because you can't have too much entertainment... September 2000

Sexy. Cute. Popular To Boot.
Bring It On Dir: Peyton Reed. Starring:Kirsten Dunst. Eliza Dushku & Gabrielle Union.

I have to say that I rarely truly enjoy a teen flick... even when I was a teenager I had issues with them (although I admit an enormous love for the work of Molly Ringwald at the time.) so it's really refreshing to watch one and have no reservations. None at all. It may seem shocking to say. But, alas, it's true. This lark about a championship cheerleading squad is fresh, very funny, and a complete joyride. It's also invigorating to see box office scores so high for a movie that I assumed would get trashed since it doesn't star any of that slew of recent bizarrely popular teen 'stars' -and I use the term lightly (like Klein, Sobieski, Suvari, Birch, Cook, Prinze Jr, Biggs, etc... nearly all of whom I hate with a passion) and has a fairly intelligent script, deals with race and sexuality issues in a inoffensive /noncondescending manner, and doesn't resort to cliche so much as enormous good will and clever twists on standard plot devices. In short I'm shocked by its success and I love it.

And I'm not embarassed to say so... here's why:

Right from the first scene it's a sharp comic treasure and well structured story. I don't go into plot details in my reviews but I love how it uses a dream sequence for the opener which is splashy,amusing, and sets up the backstory really quickly. You don't get the typical narration or long expository sequences -you get a funny semi-musical number that sets up your understanding of the principal character (Torrance) and immediately clues you into where you're picking up the story from. A very smart prologue.

The rest of the movie doesn't insult your intelligence either. On the plot level -while you may see where it's going- you're not entirely sure how it's going to get there. On the character level -the teenagers have largely teenage reactions to things. They even speak in believable (but movie-ized enough to be entertaining) teen speak. This is a nice change of pace after the ridiculously verbose but inherently dumb dialogue that you get in say, Dawson's Creek) On the moral of the story level- there's a lot going on as well. The movie, without ever falling into obvious preaching, deals with challenging subject matter like identity searching, appropriation versus theft, white guilt, economic inequality. And one thing I especially liked is that it's a sports movie that actually deals with the dangers of the competitive spirit, the temptations of the need to win. The film is, as it were, a good sport -with healthy notions about winning and losing.

And last but not least, there are the cheerleaders. Now, I won't pretend that these are three dimensional characterizations, but the actors do bring more than the neccessary nuance and joie de vivre to their roles. Everyone seems to be having a grand time of it. The supporting cast (particularly the East Compton Clovers) are well played. And the leads, well, there's a lot to cheer about. I've loved Eliza Dushku's va va voom Faith in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and I'm happy to say that she transfers quite nicely to the screen. Eliza not Faith, I mean. I especially was thrilled at the minor suggestions she gives about her character Missy's sexuality; it's not really stated but she's sapphically inclined if you notice such things. As Torrance comments so eloquently "Missy is the poo....so take a whiff!" It's also refreshing to see a film where the token gay male (one of the lead cheerleaders) is not the most unattractive person in the cast, or shown as pathetic or asexual. Les, the cheerleader in question, is a total hunk of burning love and even gets two chances to flirt with other hunky men in the film. What's this? A gay character that actually has a sex life and no one shys away from it or ridicules it? And then of course there's the team captain, uber perky Torrance -played to the hilt by Kirsten Dunst. Now, while I never jumped on the Dunst bandwagon in the mid 90s when people considered her "the poo" due to Interview With The Vampire I am now on board. 2000 is proving to be Dunst's coming out ball. Combine this with her astonishing life force as Lux Bisbon in The Virgin Suicides and you've got a major actress headed your way. Torrance in this film is closer to her character in Dick from late 99, but the three films combined show her to be a versatile actress with dramatic edge and a terrific comic spirit. She has an almost uncanny joy of performing--you can feel the thrill of acting in her work. I hope that doesn't go away as she perfects her craft.

So, I'm not even going to try and censor myself here. I'll risk the abuse that comes from loving a teen mainstream film and a cheerleading movie to boot. I just loved it. For pure entertainment value at the movies as the summer winds down -you just can't beat Bring It On.

-Nathaniel

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Related Article: Kirsten Dunst in 2001 * Virgin Suicides Review * Best of the Year 2000 * Underrated 2001 *