Bring It On

Bring It On (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
$14.98
I can picture "Bring It On" director Peyton Reed in high school. He was on the Audio Visual Squad, and when they were showing a film in class he would wheel in the 16mm projector. The cheerleaders would look right through him, like he didn't even exist. They only went out with the jocks on the football, basketball, or baseball teams. Someday, he told himself, I will be a film director, and then they will notice me. He began his familiar day dream that went something like this:

He was transferred from another school to one with horrible teams, but really hot cheerleaders. He was an outsider, a loner, who spent his time honing his electric guitar skills, and he could really rock out. His sister, also an outsider, spent her time honing her gymnastic skills. This school didn't even have a gymnastic program, so she had to join the cheerleading squad. Though he and his sister both shared a cynical attitude about cheerleading, she made friends with the head cheerleader and they had sleep overs. The head cheerleader's boyfriend was also a cheerleader, but he is now away at college. Maybe he was a little light in the loafers. Anyway, he is out of the picture. Since nature abhors a vacuum...

[At this point the film gets stuck and the hot projector lamp begins to melt the frame. Still caught up in his daydream, young Peyton can only stare at the melting film. A blonde cheerleader looks at him and thinks: "What a dork."]

When I saw Peyton Reed in the bonus material, I was struck by his resemblence to Jesse Bradford, who played Cliff in "Bring It On." Of course Bradford was better looking than Peyton Reed ever was, even in his prime, but he was what Peyton Reed might have looked like in his own fantasy. Cliff was clearly a wish fulfillment projection of the director's. The fact that the vintage rock band t-shirts that Cliff wore were all taken directly from the wardrobe of Peyton Reed is only further evidence. The whole "Bring It On" project is a ploy for Peyton to live out his cheerleader fixation through Cliff.

The Cheerleader Fantasy scenario is very potent. Just ask Charlie Sheen. It explains the bikini car wash scene where they are raising money to hire a choreographer, too. That was all a part of the day dream that Peyton Reed would slip into whenever he got the chance, the dream he has been chasing since high school...

But I don't begrudge him his dream. Most writers, musicians, or film makers are motivated by such delusions. Even athletes, I dare say, get into the game for similar reasons. The question is, how was Peyton Reed able to channel those fantasies into a successful film?

Here is how:

The characters of Cliff (Jesse Bradford) and Missy Pantone (Eliza Dushku) give us a hip and cynical point-of-view from which to observe the cheerleaders. We are all too cool to care about a bunch of cheerleaders, but secretly wish we could date them or be one. Cliff and Missy allow us to do that while still maintaining our distance. We can mock the cheer leaders, as Cliff and Missy do, but through Cliff we can date the head cheerleader, and through Missy, be a part of their clique.

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Whitney: [talking about Missy to Courtney] Excuse me, where did you park your Harley?
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Though Courtney and Whitney try to discourage Missy from joining the squad, Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst), the head cheerleader, is the only one whose opinion matters. Missy and Shipman bond, to the point of having sleep overs. Kirsten Dunst does a great job of making you care about her character. Though she is kind of obsessed with cheerleading, you still feel like she is not a bad person. She has compassion for others and tries to do the right thing. We are still cheering for the rich White cheerleaders, The Toros, even when it is revealed that Big Red, the former head cheerleader, had stolen their routines from an inner city squad from East Compton, the Clovers.

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[Torrance is stressed after knowing they had stolen Clovers' routine]
Torrance Shipman: Do you know what this means? My entire cheerleading career has been a lie.
Missy: Well, look on the bright side - It's only cheerleading!
Torrance Shipman: I *am* only cheerleading.
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Gabrielle Union plays Isis, the head Clover, and three of the cheerleaders are in the group Blaque, who also perform on the soundtrack. The rap and hip hop elements really invigorate the Cheer genre. Even though The Toros, the mostly White cheerleading squad, stole their routines from The Clovers, "Bring It On" is slanted to favor The Toros. There are some barbs directed at the friends of Dorothy as well. But wait a minute, give "Bring It On" a chance to "Do The Right Thing." Before you judge its political correctness, watch until the end. You might be surprised.

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Whitney: Oh, don't play dumb. We're better at it then you.
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The New Twenty (2009) Nicole Bilderback was Julie Kim
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Kirsten Dunst was Mary
Deliver Us From Eva (Widescreen Edition) (2003) Gabrielle Union was Evangeline 'Eva' Dandrige
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Eliza Dushku was Sissy
Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000) Jesse Bradford was Jorge
She's All That (1999) Gabrielle Union was Katie
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Gabrielle Union was Chastity
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) Nicole Bilderback was Ready to Have Sex Girl
Race the Sun (1996) Eliza Dushku was Cindy Johnson
Clueless (1995) Nicole Bilderback was Summer


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Theatre Boy: [performing] Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to Harold Square...
Courtney: Excuse me! What's... with... the song?
Theatre Boy: Isn't this the audition for... Pippin?
Courtney: [waves finger] No.
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Bring It On/Bring It On Again: 2 Movie Cheer Pack
$19.98
Ordered "used" double pack 2-movie DVD set at about 1/2 off Thurs Mar 19 - Recd Wed 3/25. Movies fun and very enjoyable & great to revisit these 2 stories & watch the actresses who did such a fine job --esp Kirsten Dunst in her earlier days. The DVDs and covers were in excellent (even "new"-type) conditon --and they were well-packed! GoHastings is greatly improving service considering a couple not-so-hot past experiences we had.

Bring It On Cheerbook Collection
$44.98
Bought this for my girlfriend and everything was great but there were no stickers (they were advertised on the box). BOO!

Bring It On: All-Star Collection
$39.98
The intense rivalries, high-flying competitions, crush-worthy guys, and sizzling music are all here in this must-own All-Star Pack. Some of Hollywood¡Çs hottest stars ? including Christina Milian, Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Eliza Dushku, Hayden Panettiere, and Solange Knowles-Smith ? show they¡Çve got all the right moves in their spirited quests for victory. This is the must-have collection that¡Çs sure to have you cheering for more, more, more!