| Film Review | Dana Place |
Stick It
Jeff Bridges
Missy Peregrym
Vanessa Lengies
Maddy Curley
Directed by: Jessica Beddinger
Plot:
After getting in trouble with the law, Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is sent off to a gymnastics camp in the hopes of
taming her wild ways. As a former student of the camp she
disgraced herself and the rest of the team by letting them
down at a crucial moment in a finals tournament. After
learning to work with a team, she rallies her fellow
gymnasts to teach them all a valuable lesson in fair play.
Review: I have to say that I really don’t have anything more
than a passing interest in gymnastics. But I don’t really
think that matters in this movie. Stick It is another in a
long line of motivational, uplifting, girl power films. A
team of 13 year old gymnasts was just the vehicle used to
tell it. Being a thirty year old male, I can’t think I was
the targeted demographic for this movie. Taking all of that
into account, I actually kind of like this movie. For anyone
that isn’t a fourteen year old girl that needs motivation
and a little uplifting, you kind of have to take this movie
for what it is; a fun little film that really does no harm
either way. Sure you get your share of teen angst and
watered down establishment bashing, but it all comes up
roses in the end. The film has goofy little teenager moments
but was (dare I say it) “cute”. Stick It has plenty of
X-Games teenage antics that kind of come with any movie
meant to attract teenagers. This is Jessica Beddinger’s
newest film since Bring It On, and she seems to have found
her niche in this little sub-genre of sport films. She was
able to put together a well rounded movie and seems
comfortable telling the same type of stories, whether they
are about gymnastics, cheerleading, or female power lifting,
and I think that helps to make the audience just as
comfortable watching it. This is a really good example of
one of those films that as long as you walk into the theater
with an open mind, there is a good chance that you are
probably going to walk out with a nice smile on your face.
Because occasionally even thirty year old males can get a
little lift from a film marketed for teenage girls.
