Bring It On (2000)

The Long Review:

The previews promised cool dance moves, hot babes, and short skirts. And the movie delivered. Bring It On tells the story of a San Diego High School Cheerleading Squad (The Toros) whose claim to fame is winning the National Cheerleading Competition five times in a row. Their legacy is threatened, however, when they are rudely awakened to the painful fact that their ex-captain stole all of the cheers that brought home the trophies. And to make matters worse, the East Compton Cheerleading Squad (The Clovers), a.k.a. the rightful owners of the stolen cheers, plans to kick their cheering butts in the Nationals. So the perky Toros, led by their captain, Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst), have to not only come to terms with the fact that they're cheerleading kleptomaniacs, but also come up with a whole new routine for the Nationals and beat Clovers (who happen to be really, really, good). Ready…Okay!!

The plot of Bring It On sure isn't rocket science but it sure is entertaining! Think of it as Clueless meets Flashdance. A lot of young humour and really good choreography. And surprisingly enough, it's not as predictable as you might think. We're not going to go as far as saying that this movie ranks right up there with Mission Impossible in terms of suspense but we've definitely seen far, far worse movies than Bring It On…in terms of predictability, that is. And this film keeps upping the ante all throughout, from start to finish, bringing the audience to a real hyped-up climax.

And the cast isn't half-bad, either. The casting director must have gathered up the perkiest, pertiest pookies in the land (boys and girls alike) and got them to cheer their bubbly booties off. On the one hand, we have the Toros led by Kirsten Dunst, the epitome of perky. With her is Eliza Dushku, who plays Missy Panotne, an unperky, gymnast-turned-cheerleader , and who proves to be a great foil and sidekick to Dunst. The rest of Dunst's squad, male and female, also have distinct personalities that makes their group well, pathetically likeable. On the other hand, we have the Clovers, led by tough-talking, booty-shaking Gabrielle Union. And her entire squad is pretty much exactly like her, giving the Toros a reason to shake more than their pom-poms. It's this interesting and extreme difference between the two squads that gives the audience something to think about. Whom do you cheer for? The cute, softie Toros or the butchy but ass-kickin' Clovers? Both squads can really shake their bon-bons, so it's a tough call. And those cheers. Have we mentioned that this movie features some intense choreography? We're talking girls being tossed and twirled in the air, guys exhibiting eerie flexibility, and incredible energy that makes you want to put on some spandex, pick up some pom-poms, and cheer your pumped-up little heart out.

And what is a cheerleading movie without a budding romance on the side? That's exactly what we get from Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Bradford. These two play the part of smitten teens well but not to the point of making us sick. That's always a bonus. Bring It On also features some sexual humour a la American Pie and Scrary Movie that makes us wonder how it managed to get a PG-13 rating. Wait. Oh, yeah. Producers fought for that rating so that young teens (translation: piggy banks) can watch the movie and rake in the dough.

By all means, Bring It On is not without its faults. It has some inconsistencies that make the viewers say Hmmm…And there are some jokes that could have been executed way better. And the convenient way that things always seem to work out reeks of 80's sitcoms.

But this movie has enough of the good stuff to still make it a hands-down entertaining movie. Bring it On set out to jump, dance, and cheer. And that's exactly what it does.

Ebert's satisfaction:

ebert says	moviegurus say
[Bring It On is] yet another example of the most depressing trend of the summer of 2000, the cynical attempt by Hollywood to cram R-rated material into PG-13-rated movies.	We agree that there are some jokes in the film that are a bit mature for the young teens. But is it really a depressing trend? Then how come we found it so damn funny?
I might have enjoyed the movie if it had developed along the lines of Animal House or American Pie.	Hel-lo! The movie is called Bring It On, not Get It On! Animal House and American Pie were based on sex. We believe Bring It On is about um…cheerleading?! This could be the precise reason why this movie isn't sex-infested.
Bring It On contains within it the seeds of a sharp and observant high school satire, maybe something in the same league (although not as high in the standings) as Election or Rushmore.	Nuh-uh. Bring It On's way better than those two movies combined. Did Election or Rushmore have any kick-ass dance routines? Didn't think so. Hah! And we don't think Bring It On set out to be some clever satire as much as it set out to entertain. And entertain it did!!