Bring It On: All or Nothing - PG-13
Common Sense Note
Parents should know that girls are mean to each other and back-stab each other. Britney's boyfriend pressures her to have sex with him, and when she says she's still not ready, calls her a tease. Winnie sleeps with Britney's boyfriend because she's jealous, and Britney has a hard time adjusting to a new school. There's some profanity and rude finger gestures. There's some race-baiting (Winnie calls the Crenshaw Heights squad "ghetto" -- but by then she's well-established as the Mean Girl of the movie). The characters learn to be honest and trust those who are trustworthy, although this lesson may be overshadowed by the bad behavior leading up to this point.
Families can talk about following your passion. Should Britney have made that promise not to cheer again even though it's something she loves? What do you think motivated Winnie to backstab Britney and sleep with Britney's boyfriend? When you feel insecure and want others to like you, what do you do? How can you deal with those feelings?
They can also talk about teen movies in general. What do teens find amusing/degrading about the characters portrayed here? Do they feel represented? What stereotypes are prevalent in the film?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Heather Boerner
BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING wants to be so many different movies and TV shows: Clueless, Legally Blonde, the original Bring It On, Laguna Beach, The OC and Mean Girls all in one.
Does it accomplish this? Not so much. But it does manage to create an entertaining, if raunchy, movie that mines the teen zeitgeist for new pop cultural references (IM language, for instance). Teens will probably want to rent it, although parents may roll their eyes at the clichéd premise.
Britney (Hayden Panettiere) is a senior and the cheer team captain at Pacific Vista High School. And she is, as her mother puts it, "smart, pretty, and blond." When her father's company relocates to the decidedly un-OC Crenshaw Heights, Britney's family moves with it. That means a new school and no more cheering -- Britney even promises never to cheer again.
But she can't help herself -- she has to cheer. Without it, she fears she has no identity and will have no friends at the school where everyone calls her "Barbie." When she joins the new squad and meets a new boy, how will her old friends react? And can the Crenshaw Heights Warriors beat Britney's old squad in a contest to be in pop singer Rihanna's new video?
The plot is staid, and the action predictable. Like Save the Last Dance, the white girl appropriates hip-hop moves to become part of the group and to express her creativity. Like Legally Blond, Britney proves herself to be smarter than she at first seems. Like Mean Girls, she has to deal with a Queen Bee who's desperate to be on top.
Just because it's unoriginal doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable, however. The music is fun, and the actors are lively and well cast. Despite its cheesiness, teens may like it, although there are many better movies about teen life out there.
However, the level of product placement is another story: Frito's, Teen People, Pepsi, and Cingular are all prominently displayed. And like All You've Got, All or Nothing hooks in with a pop singer to sell that artist's work. It's a good opportunity to educate teens about the realities of advertising in their favorite programs.
If your teen likes this movie, she'll like the original Bring It On even more. Also consider screening Cheerleader Nation for a true look of what cheerleading is like.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentBritney's boyfriend pressures her for sex and has sex with another cheerleader; Winnie does stripper moves to attract a boy. In a dream sequence, Britney grabs her own breasts while cheering about her chest being real. |
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LanguageLiberal use of the words "whore" and "slut" to describe other girls, and lots of flipping the finger. |
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Social BehaviorGirls are mean to each other and are poor role models; Britney learns who her real friends are and to be honest. |
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CommercialismBlatant product placement. |
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