Movie Review: Stick It

TITLE: Stick It

STATS: U.S. RATING: PG-13 RUN TIME: 103 min GENRE: Comedy/Drama/Sport DATE: 4/28/2006 COMPANY: Kaltenbach Pictures LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: A troubled youth gets a second chance at a prison-free life after getting in trouble with the law when her father pays for her to basically come out of retirement and get back into gymnastics. She is rebellious in nature and has a hard time agreeing, but it is that or prison for her. Her rebelliousness eventually rubs off on her teammates and others at the world competition.

IMDB SUMMARY: After a run-in with the law, Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is forced to return to the world from which she fled some years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), Haley's rebellious attitude gives way to something that just might be called team spirit.

DIRECTOR: Jessica Bendinger

ACTORS: Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, Vanessa Lengies, Nikki SooHoo, Maddy Curley, Kellan Lutz, John Patrick Amedori

MY RATING: 6 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 31%

MOVIEFONE RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

ROGER EBERT RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

THE GOOD: Being a musician myself, the soundtrack to a movie is very important to me – a soundtrack can make or break a movie in my eyes (and ears). With this movie, although it wasn’t an original, instrumental soundtrack, I think the soundtrack fit the attitude that they were trying to go for, the pop-punk skater vibe. The soundtrack was basically a mixture of alternative rock and hip-hop with a few other songs sprinkled in. I liked it. As for the characters, I think Joanne made a very good innocently dumb girl. She was quite believable. Hopefully it was only good acting and not natural… I also liked the courtroom judge, Polly Holliday. I’ve grown up with her as Jill’s wife on “Home Improvement” and I just like her “essence”, for lack of a better word. Also, since I would like to be a film director one day, I put a lot of observation into special effects and cinematography. I don’t mean to say that I’m an expert in these fields except in what I like and I really liked the scene in which all the girls are competing in their own little civil competition in order to find out who is going to the main competition. I thought it was pretty neat how they timed everything out and overlapped it all. But I’m simple like that. Lastly, I do like when my questions that the movie brings up are answered and all loose ends are tied. For example, towards the end, we find out why Hailey left the Worlds competition and how Vick pays her restitution. Everything is finished and you’re left feeling pretty complete.

THE BAD: One main thing that bugged me from the start is how it felt like the director was trying way too hard to make Hailey seem skater-ish. Now, I’ve known quite a bit of hardcore skaters and none of them have a room that looks anything like hers. First of all, their rooms are usually completely messy. Second, none of them took the time to artistically spray paint their furniture. Usually, they were too busy skating! Another thing that bugged me (and this is just because I am who I am) happens right after Hailey learns about how much her dad is paying Vick and her two friends pick her up. As they are driving down the road, there is a vehicle that is way too close behind them. Seriously, they are on the main characters’ tail! If those boys were as much punks as they were made out to be, they’d totally “brake check” that person. Just wait, once you notice it, you won’t be able to stop noticing it.

FUN FACTS:  Kassandra Nelson played the girl who threw a soda on Haley. She also was the stunt double for Haley Nastia Liukin, the 2008 All-Around Gold Medalist at the Beijing Olympics, played herself. In the movie, she was 'chosen to win' the uneven bar competition Missy Elliot's video for the movie, "We Run This," won a 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects

WORD OCCURS WORD OCCURS A** 4 RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN 0 A**H**E 0 B*****D 0 RACIAL FOR HISPANIC 0 B**CH 2 D**N 1 RACIAL FOR ASIAN 0 D**K (Penis) 1 F*** 1τ RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN 6 G**D*** 0 H**L 0 RACIAL FOR OTHER 0 M*****F****R 0 S**T 5 LORD'S NAME IN VAIN 2 * These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system. τ This was heard in the soundtrack music during a scene and not actually said in the dialogue.