Bring It On

Better than any movie about cheerleading really ought to be, Bring It On, which takes its cues from Clueless (the best teen bubble gum flick of Generation Y), is a self-mocking popularity satire that takes frequent pot shots at "sweater monkeys" and their endlessly percolating pep, while also allowing its bright cast of pretty young things to color outside the lines of their stock characters. The talented Kirsten Dunst embraces her inner ditz as a new head cheerleader who discovers her predecessor swiped all of her squad's championship-winning routines from the East Compton Clovers, who ain't gonna take it lying down. Jesse Bradford and Eliza Dushku co-star as grungy, amusingly cynical brother and sister transfer students who help raise the picture above its trite teen clichés and jiggle material. Not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, this still has more spark and charisma than a dozen Freddie Prinze Jr. flicks. A strong optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)