Bring It On

Smart, sassy movie, but expect raunchy humor, language.

This earnest and arch story -- so fast paced its formulas are wonderfully obscured -- has an adolescent energy and a tempered sexuality, and it's infused with the moral agenda of a warmly didactic sitcom.

Lightweight, but unexpectedly feelgood.

A moderately entertaining, mostly inoffensive piece of filmmaking.

Bring It On spins off one sly little joke after another, and the smart ensemble makes every one of them work.

Who would have thought that a film about competing cheerleading squads would turn out to be the one very pleasant surprise in this very dismal summer season of moviegoing?

Amid all its convincing choreography and tossing bodies 20 feet into the air, Bring It On rides the line between satire and teenage dramedy. That’s a disastrous liminal space if handled carelessly.

With its rapid-fire jokes, knowing sense of the absurd and impressive dance routines, this tonally perfect romp will have you cheering - and chuckling - from start to finish.

Much like “Mean Girls,” Peyton Reed sneaks in very subversive themes in to what is a well written and fun sports comedy.

Under the film's spry surface and Kirsten Dunst's sunny smile, there's a brutal critique of the sports meritocracy (and, more broadly, meritocracy as a supposed system that justly rewards hard workers).