1.5 out of 5 stars

Rating: 3/10 (19 January 2002)

It is doubtful that too many serious cheerleaders enjoyed this one. Revolving around a growing rivalry between an all-white cheerleading squad from a San Diego suburb and an all-black inner-city squad (apparently before desegregation and school busing programs were introduced?), this film makes cheerleaders, and their sport, look dumber than deserved. Dunst gives an energetic and hard-working performance as the head cheerleader for the all-white squad, and her battle with the ethics of cheerleading is about the only thing that rings true. The all-black squad (led by Gabrielle Union, who makes the most of a tough situation) is given a fraction of the screen time, reflecting the view in Hollywood that white people are simply more interesting and more deserving to be the focus of most major commercial films. Plays into every stereotype concerning gender, sexual preference, hair color, race, and athletics; this is not one to bring impressionable kids to.