School spirit has never been stronger than in the cheerleader cult-classic Bring It On.
"THESE are NOT SPIRIT FINGERS!"
"THESE are Spirit Fingers!"
On top of being packed with Y2K fun, the film also took on real issues like race, gender,
sexuality and cultural appropriation.
"Like every time we get some, here y'all come trying to steal it, and putting some blonde
hair on it and calling it something different."
It is still very much a product of the year 2000, though, so here's some things your high
school selves like, totally missed.
Salty language
For high school students in a PG-13 movie, the characters in Bring It On say some pretty
awful things.
"Your trophies are bulls--- because you're a sad-ass liar."
"Alright, that's it!
Get out of the car, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
From "bitch" and "damn it" to homophobic insults, it's a wonder parents were ever ok with letting
kids watch this.
"Besides…
Missy looks like an uber-d---."
In an interview with Buzzfeed, director Peyton Reed defended his choice to use off-color
language, explaining that words which may have been used as slurs by, say, the football
team, were used more affectionately by cheerleaders.
He said:
"I liked the frankness of the language — both the loving use of the language and the hate
of the language because I wanted it to feel like a real high school."
Considering how that sort of language might get real high schoolers suspended today, Reed's
comments don't exactly stand the test of time.
"Try to steal our bit but you look like s---!"
No chaperones
Half the fun of high school has always been trying to ditch the chaperones.
Unfortunately, the cheerleaders of Bring It On have no such joy, since for most of the
film, there isn't an adult in sight!
The Toros don't even have adult coaches.
Team captains Torrence and Big Red are students.
Throughout the film, the Toros hold auditions, hire a choreographer, organize a fundraiser,
and attend a national competition all without the help of a single adult.
They might be played by 20-somethings, but these teenagers are entirely unsupervised.
Y2K style
From chokers and spaghetti straps to bandanas and crunchy hair, Y2K was a fun year for fashion.
Oddly enough, the trends on display in Bring It On are actually trendy again in 2018.
Limited Too may not exist anymore, and anyone who watched Bring It On in 2010 would have
probably been embarrassed by some of these looks.
But in 2018, all we can say about the fashion is...
Bring it on!
2, 4, 6…
808
Gabrielle Union was already a well-known actress when she starred as Isis, the captain of the
Clovers.
"Bring it.
Don't slack off because you feel sorry for us.
That way, when we beat you, we'll know it's because we're better."
"I'll bring it."
But if the rest of the Clovers looked familiar to you, you probably had good taste in music
in the late 90s.
Three of the cheerleaders on the squad were played by Shamari Fears, Natina Reed, and
Brandi Williams, aka, the hit R&B girl group Blaque.
Director Peyton Reed told MTV that putting them in Bring It On was a no-brainer, saying:
"All three of them had charisma like you wouldn't believe.
They can dance, they look great, and they were so enthusiastic that we immediately cast
them."
Sadly, unlike Bring It On, Blacque did not have a happy ending.
In 2012, the group had reportedly reunited and was about to make new music together when
Natina Reed was struck by a car, ending her life.
"Beat these Buffys"
Back in 2000, you probably just thought this line was a generic dig:
"Can we just beat these Buffys down so I can go home.
I'm on curfew, girl."
It's one of the movie's most memorable one-liners, but it's also more significant than you might
have thought back in 2000.
Eliza Duskhu, who plays Missy, and Clare Kramer, who plays Courtney, both appeared in the show
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"You have superpowers.
That is so cool.
Can you fly?"
Since Buffy had only been on the air for a few years when Bring It On came out, this
line would have been easy to overlook.
But, like Bring It On, it has also become a cult classic.
Awkward tooth brushing
One of the most adorable and memorable scenes in Bring It On is Torrance and Cliff's nervous,
flirty tooth brushing moment.
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Bradford do such a relatable job of trying and failing to play
it cool when your crush is around.
Director Peyton Reed told Buzzfeed that this awkward scene, which was inspired by the classic
1934 romance film It Happened One Night, wasn't even in the original screenplay, saying,
"It's all played in these looks and it really creates this sexual tension.
It's a huge tribute to Kirsten and Jesse that the scene is so memorable because they're
so good.
[...] They were just so cute together."
A controversial read
Cliff is an interesting character.
He seems dismissive and mocking of the cheer squad that his sister Missy has joined, but
still falls for Torrance, the captain of the squad.
At a football game, he's seen reading Desmond Morris' The Naked Ape.
This 60s bestseller is actually considered to be incredibly controversial, as Morris
suggests that men are better than women in pretty much every field.
Perhaps Cliff is reading the book from a critical perspective, or maybe Torrance is destined
to prove Morris's theory wrong in her inventive revitalization of the Toros.
Basically, it's a shame to see such a pretty face falling for anti-feminist literature,
but one can only hope that Torrance helps change his mind.
Nurse Roberts
Unlike the Toros, the Clovers aren't able to raise enough money for Nationals, so they
decide to write to Pauletta, a local talk show host.
"Ooh, i'm gonna look good in this, y'all!"
Any self-respecting Scrubs fan would immediately recognize Pauletta as actress Aloma Wright,
who played Nurse Laverne Roberts on the medical dramedy.
"Let's do this.
Laverne Roberts!"
Scrubs didn't air until 2001, which was a full year after Bring It On came out, so don't
feel too bad if you didn't recognize Wright until much later.
Confusing financials
When the Clovers -- spoiler alert -- win Nationals, they're given a giant check for $20,000.
"Woah, nice check."
In today's age of student loans and stagnating wages, that doesn't seem like much to split
between an entire cheerleading team.
But that sort of money can buy a lot of new cheer uniforms.
While Y2K teens wouldn't think twice, inquiring minds want to know if that prize is accurate.
The Universal Cheerleaders Association doesn't mention prize money on their website, and
videos from their awards ceremony show only trophies being handed out.
Zero dollars to 20 grand is a bit of a leap, so perhaps we'll never learn the truth of
this cheer-spiracy!
"Be aggressive.
B-E aggressive!"
And speaking of money… who's bankrolling the Toros?
It's highly unlikely that a high school student could cover cheer uniforms, dance classes,
airfare, hotel rooms, and Sparky Polastri's choreography working a part-time job.
Either all these local dance schools agreed to donate their time, or the Toros must have
made a killing with that car wash.
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