After a fall-off in popularity (and quality) throughout much of the 1990s, teen-skewing comedies were suddenly all the rage in Hollywood again at the turn of the millennium. The “Pygmalion”-inspired “She’s All That” kicked off the craze, which included such highs as “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Dick,” and more lows than I care to remember (e.g. “Boys and Girls,” “Whatever It Takes,” and “Down to You”). These films were quite clearly the offspring of John Hughes’ 1980s classics, but they could rarely come close to the mix of insouciance and sentimentality that made his films snap. They also weren’t very funny, which didn’t help.
The best film of this brief renaissance by far was Peyton Reed’s “Bring It On,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. Working from a spiky-sexy-hilarious screenplay by Jessica Bendinger, Reed’s movie kicks off with an exuberant opening cheer routine and never loses an ounce of zip on its way to a thrilling cheerleading competition between the Toros and the Clovers. Powered by a spot-on cast and an irreverent attitude that time and again wins over people who thought they’d never sit through a film in this subgenre (including Roger Ebert, who hailed “Bring It On” as “The ‘Citizen Kane of cheerleader movies”), there’s a reason why it’s become a modern, highly quotable teen classic.
Meanwhile, its robust $91 million worldwide box office (on a $11 million budget) is the reason why there are, to date, six sequels.
If you’re new to the “Bring It On” franchise, a seven-movie binge might feel like a daunting prospect. It needn’t be. Let me give you some pointers on how to approach the series.
