A tale of girls flipping over and girls standing up for themselves, this movie smartly defies expectations and overturns plenty of "lone wolf learns teamwork" sports clichés in its story of Hailey (Missy Peregrim), a gymnastics prodigy turned punk rocker who earned lots of black marks after she walked out on the USA games years ago. When she's sent back into training as an alternative to reform school, Hailey must tussle with a gruff coach (Jeff Bridges) and a team full of snooty girls. But if the stage seems set for all the usual tears and triumph, guess again: screenwriter/director Jessica Bendinger (BRING IT ON) puts the punk-rock money where her mouth is, taking an unflinching look at the way coaches mislead overbearing parents, and the way constant pain, high risk of injury, and a capricious point system can crush rather than boost girls' spirits. Clever, quip-packed dialogue flows nonstop, especially from Hailey's immensely likeable male slacker buddies, and there's even some Busby Berkley-style CGI-enhanced choreography amid the displays of athletic grace and prowess. The buff Peregrim should inspire lots of boy viewers to become fans of the game, and she works well with Bridges, a veteran at displaying dog-eared charm. Few sports movies have the courage to practice what they preach in terms of breaking free from conformity, and STICK IT deserves a medal just for that, but there's plenty more to offer from this subversive yet celebratory winner.
Rating: PG-13 (MPAA) Rating Reason: some crude remarks Runtime: 103 minutes DVD Code: Region 1 US, CA Genre: Comedies Color: Color Widescreen; Digital Copy Rating: DVD Features: Region 1 Keep Case Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Additional Release Material: Outtakes: "Buttaharas: Outrageous Bloopers & Outtakes" Alternate Scenes: Deleted Scenes (w/ Optional Commentaries) Bonus Footage: Full Gymnastics Routines Performed By Some Of the World's Best With Optional Commentary Audio Commentary: Multiple Feature Commentaries Music Video: 1. Jeannie Ortega (feat. Papoose) - "Crowded" 2. Missy Elliott - "We Run This" Behind the Scenes: 1. Uneven Bar Routines In Slow Motion With Optional Commentary 2. "Hard Corps: The Real Gymnasts Who Were Stunt Doubles For STICK IT" Additional Products: Digital Copy Maddy Curley, Missy Peregrym, Kellan Lutz, Polly Holliday, Tarah Paige, John Patrick Amedori, Julie Warner, Nikki SooHoo, Jeff Bridges
Jessica Bendinger
A tale of girls flipping over and girls standing up for themselves, this movie smartly defies expectations and overturns plenty of "lone wolf learns teamwork" sports clichés in its story of Hailey (Missy Peregrim), a gymnastics prodigy turned punk rocker who earned lots of black marks after she walked out on the USA games years ago. When she's sent back into training as an alternative to reform school, Hailey must tussle with a gruff coach (Jeff Bridges) and a team full of snooty girls. But if the stage seems set for all the usual tears and triumph, guess again: screenwriter/director Jessica Bendinger (BRING IT ON) puts the punk-rock money where her mouth is, taking an unflinching look at the way coaches mislead overbearing parents, and the way constant pain, high risk of injury, and a capricious point system can crush rather than boost girls' spirits. Clever, quip-packed dialogue flows nonstop, especially from Hailey's immensely likeable male slacker buddies, and there's even some Busby Berkley-style CGI-enhanced choreography amid the displays of athletic grace and prowess. The buff Peregrim should inspire lots of boy viewers to become fans of the game, and she works well with Bridges, a veteran at displaying dog-eared charm. Few sports movies have the courage to practice what they preach in terms of breaking free from conformity, and STICK IT deserves a medal just for that, but there's plenty more to offer from this subversive yet celebratory winner. () "A spry teenage comedy that gets everything right....The sass crackles, the soundtrack pops....It's a lot of fun to see a genre movie leap over expectations..."
New York Times (04/28/2006) "[I]t lovingly music-videos every vault and flip....[The] sass trumps everything."
Entertainment Weekly (05/12/2006) "[A]nyone can enjoy the cool gymnastics, particularly a couple of training numbers shot Busby Berkeley-style from a bird's-eye-view."
Box Office () Theatrical Release: April 28, 2006
() 3 stars out of 5 -- "[The film] manages to score enough points by being daftly enjoyable."
Total Film (12/01/2006) |
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