Bring It On: In It to Win It

This film essentially begins with an all-star cheerleading team from California named the West Coast Sharks traveling to the Summer Cheer Camp in Florida to compete against their bitter rival from New York known as the East Coast Jets in a contest for the national championship. Although the East Coast Jets have beaten the West Coast Sharks three times in a row, the captain of the Sharks named "Carson" (Ashley Benson) is determined to win this time. Naturally, the captain of the Jets by the name of "Brooke" (Cassandra Scerbo) is equally determined to beat the Sharks. But what neither of them realize is that another team known as the Flamingoes has suddenly emerged with a lineup that appears to better than either of them. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, even though the similarity to West Side Story was quite obvious at the start, the film then shifted into something quite different around the midpoint with interpersonal drama giving way to increased dancing and acrobatics. Unfortunately, what was absent from this sports-comedy was any noticeable humor and that seriously affected this film as a whole. And it's because of this rather glaring omission that I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

Released to video in 2007 and directed by Steve Rash, "Bring it On: In it to Win it" is a high school dramedy/sports flick starring Ashley Benson and Cassandra Scerbo as Carson and Brooke, the captains of two rival cheerleading teams, the West Coast Sharks and the East Coast Jets respectively. They meet at Camp Spirit-Thunder in Florida for the championship, but Carson's romance with a male cheerleader of the Jets (Michael Copon) throws a wrench into the proceedings. Everything falls apart when the rival squads engage in a cheer-rumble where half their teammates sustain injuries that remove both the Sharks and the Jets from competition. What will they do?

"In it to Win it" is the fourth movie in the franchise. The others are "Bring it On" (2000), "Bring it On Again" (2004), "Bring it On: All or Nothing" (2006) and "Bring it On: Fight to the Finish" (2009). The first movie was the only one that was theatrically released and is therefore the most polished in the series as far as overall production quality. This perhaps explains why I couldn't get past the 50-minute mark of "In it to Win it" the first time I tried to watch it, but I decided to give it another chance and am glad I did because the first half is just a build-up to the nigh genius of the second half. While the first half is kinetic fun, it lacks dramatic depth and therefore becomes a bore by the mid-point, but the second half fleshes out the great characters and everything clicks for an amusing high school dramedy/ sports flick.

What distinguishes "In it to Win it" is that the entire movie takes place at the national cheer camp, which is parallel to a huge amusement park; as such, there are no high school sequences. In the first half you'll role your eyes at the stereotypes, but the second half pulls the rug out from underneath your presumptions with a great "confession" sequence. Highlights include the semi-homage to the renowned "West Side Story," the great cast, the smart amusement, the energetic tone and some amazing cheer routines, not to mention Ashley Tisdale's hit song during the credits. "In it to Win it" also has better women than the first movie, although not as good as "All or Nothing" (featuring Hayden Panettiere and Danielle Savre).

Speaking of the "great cast," they're essentially no-names, but they deliver the goods as a nice assortment of characters that you come to understand and like over the course of the story. Beyond the cast noted above, the top ones are Noel Areizaga (the gay Shark), Jennifer Tisdale (curvy white Jet), Kierstin Koppel (the Goth Shark) and Anniese Taylor Dendy (black shark with seemingly ghetto edge).

The film runs 90 minutes and was shot at Universal Studios Florida, Universal Orlando Resort.

GRADE: B

the first was still the best. this movie reminded me of grease and high school musical....... cheer battles in the street, people doing flips and jumping off light poles!! been done and this movie was over the top. Not to mention all of the sexual comments, i don't think kids would get them, but they're there plenty. This movie would appeal to teenagers but I would not let them watch due to the sexual content. The acting was poor and a lot of the lines are cheesy. There are way too many so called messages that you get lost trying to follow them. I would not willingly watch this movie again or recommend this movie to anyone.

MGA decided after putting people through the pain of three Bring It On movies, to make a fourth one. Apparently after trying three times the people at MGA think that they will get it right a fourth time; I think not.

Not any different than the other three movies this one takes place in Florida at the National East Coast cheer leading championship, where the mighty East Coast Jets compete with their rival team, the sharks. The Jets new captain Carson, played by Ashley Benson is the most "focused" on the team until she meets Penn (played by Michael Capon) and she loses this "focus"- if there was any. Little did Carson know that her Prince Charming was on the Sharks cheer squad. The teams ended up having to work together because of people on both squads getting injured during the passing of the spirit stick.

The writer and the director of this movie should seriously be fired for even considering being a part of this project. After three movies of Bring It On people would think that they would stop the attempt at making these movies. I cannot even begin to comprehend as to why people like these movies.

What's bad about this movie is has the same plot as the other three Bring It on movies, there is nothing original about it. It reminds me of every other teen movie that is in the market. The directors and writers need to come up with something different if they want to make more money.

If I wanted to go see girls be promiscuous and to backstab one another I would go to my old school, and not spend money on a DVD that isn't worth the 90 minutes.

What the hell is wrong with you, people? Are you blind or just completely stupid? This Bring It On 4 is a DISASTER. They should have skipped the number 4 just like they skip floor 13 on hi-rise buildings. Thanks Goodness for Christina Millian in Bring It On 5 or this whole B.I.O series would have died long time ago. What to say about B.I.O 4: all the actors sucks, especially the blondes. The cheer-dances are like nothing compared to the dances in the others B.I.O movies. The script is awful and the acting is even worst. There is absolutely no face to remember in this movie, not even the main character. Do you remember Hayden Panetierre in B.I.O 3? Or that HOT afro-American babe in B.I.O. 2(sorry, i don't remember her name)? Or even Kristen Dunst in the first B.I.O movie? I surely do. But this B.I.O 4 is like a complete void to me. I just finished watching it like just 5 minutes ago and i already forgot everything and everybody in it. Don't waste your time and money on this one, 'cause even if you do, you'll forget it all in less than 5 min. Guaranteed.