All seven of the first Bring It On movie, which was helmed by Ant-Man's Peyton Reed. The film follows high school cheer captain Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) as she scrambles to come up with an original routine for her team the Toros to perform at a national competition after discovering her predecessor plagiarized choreography from rival squad, the East Compton Clovers, led by Gabrielle Union’s Isis.
Although Bring It On was initially dismissed as just another teen comedy, it’s become a cult classic in the years since, thanks to its exploration of race, class, and cultural appropriation through the lens of the wealthy, suburban, and predominantly white Toros, and the low-income, inner-city and predominantly Black East Compton Clovers. The movie also spawned a stage musical (aptly titled Bring It On: The Musical) whose score was co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a total of five direct-to-video sequels and a made-for-TV horror-themed movie to date. The Bring It On movies aren’t connected to each other beyond their basic theme and each features different characters, cast , and settings.
10 Ways That Bring It On Still Holds Up Today
The 2000 cheerleading movie Bring It On was charming and fun when it was released, and the movie has aged well in many ways.
Bring It On (2000)
The Best Bring It On Movie
Bring It On
- Release Date
- August 25, 2000
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
- Director
- Peyton Reed
Cast
Kirsten Dunst
WHERE TO WATCH
As the newly elected captain of her high school's award-winning cheerleading squad, Torrence Shipman aims to take her team to the top of the national championships — despite the challenges of a rival squad, choreography calamities, catty fellow cheerleaders, and romantic entanglements.
- Writers
- Jessica Bendinger
The only downside to the story is that Isis and her East Compton Clovers do not get to be a larger part of the story as a whole.
The original Bring It On movie is easily the best of the bunch and features a stellar cast. With Kirsten Dunst in the lead as Torrance, a group of cheerleaders discover that all of the cheers they know were actually stolen by their former captain. The reveal is thanks to new girl Missy (Eliza Dushku) whose old school actually played against the very school whose cheers were stolen.
Torrance and her squad set out to prove that they can craft their own routines and are worthy of their status as champions. Meanwhile the team whose routines were stolen tries to find their own way to a national championship competition, led by Gabrielle Union as Isis. Their team, which is predominantly Black and comes from a low-income high school, does not have the same opportunities the predominantly white and wealthy team led by Torrance does.
East Compton Clovers team include Shamari DeVoe, Natina Reed, and Brandi Williams from the musical group Blaque. They also perform on the movie's soundtrack.
The cheer routines are fantastic, the cast has amazing chemistry, there is a rom-com element to the story, and both teams get a satisfying ending. The only downside to the story is that Isis and her East Compton Clovers do not get to be a larger part of the story as a whole. The success of Bring It On is what paved the way for the franchise to continue, however, as it became clear that there was a market for movies about cheerleading.
Bring It On Again (2004)
The First Sequel Falls Short Of The Original
The first sequel is backed by the same producers as the original movie, but it is the only Bring It On sequel to have the same team. While it is clearly set a few years later in the world of competitive cheerleading, this time around, it’s collegiate cheerleading instead of high school cheerleading, and none of the original cast reprise their roles or make cameos. The only connection between the two movies is the name and the subject of cheer.
Here, Whittier (Anne Judson-Yager) and her best friend from cheer camp Monica (Faune A. Chambers) head to college with the intention of getting on the varsity squad. While they have the skills to do it, they find that the varsity squad is incredibly demanding and includes plenty of backstabbing and betrayal. Eventually, they leave the team to start their own, more inclusive team to fight for the championship themselves.
What is great about this movie is that it allows the audience to see cheerleading as a true competitive sport that is lauded. The new team is made up of misfits and talented individuals from other organizations, like the drama or dance departments, who have seen their own funding cut in favor of cheerleading. Seeing the different types of people come together to pull off a cheerleading routine is fun, but also unrealistic, as most collegiate-level cheerleaders have been in some form of competitive dance or cheerleading their entire lives.
