One cheerleading movie had people saying "Bring It On" and now, director/writer Jessica Bendinger wants people to "Stick It" with gymnastics.
Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym), a rebellious teenager, faces two choices after a run-in with the law: Go to military school or go to back to a sport she walked out on years before. Of course she opts to go to military camp, too bad the judge sent her back to the beam, the bars, the vault and the floor. Haley left the sport after going all the way to the World Competition and became a gymnastics pariah. She'd rather go to juvenile detention than face the tumbling, leotard wearing, not-so-nice girls of her past.
She's sent to Burt Vickerman's (Jeff Bridges) school for elite gymnasts and decides to be as difficult as she possibly can. But Vickerman forces her to think long and hard about her decision. Haley gets back into training to prove to everyone there's a reason she made it as far as she did. Although, she's shaking up the school as much as she can in the process.
On the way, she's taunted daily by Joanna (Vanessa Lengies), some what dim-witted gymnast who has known Haley longer than she'd care to. The rest of the elite gymnasts in the training facility are shaken up by her presence, but she's more than willing to give them pointers.
She's also got two friends on the outside, Frank and Poot (Kellan Lutz and John Patrick Amedori), who give her all the support she needs. The sport, which has been questioned more than once on its rule book and judging techniques, also faces a shake up with Haley around.
The question Haley faces is whether or not she can let go of a past that has provided her so many bad memories and realize her potential.
Bendinger's take on the world of gymnastics in "Stick It" draws from more than a few genres, a cornucopia of comedy, drama and sport. The story may focus around Haley, but there's enough action to keep people glued to their seats.
Haley acts as both central figure and narrator. It's through her voiceovers that people learn that elite gymnastics is more than flipping around on a bar. It's an agonizing sport. The movie compares gymnasts to the Navy Seals, but while there are thousands of Seals, there are roughly only 200 elite gymnasts in the world.
Real gymnasts make appearances in the film, including Olympic champ Carly Patterson. Appearances by gymnastics announcers Tim Dagget and Elfi Schlegel make the meets seem real.
Although it looks like a cookie cutter high school movie, "Stick It" provides more than the basics. It actually goes in depth into the sport and works as an amusing teen movie.
"Stick It" is now playing everywhere.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
