Bring It On is a 2000 film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union. It was directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jessica Bendinger.
The film was followed by four direct-to-video sequels (none of which contain any of the original cast members), 2004's Bring It On Again (which only shared producers with the original), 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing, 2007's Bring It On: In It to Win It and 2009's Bring It On: Fight to the Finish.
Plot
At the beginning of the film, Torrance Shipman is starting her senior year of high school. Her boyfriend Aaron has left for college, and her cheerleading squad "The Toros" are aiming for their sixth consecutive national championship title. The team captain, "Big Red", is graduating and Torrance is elected to take her place. Shortly after her election, however, a team member is injured and can no longer compete. Torrance replaces her with Missy Pantone, a reluctant but talented gymnast who recently transferred to the school with her brother, Cliff Pantone. Torrance and Cliff quickly develop a flirtatious friendship, although Cliff is unaware that Torrance has a boyfriend.
While watching the Toros practice, Missy recognizes the routines and realizes the Toros have copied them from a rival team of her previous high school. When she accuses Torrance of using stolen routines, Torrance is disbelieving. Missy drives Torrance to the impoverished East Compton area of Los Angeles, where they watch the predominantly African-American East Compton Clovers cheerleading team perform identical routines to the Toros'. Isis, the Clovers' team captain, notices the two Toros and angrily confronts them. Torrance learns that "Big Red" regularly attended the Clovers' practices and videotaped their routines. Isis informs Torrance of her plans to defeat the Toros at the regional and national championships, which the Clovers have never attended due to their economic hardship.
When Torrance tells the Toros their routines are stolen, the team votes in favor of using the copied routines to win the regional championship. Torrance agrees reluctantly, knowing that rushing to create an original routine could sacrifice their victory. However, when the Clovers show up at a Toros home game and humiliate them, the Toros realize they have no choice but to learn a different routine. In desperation they employ a professional choreographer, but are disgraced at the regional championships when several other teams compete with the same packaged routine. Competition officials warn the Toros to present an original routine at the national competition.
Torrance is crushed by her failure to lead the team successfully, and considers giving up cheerleading. Cliff encourages and supports Torrance, intensifying their growing attraction. Torrance's boyfriend, however, suggests that she isn't "leadership material" and recommends that she step down from her position. When Cliff sees Torrance and Aaron together, he is hurt and angry, and severs his friendship with Torrance. Although distressed, Torrance's confidence is renewed by Cliff's encouragement, and she convinces her unhappy team to create an innovative new routine instead. She breaks up with Aaron, realizing he is both unsupportive and unfaithful, but Cliff does not forgive her.
At the national championship, which the Clovers are able to attend due to a generous talk show host, Torrance and Isis gain respect for each other and realize they share the common burden of struggling to lead their teams. When the Clovers place first (and the Toros second), both teams are genuinely proud. Cliff, having been given a stern lecture from Missy, reunites with Torrance and they kiss.
Cast
Production
The movie included a short glimpse of actual national champions Bishop Dwenger High School Saints (from Indiana) in the scenes at the regional competition and at the nationals.
Locations
The movie was filmed at locations around San Diego.[citation needed] The field shots were filmed at Torrey Pines High School, in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego. The East Compton High School gym scenes were filmed at Kearny High School and the Rancho Carne High School gym scenes were filmed at Academy of Our Lady of Peace. The locker room and scoreboard scenes were shot at Mt. Carmel High School. The exterior shots of Rancho Carne High School were mainly filmed at San Diego State University. The stands and field at the Toros game was shot at Eastlake High School. The NCA's were shot in Oceanside, California next to the pier.[citation needed]
Reception
The film earned $17,362,105 in 2,380 theaters in its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $68,379,000 in the United States and Canada and an additional $22,070,929 in other countries for a total gross of $90,449,929.
This movie ranked number 30 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[1]
The film Fired Up features a scene where the kids at the cheerleading camp watch a screening of Bring It On and speak the dialogue verbatim as it's being said on screen, a humorous allusion to the movie's "cult status" among cheerleaders.
Sequels
Bring It On has so far spawned a total of four direct-to-video sequels: Bring It On Again in 2004, Bring It On: All or Nothing in 2006, Bring It On: In It to Win It in 2007 and Bring It On: Fight to the Finish in 2009.
The only sequel to feature any of the original cast or crew from Bring It On was 2004's Bring It On Again, which shared the film's same producers. These producers did not return for the subsequent sequels, and none of the films share recurring cast members. Original star Eliza Dushku has even been quoted in interviews as never even having been invited to participate in the sequels. Steve Rash also directed two of the sequels. Otherwise, none of the films in the Bring It On franchise share any personnel whatsoever.
The four films that follow Bring It On share only tenuous links with one another. The plot of each film pretty typically follows that of the one originally laid out in the first film of competing cheerleading teams who have to change routines or other elements they had grown accustomed to in order to win. Bring It On Again and Bring It On: All or Nothing also stylistically referenced the original film in that all three featured outtakes and the cast having fun singing and dancing during the end credit sequence. Bring It On: All or Nothing also referenced the original film by opening with the main character's musical dream sequence.
Though popular with critics, including Roger Ebert who called it the Citizen Kane of cheerleading movies, it was not at the time considered a serious film by critics or audiences. Several of cast members from the Bring It On film franchise have gone on to greater fame or notoriety. Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Bradford, Clare Kramer, Lindsay Sloane and several others from the original film were already notable film and television actors or have grown into such roles since their participation in the original film. Bethany Joy Galeotti and Hayden Panettiere, who appeared in Bring It On Again and Bring It On: All or Nothing, also went on to find sizable television audiences due to their roles on the television program's One Tree Hill and Heroes, respectively. Galeotti also appeared with Michael Copon (who co-starred in Bring It On: In It to Win It) during One Tree Hill's second season. Noteworthy R&B singer and film actress Christina Milian also appears as the main character in Bring It On: Fight to the Finish.
References
External links
