Some of the routines are familiar, but it keeps a high energy

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2001)

"Bring it On" inevitably suffers from some of those dreaded cliches in the teen movie genre. The cheerleaders, with the exception of Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku and the male cheerleaders, are ditsy to the highest power. There's a locker room conversation in the opening where the girls belt out pretentious, "Clueless"-inspired dialogue like "She puts the 'whore' in horrible." Now the teens are speaking in metaphors. What will they conjure up next? And we have some lame, predictable subplots like Torrance's (Kirsten Dunst) boyfriend going away to college. Let me see...he's away at college, she has no surveillance over him. Meanwhile, there's a new guy in school and he sorta has his eye on Torrance, though their flirting is mostly non-verbal.
But what can I say? The film keeps a high energy, and often scores high in the entertainment department. Kirsten Dunst is one the most beautiful young actresses in Hollywood today, and it's a pleasure watching her flash that beautiful smile on screen. She has perfect charisma for the lead role. The comedy is hit-and-miss. Watching a teen comedy of this kind, you can't expect to find priceless, Mel Brooks-calliber material.
The cheerleading sequences are lively and well-choreographed. The opening dream sequence is very entertaining and I can honestly say I love cheering along to them whenever I watch that scene. "I'm sexy! I'm hot! I'm everything you're not!"
"Bring it On" is not a great motion picture, but it keeps your interests piqued and even rises slightly above guilty pleasure status. There are points that are ultimately cheesy, yet it's hard to get bored. It keeps an upbeat tone, and I can accept it for what it is.
Oh, yeah and before I forget...that effiminate dance teacher Sparky Greenwall--HILARIOUS!!! The highlight of the film!
My score: 7 (out of 10)