Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: New cheerleader captain discovers that their routine is stolen from an inner city cheer squad, meaning trouble looming at cheerleading competition.
Biased, pithy comments: Oh, this was a hard decision. I genuinely enjoyed watching this film, but it was despite a laundry list of flaws. Although I'm sure I'll read elsewhere that Dunst was the best part of this film, I actually found her (or at least her character) very uneven---one minute she was part of a teen satire like ``Clueless'' and the next minute she was in an airy teen romance/comedy like ``She's All That.'' There is also a lot of really good material in this low-budget teen film (well, low-budget for Hollywood). However, the good stuff is undercut by the rapid changes of tone and sincerity (is it a comedy? Is is a musical? Is it a serious drama? Is it ``Clueless?''), some really clunky dialog now and again, and how little it eventually accomplishes (What did we learn, exactly? Why was this tale told?). Having said all that, I still laughed out loud (especially at ``Sparky''), the music is generally good, the colors and costumes neat, Eliza Dushku can tie me up and down and I'd love it, and the opening and closing sequences are great. Your mileage may vary.
Other Notes: DVD really helped me like this film---tons of fun extras (which, when combined with the movie, really made it a GOOD, but not everyone is going to explore the entire DVD), and mostly interesting commentary from a dryly funny director.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union, Clare Kramer.
Directed by: Peyton Reed