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YOU
GO GIRLS...
Written
by Thomas
Chau
Cast::
Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union, Eliza
Dushku, Nathan West
 Premise:
In a contest to win the national cheerleading championships
for the sixth year in a row, Torrance Shipman (Kirsten
Dunst), team captain of the San Diego Toros at Rancho
Carne High School, must show her team how to beat out
their rival squad, the Clovers. Clovers' captain Isis
(Gabrielle Union) is struggling to raise enough money
to make it to the competition, while Torrance is facing
up to the fact that her team's cheers are not original.
A comic face-off between die-hard cheerleaders, BRING
IT ON has teen spunk, team spirit, and lots of girl
power.
Overall
Rating:
(out of 4)
Rated PG-13
for
sex-related material and language.
We've
learned this year that "Boys and Girls" will
do "Whatever it Takes" to get "Down to
You" and not become a "Loser", leaving
most of us in a zombie-like mode, left only with memories
of how dull it is to be a teenager. Fortunately, "Bring
it On" delivers the umph, awe, and zing needed
after the string of hopeless teen flicks attempting
to woo the Gen-X audience.
Often
funny and full of energy, Peyton Reed's directorial
debut is a refreshing treat after a summer of insufferable
and uptight disasters at the cineplex. Think of the
movie as "The Beatles" record you play when
you get home after a long and hard day's work at the
office. It's soothes, refreshes, and paradoxically,
permeates the soul with the desire to sing and dance
your heart out. As the song closes and the tune echoes
through your head, you're left with the satisfaction
of feeling young again.
Kirsten
Dunst plays Torrance Shipman, a new senior faced with
the irksome task of leading the cheerleading squad for
the Toro's. A five-time national cheerleading team,
Shipman is shocked to discover that their routines have
been stolen from an inner-city school, nicknamed the
Clovers. The captain of the Clovers, Isis, looks to
even the score by defeating the Toro's at the national
competition in Florida. It becomes Shipman's duty to
lead the team and simply bring the best out of her snooty
squad.
The
roles of the cliquish cheerleaders were perfectly cast;
Kirsten Dunst nailed her part in all levels: She was
cute, had great moves, and showed great talent playing
a 17 year old faced with the pressure of leading a new
team. Eliza Dushku gets a two-thumbs up for being the
seemingly bitchy, but sensitive biker chick. The rest
of the cheerleading girls showed much wit, and thus,
helps the movie become one of the funniest high school
films in recent years.
On
the surface, "Bring it On" looks like a cult
gathering for Britney Spears fans. But to my own suprise,
the film is much more than that. "Bring it On"
plays like most other sports films yet it's satirical
look at the cheerleading world puts them at the top
of the pyramid. Deemed one of the most creative teen
films since 1995's "Clueless", the movie is
a catharsis for those of us looking for a little fun
at the movies without any gross pie or sex jokes. It's
the only movie this summer in which I left the screening
with a great sense of satisfaction and an extra jump
in my heart.
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(C)
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