I'm not much of a sports fanatic. To be honest (and my wife loves me dearly for this) I really can't stand sports at all and still don’t understand what all the fuss is about and why anyone in their right mind would pay hundreds if dollars to see some Neanderthal millionaires beat the crud out of each other. That said, there is an odd dichotomy to my life whereas I love sports movies. I think it may be because where real sports are incredibly boring; sports movies generally have a plot of some sort. And if the plot is a good one, it'll hold my interest. Of course, if there is any problem inherent with sports movies it is this… the plots tend to involve a down and out team or outsider who (through perseverance) wins out in the end. It's a formula, but I'll admit to enjoying the euphoric feeling of watching a well made formula movie like that.

That was almost the case for the recent DVD release of "Stick It." It's a sports movie in that it involves the world of teenage gymnastics. I consider gymnasts to be some of the only true athletes, so that just added to the film's list of plusses for me. It also starred Jeff Bridges, so I knew I had to give it a chance.

In spite of all the things the movie had going for it, I was still a bit worried that it would be one of those cloying teen angst movies. After all, it was written and directed by Jessica Bendinger, who wrote the silly cheerleader movie "Bring It On." "Stick it", as it turns out also marks her directorial debut. Surprisingly enough, Bendinger took what is undeniably a formulaic plot and turned it into a better than average teen angst movie. The dialogue wasn't as cheesy as I expected, the acting was above par and of course the gymnastic stunts were incredible.

So you at least know what you’re in for going in, the story is fairly simple and revolves around Haley (Missy Peregrym), a young gymnast who has a flair for extreme sports. She especially loves riding BMX bikes, but after shattering some windows at a construction site she is arrested. In the grand tradition of Hollywood though, she doesn’t end up in jail. Instead she is sentenced to 'serve time' at a Gymnastics Academy under the tutelage of Coach Burt Vickerman (Bridges), who himself has a bit of a questionable career past.

Aside from the fact that you can see the ending coming a mile away, "Stick It" is actually a pretty entertaining film. As I mentioned, the acting is a lot better than you usually get from teen flicks and Bridges chews through his role with a kind of gruffy panache. And as for Peregrym, even when her 'rage against the machine' personality seems a little over the top, she pulls it off well enough to almost make it believable.

The DVD, due out this month from Touchstone, offers up quite a few special features. And for once most of them are a perfect fit for this type of the film. On the lesser end of the spectrum, there are two commentaries. One by the director and some of the cast members, while the other features the director partnered up with cinematographer Daryn Okada. Neither commentary is especially engaging, but if you had to pick one, go for the filmmakers. The teen cast just isn't up to the task of long conversation. Also on the low end are two music videos by Missy Elliott and Jeannie Ortega featuring Papoose (Papoose???), these were unnecessary.

On the brighter side of the coin, there is a pretty funny blooper reel and a total of nine deleted scenes, most of which are rather interesting. Then we get to the real features, which include a look at the real gymnasts who worked as stunt doubles for the cast and some full routines done by the world class athletes.

"Stick It" isn’t a movie that will change your life or win any Academy Awards, but it is certainly a crowd pleaser for those crowd who enjoy seeing the underdog beat the odds.

Directed by: Jessica Bendinger
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, Vanessa Lengies, Jon Gries, Julie Warner
Extras: Bloopers & Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Missy Elliott Music Video "We Run This", Jeannie Ortega featuring Papoose Music Video "Crowded", Hard Corps Featurette, The Elites, The Judges Table, Feature Commentaries with Director and Actors - Director and Filmmaker
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 9/19/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Some Crude Remarks)
Website

We'll give Stick It a B.