Film

Bring It On

Name: Bring It On
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2000
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union, Sherry Hursey

Bring It On is the teen sports comedy that turned high-school cheerleading into a genuine underdog spectacle, equal parts glitter and quiet menace. Kirsten Dunst leads a squad discovering their championship routine was stolen, and the film balances real athletic stunt work with sharp, endlessly quotable comedy. It's fast, funny, surprisingly self-aware about race and privilege, and built for rewatching.

TMDb rating

6.3

If you liked this

Mean Girls2004

Tina Fey's script turned high-school hierarchy into a genuinely quotable comedy, sharing Bring It On's gift for making cliques and social competition feel like sport with real stakes and real winners.

But It's more cattiness and clique warfare than physical competition, so if you wanted cheer-style spectacle, this one stays entirely verbal.

Pitch Perfect2012

Swap pom-poms for a cappella and you get the same underdog-team-finds-its-groove structure, plus genuinely great musical numbers and a cast clearly having a blast.

But The humor leans broader and raunchier, and the singing competitions never quite match the visceral physical thrill of a live cheer routine.

Legally Blonde2001

Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods has Torrance's same sunny confidence and gets underestimated the same way, turning being dismissed into fuel for total, satisfying vindication.

But It swaps ensemble team dynamics for a solo courtroom triumph, so the squad camaraderie that makes Bring It On sing is mostly absent.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Cheer2020

Same world, same championship obsession, but stripped of jokes: this is what the sport underneath Bring It On's comedy actually costs the people who do it.

This real-life docuseries follows an actual championship cheer squad, and the stunts, injuries and stakes make Bring It On's fictional drama look almost tame by comparison.

But It's unscripted and often heavy — real injuries, real personal struggles — so the breezy comedy of the film is completely gone.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004

A ragtag team, a big championship, a ridiculous training montage — the same underdog sports-comedy engine, filtered through gym-class absurdity and Vince Vaughn's deadpan.

But The humor is broader and more juvenile, trading Bring It On's teen-movie sincerity for pure slapstick and gross-out gags.

She's All That1999

Same late-90s high-school gloss, same soundtrack-driven energy, and a cast full of familiar faces from the era doing exactly what you'd hope.

But The plot leans on a much creakier makeover premise that hasn't aged nearly as gracefully as Bring It On's competition structure.

10 Things I Hate About You1999

Another turn-of-the-millennium teen classic with sharp dialogue, a terrific ensemble, and a soundtrack that instantly drops you back into 1999.

But It's a Shakespeare adaptation at heart, more romantic comedy than sports movie, so the competitive thrill is nowhere to be found.

Bend It Like Beckham2002

A genuinely great underdog sports story with real stakes around family, culture and ambition, wrapped in warmth and a terrific lead performance from Parminder Nagra.

But It trades cheerleading's camp and comedy for something more grounded and earnest, so don't expect wall-to-wall one-liners.

Drumline2002

Marching band as spectacle sport — the rivalry, the routines, the big championship setpiece — makes it feel like Bring It On's sibling in a different uniform.

But It's a touch more melodramatic and less jokey, with music at its center instead of cheer's blend of comedy and physical stunt work.

Stick It2006no page yet

Written by the same screenwriter as Bring It On, this gymnastics comedy has the identical rebellious-athlete energy and irreverent attitude toward its own sport's rules.

But It's rougher around the edges and less beloved, with a punkier tone some will find less charming than Torrance's world.

All About Eve1950

Bring It On's plot turns on a stolen routine and a betrayed mentor-mentee bond; this is the original, colder, more devastating version of that same theft.

A ruthless, brilliant classic about an ingenue who studies, then steals, another woman's success — sharp dialogue, incredible performances, and a rivalry that still stings.

But It's black-and-white, theatrical, and decades removed from teen-movie energy — patient and talky rather than fast and physical.

Foxcatcher2014

Same question Bring It On asks lightly — what winning is actually worth — answered here in the darkest possible register, no jokes, no relief.

A true-crime drama about obsessive ambition in amateur wrestling, with Steve Carell chillingly cast against type as a man consumed by the need to win.

But It's slow, bleak and true, with none of the warmth or humor that makes competitive spirit fun to watch elsewhere.