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 Rated: PG-13
Starring: Ashley Benson, Jennifer Tisdale, Michael Copon, and Cassie Scerbo
Director: Steve Rash
Synopsis: Southern California high school senior Carson arrives at the
all-important "Cheer Camp Nationals" determined to lead her squad, the
West High Sharks, to victory. But chic New Yorker Brooke and her team,
the East High Jets, are equally steadfast in their pursuit of the
competition's coveted "Spirit Stick". As tension mounts between the two
rival squads, Carson falls for fellow cheerleader Penn, not realizing
he's a Jet.
When Brooke discovers the budding romance, she raises the
stakes by challenging Carson to a one-on-one cheer-off. A spectacular
"cheer fighting" sequence erupts into a no-holds-barred brawl and
cheerleaders on both sides are suspended from the competition. With
their dreams of taking home the top prize all but shattered, the
leaders of both squads realize they'll have to take drastic measures to
stay in the game.
DVD Features:
- Deleted scenes
- Lights, Camera, Bring It!
- The Rumble with Tony G
- Cheer off! Learn how to cheer with Tony
Critique:
Bring It On: In It to Win It is a great flick for girls ages nine to eighteen. It is like so a chick flick. If you are a guy: Caution -- watching this film may cause you to break out in hives and die a horrible death. Your girlfriend will love it though...
This is the third in the "Bring It On" series of productions, the first starring Kirsten Dunst, who made it a great initial endeavor...the latest installment does not live up to the first release's standards however. The cast in this show come off very fake and wooden, the storyline is not so tight and the characters not so great.
In It To Win It feels more like watching a high school student's attempt at creating their own movie, but I think even they could bang out better characters than these with their number two pencils. Why is it so difficult for writers to write good characters these days for teen flicks? Must all teens be portrayed as mindless, sex-seeking, shallow asses? Clearly the writers need a lesson or two (or perhaps a little ample research) on their character subjects.
Aside from poorly written characters, and a mediocre plot, the theatrical moves of the cast was entertaining. This was enough to get me through, and that is thanks largely in part to the actors/dancers of the film that stepped up and gave off some great cheer-action.
If you are going to watch the movie, it certainly won't be for the story or the acting, but the cheer-offs, dance routines, and end competition is fun to watch. The extras on the disc provide even more insight to the workings of cheering, as well as a brief tutorial teaching you the viewer how to do cheers yourself.
FINAL ANALYSIS: This is a fun movie for younger girls who might even take away a lesson about showmanship from the blaze mix. It is doubtful they will notice the lackluster storyline or missing depths-of-character like I did because they will be too mesmerized by the stunts and flips—those are the movie's one saving grace.
This Reviewer's Rating:    2.5 / 5
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