Bring It On

Bring It On (2000)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Peyton Reed

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union, Clare Kramer

From: Universal

Here's a blast to the past... at least for me. Sure, this is a movie that I initally saw due to who was in the cast but once I did... let's just say I've had the original DVD release for a long time. I say that this is a movie anyone can like; sure, it's about cheerleading but it is more than that. While there is about cheerleaders, it also happens to be a movie that is real well-written, fast-paced, and often pretty funny. At least that's what I thought back then. Do I still feel the same way now?

To steal the brief plot description from the IMDb: “A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year's championships.” There's more to it than that. Torrance (Dunst) just became the new captain when new cheerleader in town Missy (Dushku) exposes what old captain Big Red did. She also develops a romantic relationship with Missy's brother Cliff (Bradford), which is an issue as she has a hilarious douche of a boyfriend who is already in college.

Turns out, I still feel the same way about the movie now. I still think it's sharp, well-written and moves fast and often is funny. Watching it tonight I noted the various clever things that were done. For example, the opening of the movie is a dream sequence and it manages to be a great “info dump” to get everyone caught up on how the story will start and who some of the important characters are. And I'll always be happy to note such things as Dushku in a baby blue bikini in that one car wash scene...

I am surprised it only has a 5.8 rating on the IMDb; is it because it has spawned numerous direct to DVD sequels, none of which I've seen but I imagine they're all crap? I don't know but it can't help its reputation. I say forget the haters and if you haven't seen this, then maybe you should. Sure, some elements are dated (the music and the fashion, basically) but I laughed at that stuff in late 2013. Much of the humor still works so it's not dated in that fashion.

I'll be back tomorrow night, as I plan on seeing a theatrical film tomorrow afternoon.