Stick It - Sfida e conquista

OK Sure, we have all seen this plot line thousands of times before, a "bad" kid runs afoul of the law/parents/teachers blah blah blah. They have to go back and compete in the sport/competition that they were considered to be a natural in "You have more raw talent then I have even seen before." They make good on that promise and redeem themselves and yes everything is right with the world. OK I admit it, I like it every time I see it. We all root for the underdog, it's the freaking American way people!!! Go see this movie, it's entertaining, well shot and has a few laughs along the way to boot. I thought it was well done and easy to watch.

This is a movie I SHOULD have hated. It fits into several genres I normally can't stand. It's a teen movie (hate them), it's a sports movie (hate them), it's a formulaic troubled teen makes good with help of mentor movie (you get the idea). It came on cable one day and I ended up sticking with it-I'm glad I did. Instead of hating it, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. It's definitely formulaic, but so are 95% of the movies out there, anyway. They just pull off the formula very well. Gymnastics is something I have a great deal of respect for (unlike figure skaters, sorry), those people are hardcore athletes. The scenes involving the actual gymnastics, whether in competition or practice, are filmed quite creatively. The actors are cast well, also, especially the lead. She looks so...all-American, for lack of a better description, and can actually act. I'm not a teenager, BTW, so I would imagine teens would enjoy this even more.

Quibbles? The music. It's not my taste (except for blink 182). Other than that, for this type of movie, they did a good job. This isn't supposed to be Taxi Driver or Fargo-just a relatively light, feel-good movie that hits the target it was aiming for.

So maybe it isn't an Oscar winner, but Stick It was, by far, certainly not the worst movie to hit theaters this year. No, Tristan & Isolde would take that honor. Still, I thought this movie was worth a review written by someone who was not so obviously a guy dragged to the theater by his girlfriend and by someone with some prior experience in the gymnastics world.

While this is not a movie that adults will credit as worth while, the younger generations (13-20) will certainly find it entertaining. The comedy, in my opinion, was well scripted and executed. The actors will not win any awards for their performances, but they were able to bring the characters to life and make them seem real.

The struggle shown for the girls in the gymnastics competitions is one that most competitors face. The judges are harsh and the rules, some of them, are ridiculous.

The movie is ultimately about overcoming the obstacles thrown in your life, finding someone who will believe in you no matter what, and realizing what is most important to you.

I would certainly recommend this movie.

This was a wonderful film with lots of heart. The other people in the audience that I saw it with clapped at the end just like I did. How many films are there about the world of gymnastics? It was original, and the kids were a lot of fun. The writer-director also wrote BRING IT ON, another wonderful film, tighter script -but not as much heart.

The cast was good; the lead can act and her two guy buddies played it well. Jeff Bridges is always fun. I suppose if I had to make one criticism it would be that the first half moved a little slow and some of the camera work was uneven: focus was soft in places, and sometimes the composition was neither here nor there. But I recommend this film.

In 'Stick It' Missy Peregrym plays Haley Graham, a troubled ex-gymnast. When her adolescent antics bring her before the judge, she is given the choice of either jail time or back to training. Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges) is reluctant to bring her back. After walking out on the national championship, she is hard to trust. She let a lot of people down that day, friends and foes alike, but not everything is what it seems.

For what it was, this was an okay film. Most of the cast did surprisingly well, the choreography was really good. I think most of the actresses did their own routines. There is something of a surprise ending with a good message in the end.

However, I think this movie was fairly slow and not very believable. Haley appears to be too old for such competition. But, I think anyone who likes gymnastics or appreciates the competition will like this film.