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"It's
'On,' Baby!"
by Scott Mantz
"Bring It On"
Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku
Directed by Peyton Reed
At the age of
13, Kirsten Dunst held her own against Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt
in 1994's "Interview With the Vampire" and has since gone on become
one of the sexiest and most talented young actors of her generation.
Now she's all grown up, and over the past year, she's demonstrated
quite an impressive range in films like "The Virgin Suicides," "Drop
Dead Gorgeous," and "Dick". With "Bring It On," she combines her
sexuality with her flair for comic timing into one issue-free and
purely-fun film that goes behind the pom-poms to take a look at
the wild and wacky world of high school cheerleading. Does she pull
it off? For sure!
Poor Torrance
(Kirsten Dunst) has a lot on her mind, and it has nothing to do
with passing her exams, getting along with her parents, or scoring
with boys. She's the newly-elected captain of the cheerleading squad
at her San Diego High School, and she has to whip her gang into
shape for the upcoming football season. To her horror, she discovers
that her predecessor stole all her routines from a black cheerleading
squad from East Compton High School in LA. With the help of Missy
(Eliza Dushku), an over-qualified new recruit, Torrance has to come
up with a new routine if her squad is going to compete in the National
Cheerleading Championship in Florida.
"Bring It On"
is one of the better high school comedies to come along in a while,
merely because it doesn't try to be anything more than what it is.
The dialogue instantly recalls the banter from "Clueless," which
is more of a parody than the way these students really talk (at
least, I hope it is), but the film really succeeds because it's
light on provocation and heavy on comedy, music, and pumped-up choreography.
There are moments where it could have gotten heavy, particularly
during the clash between Torrance and her inner-city counterpart
(played by Gabrielle Union), but it thankfully steers clear of any
real conflict. Simply put, it's not that kind of film. If you want
to see a movie that tackles racial issues in a more effective way,
then go see "Remember the Titans."
Kirsten Dunst
does an effective job of carrying the film, but considering how
mature she looks for her age, it's doubtful that she can keep playing
a high school student for too much longer (not that that's a bad
thing). The rest of the cast merely resembles a bunch of stereotypical
valley girls, which effectively makes fun of the whole cheerleading
image as much as it pays homage to it. At least Eliza Dushku gives
the team some attitude, while Gabrielle Union gives the film its
backbone by mixing strength, pride, and vulnerability as the leader
of the East Compton cheerleading squad.
"Bring It On"
may not have the bite of a true-to-life high school film, but that's
OK. It's just a fun movie that has all the energy of a pumped and
primed homecoming game. You can't help but feel good on your way
out of the theater, especially after the closing credits, which
mixes blooper outtakes (always a sure thing) with the cheerleaders
vibrant performance to an update of the 1980's classic tune "Mickey."
Kirsten Dunst, her squad, and director Peyton Reed have made an
immensely enjoyable film, and to that, I say "Yay team!"
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