Stick It 2006

Haley Graham is a former gymnastturnedjuvenile delinquent who after one too many runins with the law is forced to enroll at an elite gymnastics academy the VGA in Houston Texas which is run by the legendary Olympic gymnast Burt Vickerman. But the rebellious Haley is not welcomed into the academy by the other teenage gymnasts who despise her for walking out on her Junior Olympic team years earlier during a competition which cost them the gold medal. But Haley is not a docile person either and makes every effort to provoke conflicts with the other girls. Vickerman takes it upon himself to coach Haley in his own way to make her regain her self respect for the VGAs coming spot on the Gymnastic Nationals.

Review

Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is a rebellious teen forced to attend a tough gymnastics academy after driving a motorcycle through a window. There she gets into it with the tough coach (Jeff Bridges) and other girls but they all have to work together if they want to win a gymnastic championship.

Stick It is a delightful comedy that features memorable dialog and fun performances. The film itself is pretty standard but it was still a lot of fun to watch. I think the screenplay played a big part in the entertainment factor. There were many great lines and scenes which was surprising since the trailer was kind of lame. However I went in expecting a cheesy comedy and I had a good time. It was pretty corny yet director and screenwriter Jessica Bendinger had a good balance of the cheesiness so that it never became too much to bear.

There were a couple of things I didn't like about the film though. The second half was a bit more serious and therefore not as funny. As in most comedies there's always a serious shift and it was just awkward when it happened. This had more to do with the performers rather than the director. Another thing the message of the film was kind of stupid. I know this is a harmless comedy and it shouldn't be taken seriously yet it was kind of lame to have all the contestants scratch because they weren't getting their way. It could have been a good idea because contestants do seem to get mad at the judges all the time but I didn't like the way they carried it out here.

The acting was pretty good with Missy Peregrym giving the best performance. Her line delivery was perfect and she had many charming scenes. Hopefully there will be more of her in the future. Jeff Bridges was decent although he could have done this role in his sleep. Vanessa Lengies was good as a supporting player even though her character was pretty annoying. The rest of the performances were passable except for both Nikki SooHoo and Maddy Curly. They were just too wooden and just appeared awkward throughout the movie. Overall Stick It was purely a guilty pleasure for me. It's no masterpiece but I did have fun while I was watching it. Rating 710