Stick It

SYNOPSIS

After tackling the competitive world of high-school cheerleading in Bring It On, screenwriter Jessica Bendinger turns her attention to the cut-throat arena of teen gymnastics for this, her directorial debut. Jeff Bridges plays the hard-nosed head coach of a top gymnastics academy; Missy Peregrym the emotionally damaged but gifted teenager who's sent there after ending up in front of a judge on a charge of criminal damage. There's no prize for guessing that the collision of their personalities proves to be a learning experience for both. If there's one thing Stick It isn't, it's original. However, the gymnastics sequences are spectacular and there's an interesting subplot about the unfairness of competition judging. And Bridges is always worth watching, even when, as here, he looks like he's only working to pay his mortgage.