Gymnastic movie splits teens, adults

Tomboy Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) can shred it on a BMX bike. But when her stunts send her through a plate-glass window causing thousands of dollars in damage, the cops drag her before the judge who sentences her to a fate worse than jail: VGA.

VGA, we soon learn, stands for the Vickerman Gymnastics Academy, and its namesake, Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), has a reputation for pushing his girls too far and getting them hurt. We learn Haley was once a world-class gymnast, but for reasons no one understands, she walked out of the world championship, costing her team the gold. That one act has made her the pariah of the gymnastics community, and now she’s stuck in a place where no one wants her. She’s the target of dirty looks and snide comments ? mostly courtesy of her acidic rival Joanne (Vanessa Lengies).

Haley’s reaction is to rebel by not participating, even if it means the other girls have to run endlessly until she changes her mind. She doesn’t, which makes them hate her even more. Haley tells coach Vickerman she’s never going to train or compete again because she doesn’t want to be judged again. The irony she soon realizes is that she’s already been judged (by the judge, of course) and she’s stuck. Vickerman manages to convince her she should train for the next competition to earn money to pay for the window she broke and earn her freedom.

“Stick It” is the directorial debut of writer Jessica Bendinger, who penned “Bring It On.” While she’s already proven herself a gifted writer, Bendinger lost herself in her new role to the detriment of her old one. The movie is laden with needless directorial flourishes that become almost nauseating. We get a lot of eye candy ? including a dazzling kaleidoscopic montage of gymnastic routines ? but we also get a Swiss-cheese story that does little more than give us an excuse to go to yet another montage.

Because of the short shrift given to story and character development, Haley is unlikable for far too much of the movie. She comes off as little more than a mouthy brat and a selfish quitter. We start to understand her more as the movie rolls on, but it will be too little too late for many viewers.

More often than not, the montages also supplant the actual gymnastics routines. As much time as we spend in a gym, and as gymnastics-centric as this movie is, Bendinger seems to be worried about giving us too much gymnastics.

We see snippets of events pieced together in montages, and we do see a couple of routines, but the movie seems to pride itself on avoiding the drama and tension that has become a prerequisite of the inspirational sports movie.

Instead, it gives loud music and energetic editing. In the end, the movie opts for a feel-good resolution, but it also seems to be saying, “When things don’t go your way it’s OK ? inspirational even ? to just quit.” I would have rather seen an actual competition.

All that said, this seems to be how they make movies for teenagers these days ? as if they’re one long MTV video. In that light, this flick can be judged less harshly. It takes a while to get there, but once Haley puts her heart and energy into VGA, the movie takes a turn for the better. We start to like her, even root for her, and we get some good laughs and fun moments along the way. And if you’re a fan of gymnastics, this movie is made for you.