The Bring It On Series

Bring It On (January 3/17)

Surprisingly pleasant from start to finish, Bring It On follows Kirsten Dunst's Torrance Shipman as she's made captain of her award-winning cheerleader squad - with problems ensuing as she discovers that her predecessor (Lindsay Sloane's Big Red) stole her routines from an inner-city school. Scripter Jessica Bendinger has peppered Bring It On with a whole host of agreeable elements that cumulatively enhance the pervasively entertaining atmosphere, with the (admittedly predictable) central storyline augmented by charismatic performances and a handful of engaging subplots. (There is, in terms of the latter, an exceedingly charming romantic storyline involving Dunst's character and Jesse Bradford's Cliff Pantone.) The movie's success is due in no small part to Peyton Reed's confident handling of the material, and though there are perhaps a few too many montages in the movie's midsection, Bring It On boasts an escalating sense of momentum that paves the way for a surprisingly engrossing final stretch (albeit one that offers little in the way of surprises). Dunst's incredibly accomplished and impressively layered turn as the three-dimensional central character is the icing atop a better-than-expected cake, and it's ultimately not difficult to see why the movie has endured in the years since its 2000 release.

out of

Bring It On Again

Bring It On: All or Nothing

Bring It On: In It to Win It

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack