Bring it On

2000

Director: Payton Reed

Writer: Jessica Bendinger

98 Minutes

Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) becomes the captain of the Rancho Carne High School Torros cheerleader squad only to discover the previous captain stole their cheers and Torrance has to rework their routine before the National Championships. 

It's of note that Kirsten Dunst and Gabreille Union were cheerleaders in high school. Eliza Dushku was not, which seems fitting. 

This monster hit brought in more than 90 million at the box office launching five sequels including Bring it On Again, All or Nothing, In It to Win It, Fight to the Finish, and Worldwide Cheersmack with an upcoming Bring it On: Cheer or Die releasing in 2022. The unrepresented genre of cheerleading films came hard with this franchise and opened the world up to cheerleading as a sport past the football fields and basketball courts. 

But at the heart of the first film, Torrance loves Cliff (Jesse Bradford), but doesn't know it yet. She has a shitty college boyfriend who is away at school and doesn't believe in her talents, which opens Torrance up to a forbidden love affair with her friend's brother. When she sleeps over at Missy's house, the scene above plays out. 

It's simple. It's subtle. Two people brushing their teeth. No words. A few smiles. They both glance. They spit. They keep brushing. They smile. They share a moment. 

This was the very last scene to be filmed, either because it was the last scene to filmed or they needed another moment between Torrance and Cliff. Sure, Torrance witnesses Cliff's rock & roll antics in his room and his playful banter alludes to his affection of her, but the scene above speaks to their connection. 

And that's what we want in cinema, right? We want to see characters connect, even if they're not supposed too. Here it's done brilliantly with no dialog, no special effects, no fuss. It's just two people brushing their teeth, except it's so much more. 

They really brought it. 

It's moments like this that makes Bring it On still hold up. Like most great films, it's not about the subject at hand, but the connection between two people. Yes, we love the routines at the end of the film, we love the respect between captains, and we love that Torrance breaks the curse. But in the end, it's all about two people brushing their teeth. 

Weirdly, we never find out what Big Red's real name. Probably because it's not a democracy, it's a cheerocracy. 

Spirit Fingers!