BRING IT ON
A lively teen comedy better kept at home for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
BRING IT ON has real energy. Its cheerleading vignettes are lively, and Torrance tries to overcome divisions in her squad and correct wrongs committed before she became captain. Her relationship with Cliff is relatively chaste, innocent, and fun to watch.
The problem is the material surrounding that sweetness. The movie contains plenty of foul language, vulgar and obscene behavior, insulting remarks, suggestive dialogue and lyrics, crude sexual references, and other immature behavior. The heroine is essentially ethical, but many people around her indulge in sleaze.
This is a breezy, lightweight comedy with some positive ethical themes, but the content keeps it from being innocent fun. Wait for home — adults only, where you can decide whether its occasional charm is worth the compromises.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESTorrance Shipman has just become captain of the cheerleading squad at Rancho Carne High School in San Diego. Her team has won the national championship several years in a row, and everyone expects her to bring home another title.
As Torrance learns the politics and ethics of competitive cheerleading, she also tries to lead her squad through conflict and unexpected challenges. Along the way, she finds herself falling for Cliff, the charming brother of her new best friend.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means BRING IT ON is enjoyable in places but limited overall. The cheerleading vignettes provide its best entertainment, and the movie moves with a breezy, energetic pace.
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Bradford deliver appealing performances. Their relationship is relatively chaste, innocent, and fun to watch. Gabrielle Union and Eliza Dushku ably support them, while Ian Roberts gives a hilarious performance as a hyper choreographer.
Still, the movie lacks substance and quality. Its sweetness is repeatedly undercut by foul language, crude behavior, vulgarity, obscene behavior, and insulting sarcastic remarks. Without that material, it could have achieved a more cohesive quality of innocent fun.
The Worldview
BRING IT ON presents a pagan worldview with moral elements about honesty and sportsmanship. Its heroine tries to overcome divisions, deal with back-stabbing teammates, and right wrongs that occurred without her knowledge. The story therefore values ethical responsibility, even though it does not develop those themes as fully as it might.
The film also includes minor characters shown praying and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. However, the surrounding behavior is often vulgar, obscene, suggestive, and insulting. The movie’s ethical concerns are positive, but its treatment of sexuality, language, and crude behavior weakens its moral witness.
The film’s central longing is for honesty, fairness, and healthy conduct within a competitive community. Scripture says, “He has told you, O man, what is good” (Micah 6:8).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Pagan worldview with moral elements about honesty & sportsmanship, plus minor homosexual character & minor characters shown praying & reciting the Lord’s Prayer; 30 obscenities, 7 mild profanities, 2 bleeped or silent “f” words, suggestive dialogue, suggestive lyrics, insults spread liberally, one scene with flatulence, one scene with vomiting, several obscene gestures, & some vulgar language; mild violence such as pushing, pratfalls, mother mildly slaps boy on back of head for smart remarks against sister, football game, football players fight, little girl tries to fight with older teenager, & man smashes stool; implied fornication by ex-boyfriend who’s portrayed in a negative light, suggestive dance moves, crude reference to oral sex, & one male cheerleader admits to homosexuality, then blushes when meeting male cheerleader from another squad; no nudity but females in underwear, bikinis & cheerleading outfits; no alcohol use; no smoking; and, some miscellaneous immorality, but cheerleading captain deftly deals with back-stabbing teammates & tries to right past wrongs that occurred without her knowledge.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Torrance tries to correct wrongs committed before she became captain. Why does honesty matter even when admitting the truth may cost you something?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22The film connects competition with sportsmanship and fairness. What does it look like to compete without treating other people as enemies?
Philippians 2:3–4 · 1 Corinthians 10:31Torrance faces divisions within her squad. How can a leader pursue unity without ignoring wrongdoing?
Ephesians 4:1–3 · Matthew 18:15The movie includes prayer and the Lord’s Prayer alongside vulgar behavior. How should Christians respond when a work contains both moral insight and serious compromises?
Philippians 4:8 · 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22The Final Word
BRING IT ON is energetic, occasionally funny, and positive about honesty and sportsmanship. But its foul language, sexual references, and crude behavior overwhelm its sweetness. For discerning adults, WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For a cleaner family choice, see.