Bring It On: All Or Nothing (2006)
All Or Nothing Has One Of The Best Casts
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Bring It On: All or Nothing
- Release Date
- August 8, 2006
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
- Director
- Steve Rash
Cast
Hayden PanettiereBritney-
SolangeCamille
-
Jake McDormanBrad Warner
Kiersten WarrenPam Allen
WHERE TO WATCH
Bring It On: All or Nothing is a 2006 film that follows a transfer student navigating her new high school's cheerleading scene. She encounters rivalry with the head cheerleader and faces her previous school in a high-stakes cheer-off competition.
- Writers
- Alyson Fouse
- Main Genre
- Comedy
While not every cast member can convincingly pull off crumping, it’s still a great way to demonstrate that a cheerleading squad can put their own personality into their routines...
Bring It On: All Or Nothing takes the movie franchise back to high school, and again, features no links to the previous films outside of cheerleading. This movie creates a new stake in the competition as the winning cheerleading team gets to appear in a music video for Rihanna. It also creates a new conflict as the cheer captain from a higher socioeconomic class finds herself in a working-class public school when her father loses his job. No longer the captain and completely out of her element, she still wants to cheer.
Hayden Panettiere stars as the fish-out-of-water cheerleader. Solange Knowles-Smith is the cheerleading captain she has to impress with her skills. The two are like oil and water, and they make for a really fun dynamic to watch unfold. In the ing cast of cheerleaders are Francia Raisa and Giovannie Samuels, who offer both great dance moves and impeccable comedic timing.
Bring It On: All Or Nothing also adds a new style to the cheer routines: crumping. While not every cast member can convincingly pull off crumping, it’s still a great way to demonstrate that a cheerleading squad can put their own personality into their routines rather than simply stick to old-school (and often robotic) dance moves.
15 Best Bring It On Quotes
The best Bring It On quotes are still absolutely awesome today and will make fans of the movie want to cheer.
Bring It On: In It To Win It (2007)
The West Side Story Cheerleading Story
Part of what makes this entry in the franchise stand out is that it was filmed on location at Universal Orlando’s resort.
Bring It On: In It To Win It takes the slightly satirical bent of the Bring It On movies and brings West Side Story into the mix. The two competing cheerleading teams are the Sharks and the Jets, and they have a long-standing rivalry that means the captain on one squad does not initially feel like she can date a member of the other. The two groups even have a “cheer rumble” in homage to the dance-fights of the classic musical.
Part of what makes this entry in the franchise stand out is that it was filmed on location at Universal Orlando’s resort. The characters jog past the roller coasters of the theme parks, dance in front of Hard Rock Cafe, and have their cheerleading competition on site. The now-removed Dueling Dragons (later Dragon Challenge) roller coaster even provides inspiration for part of the cheerleading routine after the Sharks and Jets are forced to combine their squads to continue competing.
The only link between movies is the spirit stick used. The same spirit stick shown at cheer camp in the first movie is used at cheer camp in Bring It On: In It To Win It.
The handful of critics who reviewed the movie might not have loved it, but it’s actually a great example of what the direct-to-video sequels could be. The movie tells a familiar story through cheerleading with characters that initially embody stereotypes before becoming more fully fleshed out, and it features some fun and intricate routines. It might not live up to the cult status of the original movie, but Ashley Benson and Cassie Scerbo do their best to get there.
Bring It On: Fight To The Finish (2009)
All Or Nothing In Reverse
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Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
- Release Date
- July 30, 2009
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Director
- Bille Woodruff
Cast
Christina MilianLina-
Cody LongoEvan
Rachele Brooke SmithAvery
Holland RodenSky
WHERE TO WATCH
Bring It On: Fight to the Finish is a 2009 film following Lina Cruz, a talented cheerleader who relocates from East Los Angeles to an upscale Malibu prep school. Facing challenges with her affluent peers, Lina leads the junior varsity Sea Lions in a quest for cheerleading glory.
- Writers
- Alyson Fouse
For those franchise fans who enjoyed Bring It On: All Or Nothing, Bring It On: Fight To The Finish features the same premise but in reverse. One thing the movies have done well is present that clash of backgrounds between its central characters, and it does the same here.
