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Bring it On has its heart in the right place but its brain in the wrong one. It's the latest in a dubious line of autopilot PG-13 teen comedies, and this time the plane is in freefall towards a political net from which it has no hope of getting untangled. The film solicits credit for admitting that black people live in California, too, unlike the majority of its stripe. What begins as mere tokenism, however, booby traps the plot, turning two sets of characters into the underdogs. We're bound to feel guilty no matter the party we root for.
Originally titled Cheer Fever (ugh), Bring it On centres on Rancho Carne High School's cheerleading squad, which has just inherited a new captain in the form of peppy Torrance (Kirsten Dunst). With her effeminate boyfriend off at college and her own educational future a point of dread, Torrance puts everything she's got into garnering the white (minus an Asian here, a Latina there), privileged, and ever-victorious Toro cheerleaders another championship trophy. But Torrance takes a blow to the conscience when she learns that cribbed routines were responsible for past triumphs: RCH has often relied upon imitating East Compton's African-American Clover squad and then beating them to the punch at state tournaments.
Director Peyton Reed and screenwriter Jessica Bendinger know that you can't play the race card and then fold, so they affect that the struggling Clover girls are the heroes of the piece, even though their lack of humility, coupled with minimal screen time, casts them in an antagonistic light. As the story progresses, a desperate Torrance hires a choreographer, and the revelation that he himself is something of a rip-off artist puts Torrance back at square one. Her subsequent determination to overcome, rather than despair, this second setback makes mincemeat of our sympathies: though the Clovers are never shown working with equal tirelessness, they're poverty-stricken, gifted enough, and they didn't descend from a long line of cheaters.
A jazzy colour scheme and MTV-editing done right partially redeem what is already an infectiously energetic film. And the romantic subplot is well-observed until ham-handed obstacles kick in; I really warmed to a scene of Torrance and her boyfriend-to-be (Jesse Bradford) brushing their teeth together in competitive silence. (For what it's worth, Dunst is becoming quite the charismatic leading lady.) If only Bring it On's successful flourishes were in service of a sports flick (and it does pronounce the athleticism required of cheerleaders) more civil--and less Civil War.
Bring it On looks extra-glossy on Universal's DVD, in a "gimme an 'A'!" presentation that boasts dual Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 mixes, a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, and more supplemental material than you can shake your pom poms at. I have nothing disparaging to write about the image, while the two tracks are near reference. ("Near" because of ungraceful shifts in volume; what bass drive the song numbers have!) Sidewall efforts--much apparent in the DTS version--impress. In general, the Dolby Digital audio finishes second when compared to its DTS counterpart, because it sounds a bit more canned.
The first thing I noticed in the special features menu was a very obvious Easter egg icon. Don't waste your time on it; later, when I sampled the "never-before-seen" super8 footage of an always-appreciated chicks in bikinis washing cars number, I felt it should've belonged to the hidden link--something truly rewarding.
Additionally included: a take-it-or-leave-it "Spotlight on Location: The Making of Bring it On" promotional featurette; a montage of deleted scenes individually introduced by Reed; a separate helping of extended scenes (they push the PG-13 envelope about as far as it'll go before tearing); Blaque's video for "As If"; wardrobe and make-up tests for Dunst and co-star Eliza Dushku (grown up some since playing Schwarzenegger's daughter in True Lies); Bring it On's wan theatrical trailer, plus previews of Reality Bites, October Sky, and The Skulls; bios and production notes; a screensaver and a trivia quiz accessible via DVD-ROM; and last but not least, loose-lipped, full-length commentary from Reed that, in combination with an animated anecdotes option ("Did You Know That?"), reveal more than you ever thought you'd learn about Bring it On.-Bill Chambers
© Film Freak Central; filmfreakcentral.net. This review may not be reprinted, in whole or in part, without the express consent of its author. |
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DVD GRADES:
Image A+
Sound A
Extras B+ |
DVD VITALS:
Running Time
99 minutes
MPAA
PG-13
Aspect Ratio(s)
1.85:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English DD 5.1,
English DTS 5.1
French DD 5.1
CC
Yes
Subtitles
None
DVD-9
Region One
Universal
the critic
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Published: February, 2001
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