Rah, Rah! Sis-boom-bah! You beat our team, we stole your car! No, this is not a cheer used in this movie, but after you hear some of the ones they actually use, it wouldn�t surprise you if they had.
Kirsten Dunst plays Torrence, the new head cheerleader of RCH. After nearly killing one of her fellow cheerleaders during practice, Torrence, along with the rest of her squad, must find a replacement. After a long run of horrible contenders, enter Missy, Eliza Dushku, the new girl who only wants to try our for cheerleading because the school doesn�t have gymnastics. Of course, she joins the squad. However, after one practice, she realizes that school has cheers stolen from predominantly black East Compton High, headed by Gabrielle Union, unbeknownst to Torrence or the rest of the squad. As it turns out, Big Red, the former head cheerleader of RCH, has been stealing cheers from ECH for the longest time. The cheerleaders decide it is to late to work on a new cheer, so they stick with the stolen routine� until they are publicly humiliated by a few ECH cheerleaders at a football game. So, they must find new routines and do all they can to win. The story continues up to a powerful climactic cheer-off.
Bring It On is a clever teen comedy that plays as a sort of Rocky with pom-poms. It�s amazing how it manages to combine the sub-genre of so many films. On one level, it is a teen comedy in the tradition of Clueless, right down to the ditzy characters. On another level, it is a sports drama, full with a competition ending. And, it also manages to be a bit of a sex-comedy like Porky�s; it even has the obligatory locker room scene. This combination just might make this movie the surprise hit of the summer. We have quirky characters acting teenage and competing for something they believe in. By the time you get to the ending cheer-off, you relate to the characters so much that you are actually left on the edge of your seat wondering who will win, which, unlike many sports films, is anybody�s guess.
Kirsten Dunst is so adorably innocent looking, that she is so believable as the na�ve Torrence. Eliza Dushku has come to always play the bad girl very well, and even as a cheerleader she can do it. Gabrielle Union is really making her mark in Hollywood, and despite being only well known for teen films, has the potential to be very big. And Jesse Bradford as Torrence�s potential smart-ass boyfriend is very believably loveable. Along with all this talent, the entire cast has chemistry.
I believe the main thing I liked about this movie was that the filmmakers actually respected cheerleaders and did not make them stereotypically stupid. Torrence even goes as far as to take Advanced Chemistry. For once, cheerleading is actually seen as a sport, not just an activity. These people work very hard, just as, or even more so than the football players they cheer for.
I guess I�m praising all this because I can relate to the characters. My high school has similar football players that haven�t won a game since� ought six. Well, I�m exaggerating, but not by much. However, our cheerleaders are not nearly as enthusiastic, or as entertaining as the ones in this movie. If they were, I might actually bother to show up to a pep rally once in a while.
Overall, this is a fun, and very funny, movie. The cast is stupendous and very talented, in more ways than one. The script is clever and keeps you constantly entertained, either through laughs or through stunning gymnastic feats. This is the first fun movie of August and maybe the last good movie of the summer.
