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Bring It On (film)

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Bring It On
Theatrical release poster
CinematographyShawn Maurer Bruce Deck
Edited byLarry Bock McKee Smith
Music byChristophe Beck
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Studios
Release date
  • August 25, 2000 (2000-08-25)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million
Box office$90,449,929[1]

Bring It On (known as: Cheers! in Japan) is a 2000 American comedy 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 (Kirsten Dunst) is starting her senior year of high school at Rancho Carne 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" (Lindsay Sloane), is graduating and Torrance is elected to take her place. Shortly after her election, however, a team member, Carver (Bianca Kajlich), is injured and can no longer compete. Torrance replaces her with Missy Pantone (Eliza Dushku), a talented gymnast who recently transferred to the school with her brother, Cliff (Jesse Bradford). 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. Missy drives Torrance to 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 (Gabrielle Union), 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, at their next home game, four members of the Clovers team – Isis and teammates Lava (Shamari Fears), Jenelope (Natina Reed) and LaFred (Brandi Williams) – show up and humiliate them in front of the whole school by performing their own routine. The Toros realize they have no choice but to learn a different routine and in desperation they employ a professional choreographer named Sparky Polastri, suggested by Torrance's boyfriend Aaron. However, once at Regionals they are disgraced when the team before them performs the same exact routine. After the debacle, Torrance speaks to a competition official and is told their routine was given to several other teams in California. As the defending champions, the Toros are nevertheless granted their place at Finals, but Torrance is warned that a brand new routine will be expected.

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, Aaron (Richard Hillman), 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 non-supportive and unfaithful, but Cliff does not forgive her.

In finals, her team gets 2nd place, while the Clovers win. However, Torrance feels no resentment, and she and Isis become friends. The movie ends with a kiss between Cliff and Torrance. The end credits show the cast singing and dancing to "Mickey".

Cast

Production

The movie included a short glimpse of actual national champions Bishop Blanchet High School Saints (from Seattle) in the scenes at the regional competition and at the nationals.

Locations

The movie was filmed at locations around San Diego County, California.[2] 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. The Cheer Camp was shot at UCSD's Sierra Summit cafeteria.[citation needed]

Reception

The film earned $17,362,105 in 2,380 theaters in its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the North American box office. Although it had an 18% decline in gross earnings the week after, it earned enough to stay at the top position for another week. 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 #30 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[3]

The 2009 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.

Cultural impact

Sequels

Bring It On has so far spawned a total of four direct-to-video sequels:

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. All four of the sequels share the element of the movie starting with the main character having a cheer themed dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.

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 entertainers 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 In It to Win It) during One Tree Hill's second season. The R&B/Pop trio Blaque have a recurring role in "Bring It On." Noteworthy R&B singer and film actress Christina Milian also appears as the main character in Fight to the Finish.

Outside of the United States, American-style cheerleading is sometimes referred to as Bring It On-style cheerleading.[4]

Stage musical

A stage version of the film premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia on January 16, 2011. The musical has music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt, lyrics by Amanda Green, and a book by Jeff Whitty.[5][6][7] The director and choreographer is Andy Blankenbuehler, with a cast that includes Amanda LaVergne as Campbell, Adrienne Warren as Danielle and Nick Blaemire as Randall and "award-winning competitive cheerleaders from across the country".[5]

References

  1. ^ "Bring It On (2000) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  2. ^ "Bring It On Filming Locations"
  3. ^ "50 Best High School Movies".
  4. ^ Bring it On, Beijing Style, Lam Thuy Vo, China Real Time Report, The Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Jones, Kenneth; Hetrick, Adam. Something to Cheer About: Bring It On: The Musical Begins Atlanta Run Jan. 16 After Ice Delay" playbill.com, January 16, 2011
  6. ^ Rohter, Larry (October 27, 2010). "Lin-Manuel Miranda to Close Out Broadway Run of 'In the Heights'- ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  7. ^ Listing alliancetheatre.org, accessed November 10, 2010
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