When you think of “The Godfather,” do you feel the sadness of a family falling apart, or rather the exhilaration of its seedy characters, bleak violence and street justice? When you think of “American Beauty,” do you remember a father reaffirming his family values, or a renegade, with nothing to lose, giving a finger to society?

Movies such as these often claim to have a moral center as they end their subversive stories in dignified fashion. But if you look closely, “The Godfather” celebrates crime and the mafia, while “American Beauty” celebrates rebellion and apathy. Their endings are merely epilogues to a vastly different story.

I hope you remember this if you see “Mean Girls,” which ends on a positive note of individuality and self-respect, but spends the majority of its running time as a mean-spirited and vicious insult, advocating the very lifestyle and mindset that it later pretends to criticize. It is a movie that helps me understand why children are becoming more sexualized every year, and why image has trumped intelligence, friendships and even health as a teenager’s top priority.

Consider the story: Cady (Lindsay Lohan) is a nice, sweet girl who wants to hang out with the popular clique, known as The Plastics. But to be a “Plastic,” she must dumb herself down, start wearing skirts, use makeup, “hang out” with boys and gossip about her teachers and classmates.

Along with her nerdy friends Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese), she becomes part of this group as a prank, intending to learn more about who the Plastics are, mock them behind their backs and tell Janis and Damian all their sordid tales.

But as the movie goes on, Cady suddenly becomes one of them. She gets caught up in their feuds, fixated on the athletic boys who are always buzzing around, and ends up ditching her old, boring friends on this quest for popularity.

That is, before a final, emotional twist in the story brings her back to her senses, and all is restored to the way it should be.

I fear though that viewers will errantly shrug this movie off as a silly little satire. If that is what “Mean Girls” truly was, there would be more criticism and judgment of Cady as she becomes shallower, and her actions would not be funny and endearing, but crude and ridiculous. While the end of the film brings this very criticism and judgment, Cady has been a living, breathing Plastic for so long that it seems like an aside in a story that actually celebrates the image and lifestyle, rather than critiquing it.

I know, it’s just a movie, right? I’m sure many will think I’m being too analytical, critical and serious.

But if you watch the energetic moments in this film, they reflect the very worst of human nature. Cady acts dumb to get the boys and dismisses grades for her popularity. In numerous segments, Cady and her gang make fun of gays, the handicapped, breast implants and anyone who is different than them. Clothing, appearance and social status become the only traits that matter.

It is a mean film with a mean heart, and while its final message seems to be that hatred is bad, I think it’s a trifle we could have done without. After all, those receptive to such a message don’t seek out films like “Mean Girls,” which are dominated by hateful and venomous humor. While “Mean Girls” pretends to be a social satire, parents should instead steer towards “13 Going On 30,” which satirizes the shallowness of adulthood while remaining true to the innocence of youth.

Much as “The Godfather” thrived in scenes of violence, and “American Beauty” in scenes of revolt and rebellion, “Mean Girls” is most energetic when it is mocking, ridiculing and dismissing everyone who fails to follow the Britney Spears life manual.

Why spend $8? Just stay home and watch MTV.

Steven Snyder reviews movies on Radio K (AM 770) Friday and Sunday mornings. He welcomes feedback at snyd0151@umn.edu.