The writer of Bring It On uses gymnastics instead of cheerleading as the theme, complete with a teen-rebel heroine, trash-talking competitors, photogenic routines, and an unpredictably ludicrous ending.
Cheesy title and all, I can’t
lie. I liked this wholesome little teen-gymnastics movie. I was meaning to
leave in the middle and watch the rest at a later showing, but I lost track of
time and ended up 25 minutes late. It starts off with the heroine (Missy
Peregrym) playing at being a badass with her skateboarding pals. After she
damages some property, a judge sends her to a Texas gymnastics facility in lieu
of juvie. This isn’t as outlandish as it seems, since it turns out she’d been
an Olympic contender before notoriously flaming out in a competition, making
her in the words of a fellow trainee, “Pariah Carey.” Yes, world-class gymnasts
are a catty bunch. As the cattiest one notes, “It’s not called gym-nice-tics.”
If those lines made you groan, you’ll be groaning a lot at Jessica Bendinger’s
script.
Bendinger makes her directorial debut after penning such fluff as First
Daughter and Aquamarine, as well as Bring It On. As with that
cheerleading comedy, Stick It takes its subject (the gymnastics)
relatively seriously while making the characters brash and semi-comical, with
lots of teen-speak and/or gym speak. The rebellious Peregrym tells her fellow
gymnasts to not do safe routines, but to “throw your best tricks.” If you’re
“gonna eat mat, eat mat hard.” The main adult character is the coach, played as
simultaneously laid-back and demanding by Jeff Bridges. Besides Bridges,
there’s some nice camera work to recommend the movie. Time-lapse filming helps
illustrate the rigorous training regimen. There’s little time for boys and
socializing. The girls’ idea of a wild night out is OD’ing on candy at the
nearest mall. I’m of two minds about the ending. It’s not predictable, but it’s
also ludicrous and requires all of the gymnasts to suddenly bond in a
previously absent display of girl-power platitudes.
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