban girls.

• Cady at home asking to be home schooled again.

• School meeting led by Tina Fey Teacher. Makes all girls say one nice thing about selves. Leads to apologies. leads to janis bitterly outing the whole plan.

• RG rushes out. Cady follows. RG hit by bus

• RG hospital room.

• Third act is writing hte wrongs caused by the mess she made earlier. Getting Norbury her job back.  Joining mathletes and deciding to go to finals instead of prom. apologies to Janis and Damian.

• Cady wins the matheletes

• Cady and REgina make up in the bathroom before hte queen is announced