Christina Milian stars as a high school student who moves from a working-class neighborhood to a much wealthier zip code when he mother marries a wealthy man. With the move comes a new school where the cheerleading squad is not exactly welcoming. Her new stepsister, however, also belongs to a struggling cheer squad that she is able to transform to fight for a chance to compete.
Christina Milian was 27 years old while playing a high school student - the same age as Gabrielle Union when she played Isis in the original Bring It On.
The movie also features Rachele Brooke Smith as the rival captain, who got her start in Hollywood as a dancer and has also appeared in Glee and the Center Stage movies. Teen Wolf’s Holland Roden also stars as Milian’s stepsister in a role that is very different from what fans have seen her in before.
Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack (2017)
Bring It On For The Digital Age
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Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack
- Release Date
- August 29, 2017
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Director
- Robert Adetuyi
Cast
-
Jordan RodriguesBlake
-
Cristine ProsperiDestiny
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Gia Lodge-O'MeallyWillow
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Sophie VavasseurHannah
WHERE TO WATCH
Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack follows Destiny, captain of the national cheerleading champions "The Rebels," as she faces a global challenge from "The Truth." Overseen by the Cheer Goddess, this virtual showdown forces Destiny to confront her ego and uncover the value of true friendship.
- Writers
- Alyson Fouse
This installment of the Bring It On franchise tries to bring the movies into the digital age after an eight-year gap between stories. While there are no connections to previous installments, there is Cheer Goddess, a former cheerleader who hosts a podcast about the sport. On the one hand, it seems like a missed opportunity not to bring someone back from one of the previous movies. On the other hand, Cheer Goddess is played to perfection by Vivica A. Fox, so it’s hard to be mad at the casting choice there.
The movie centers on a cheerleader who has become more like a dictator as the leader of a world championship team. When one of her team’s competitions is interrupted because the music and video feeds are hacked by an outside (and masked) group of cheerleaders who challenge them, she realizes she needs to change up their routines. She enlists the help of street dancers to give new flair to the group.
Along the way, however, she begins to understand that she has actually been betrayed from within her own group because of how hard she was on her teammates. Still, she goes on to compete against some of her former friends in another championship battle. While the movie has an interesting premise, it does not hold a candle to any of the previous installments in the franchise. Bringing in the social media angle does not really do the franchise any favors.
Kirsten Dunst Was Shocked Bring It On Became Such A Massive Hit
Kirsten Dunst explains how shocked she was when Bring It On became a hit, because the film was such a small, ignored project when it was being made.
Bring It On: Cheer Or Die (2022)
The Horror Entry In The Franchise
Bring It On: Cheer or Die
Cast
Tiera Skovbye
Kerri Medders
Missi Pyle-
Alten Wilmot
WHERE TO WATCH
- Release Date
- September 27, 2022
- Director
- Karen Lam
- Writers
- Rebekah McKendry, Dana Schwartz, Alyson Fouse
...cheerleaders start to get picked off during their practice sessions as they are in an abandoned school with a killer.
Bring It On: Cheer Or Die takes the Bring It On franchise in a whole new direction by making the story a horror movie. Released on DVD, on-demand, and on television, it seems like the goal was to use this genre-bending entry to revitalize the franchise, but, unfortunately, that did not work. While the idea is a great one, and the stunts are on par with the rest of the franchise, the movie as a whole moves a little too slowly for a slasher flick and does not have quite enough cheerleading for a Bring It On movie.
Bring It On: Cheer Or Die follows a cheerleading squad who decides to take their practices to an abandoned school. They do it to be out from under the watchful eye of the school istration, which has banned them from doing any potentially dangerous stunts in their competition routines. They want to be able to stand up against other teams, so they take the risk of practicing elsewhere. Unfortunately, cheerleaders start to get picked off during their practice sessions as they are in an abandoned school with a killer.
It’s a shame that this movie never really finds its footing because it could have found the successful campy line of Bring It On: In It To Win It. The movie is supposed to be the last installment of the Bring It On franchise unless the actual sequel to the original movie finally gets made.
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