Nostalgia is an inescapable force. In 2020s pop culture, the fastest way for artists to stir up a little excitement around a new release is to reference a classic teen movie from the 90s-2000s. Think Ariana Grande’s “Thank U Next”. Fans were frothing at the mouth to see her take on Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Bring it On and Legally Blonde. Olivia Rodrigo references The Princess Diaries and Jennifer’s Body in her music video for “Good 4 U”. You have to duck for cover on October third to avoid being bombarded with Mean Girls quotes- especially if it’s a Wednesday. Between Halloween costumes, trending TikTok sounds and modern-day spin-offs (He’s All That anyone?), it’s clear that the “sleepover movie” still hold a special place in the hearts of Millennial and Gen-Z adults.
One frequently neglected masterpiece of the 2000s coming-of-age-wave is Stick It (2006). Stick It, starring Missy Peregrym and Jeff Bridges, follows teenage rebel Haley Graham, a once-renowned gymnast who abandoned Team USA at the eleventh hour, forced to return to the sport after a streak of delinquency finds her in court. The directorial debut of Jessica Bendinger, writer of Bring It On, which would go on to inspire the creation of Touchstone’s television series Make It or Break It. Stick It has been hailed as “the only good gymnastics movie” by Dvora Meyers of Vice. An exciting sport, a banging soundtrack and a fiery underdog protagonist should firmly place Stick It on the list of quintessential 2000s sleepover movies. Yet the most hype I see about it are thirst-edits of Haley Graham being a bisexual-awakening-character (and honestly, so valid).
Scathing reviews on Rotten Tomatoes dating from 2006-2009 earn it 30% on the Tomatometer. This initial harshness seems to be fairly in-line with the deeply unfair yet widely-held belief; if it’s made for teenage girls, it must be bad! (For comparison, Wild Child (2008) scores 40% on the Tomatometer, John Tucker Must Die (2006) 28% and The House Bunny (2008) 43%). While it’s initial release did relatively well at the box-office, this short-lived success was unsupported by any marketing. Thus Stick It seemed to fade into obscurity. This is the only film Jessica Bedinger ever directed, and frankly, I believe we were robbed.
As much as the dialogue and costuming is firmly set in 2006, Stick It‘s portrayal of teen girls was way ahead of its time. The men of Stick It take a back seat, existing solely to build up the female characters. Bedinger writes teenage girls with nuance and care, showing a great respect and empathy for her characters while still having fun with them. It’s amazing how enjoyable it is to watch a movie about teenage girls written by someone who doesn’t hate them!
The initial cold reception Haley receives isn’t based on looks or social status- it’s historic beef. They all know that she screwed over her teammates, causing them to lose out on gold at the World Championships- an unspeakable betrayal in a competitive sport. They are well-justified in their hatred towards Haley. And Haley is more than capable of one-upping this energy with her biting wit and acerbic comebacks, creating a delightfully catty exchange. There are some phenomenal one-liners, every bit as stupid as they are entertaining. Joanne, played by Vanessa Lengies (Glee’s own Sugar Motta) plays the archetypal bitchy airhead brilliantly, the perfect counterpart to Haley’s stubborn rebel. Joanne is a great comedic antagonist who the audience comes around to empathising with as we learn more about where her needy, hyper-competitive nature stems from.
Stick It gives us a well-rounded portrayal of female friendships. It would have been so easy for Haley’s character to be written in the direction of being “not like other girls”, entering as this messy outcast into a world of perfection. Yet, Bedinger chose to sidestep this low-hanging fruit. Even with her cynicism and snarky attitude, Haley uplifts her teammates, inspires confidence, and urges them to block out the noise to become their best selves.
On top of this, Haley isn’t subject to a makeover montage, or a moment where she removes her glasses to reveal “Surprise, idiots! I’ve been hot the whole goddamn time!” True, she ditches her cargo pants for a leotard, but that’s the extent of it. We aren’t duped into believing her appearance is holding her back from success.
Another factor setting this movie apart from others of the time is that there’s not even a hint of romantic subplot for Haley. Haley’s story and character growth happens independently of the search for romantic validation. Her strictly platonic friendship with two boys is unusual for the era. Frank and Poot really do wonders for subverting a lot of the toxic masculinity the 2000s teen comedy is notorious for. Not only do they value Haley as a person rather than a sexual object, but we see them cartwheeling carefree around the mall in prom dresses. When Frank tries to mock Poot for being “whipped” by Joanne, Poot simply asks why that’s a bad thing, causing Frank to immediately change his tune. Truly, a refreshing portrayal of teenage boys.
Gymnastics is always an entertaining watch, and Stick It showcases some beautiful synchronised competition montages. Bedinger also powerfully captures the pain and frustration of a dedicated, full-time athlete. We get to see Haley fail and flop repeatedly, finally mastering a breathtaking skill, only to receive a mediocre reception from judges who could never in their wildest dreams recreate it. You don’t have to know the first thing about gymnastics to empathise with the characters’ outrage at such petty penalties. We also get an insight into just how much these athletes sacrifice for the sake of their sport. While they are diligent, talented and strong, we see flashes of naivety in social situations. They are denied an ounce of normality in their life, and the judges have the audacity to dock marks over a visible bra strap or songs with lyrics?
The real triumph of Stick It is that it shows teenage girls as a force to be reckoned with. Haley, her teammates and competitors reclaim the power from the judges at Nationals, banding together to decide who will be the winner of each skill. By agreeing to “scratch” and forfeit the round so that their agreed winner is chosen by default, they send a clear “fuck you” to the nitpicking ways of the judging panel. The message is clear- your voice does matter. This is a rare example where our characters are empowered, not punished for standing up to the system, and it ends the story on a high.
Overall, Stick It is an absolute joy to watch. Haley is a fun protagonist and Missy Peregrym delivers a stellar performance. The dialogue is classic cheesey 2000s comedy with really fun characters. The soundtrack goes unbelievably hard (Green Day’s “Brain Stew” played over Haley’s failing montage is so perfect), and the ending is uplifting and inspirational. Perhaps if it makes a comeback on streaming sites we’ll finally see it get the love it deserves. If you’re a fan of Bring it On or She’s the Man, you’ll really enjoy this.
