Director: Mark Waters

Mark Waters directed Freaky Friday and Mean Girls in consecutive years, which is a strong claim on the early 2000s teen comedy. Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey from a non-fiction book about adolescent social aggression, has had a cultural afterlife far beyond its box office.

His approach is to play the comedy straight and let the script carry it, which is why the performances hold up. Lindsay Lohan is genuinely good in both films.

Just Like Heaven and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past are the later studio work and are less distinctive.