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SYNOPSIS:
In this laugh-out-loud comedy, Ford High's star football players Shawn Colfax and Nick Brady scheme to ditch football camp so they can spend the summer surrounded by beautiful girls at cheer camp. The guys are having the time of their lives as they use their new reputation as "sensitive guys" to talk the hotties into skinny dipping, cheering naked, and hooking up. But when Shawn falls for the gorgeous head cheerleader who's suspicious of their motives, the players must change their game to prove Shawn's intentions before the thrilling cheer competition finals.
MOVIE
REVIEW
“Fired Up!” is not a cheerleading movie. There, I’ve saved myself from the wrath of Eric Christian Olsen, the blond clearly-over 20s actor who plays high school football jock Nick. You’ll know what I mean when you see one of the special features on this disc where Olsen literally goes ballistic when some reporter asks him how he feels about being in a cheerleading movie.
No, “Fired Up!” is really an American Pie in the guise of a cheerleading movie- and it wears its guise proudly on its sleeves. Heck, it even pays tribute to probably the most iconic cheerleader movie of all time, “Bring It On!” (2000), by sending it up in a hilarious sequence where dozens of enamoured cheerleaders gather in an open field to watch their all-time favourite film and say out loud every line of its dialogue by heart.
The plot is simple- Nick and fellow football player Shawn (played by Nicholas D’Agosto) decide to forgo football camp for cheerleading camp so they can hook up with the hot cheerleaders there. Like the high school kids in American Pie and dozens of other such similarly-themed movies, Nick and Shawn just want to get laid. And within that skeleton of a premise, Fired Up! lets all sorts of irreverent jokes roll.
Some of them are obviously recycled, like a nude cheering scene where Nick and Shawn have their privates covered by strategically placed pom-poms. Others, however, are actually rather inspired and poke good fun at the sport of cheerleading as well as its customary practices- for example, the habit of turning almost anything into a cheer, however inane it may be.
But inane this movie certainly is not. In fact, it is actually infectious fun thanks to its energetic script by some anonymous screenwriter(s) who want simply to be known as Freedom Jones. Kudos also to the film’s equally lively cast, in particular Olsen and D’Agosto. Though they hardly look like high school kids, the pair make it up with a generous dose of chemistry with each other, delivering one hilarious line after another with smooth comedic timing. Together, their vigour keeps the movie zippy and buoyant, even if things unfold somewhat predictably.
For a movie that could easily have turned its title into a misnomer, “ Fired Up!” demonstrates that it still has more than its fair share of laughs to get you fired up. Yes, if it’s some cheeky harmless fun you’re looking for, you can bet you’ll find “Fired Up!” (abbreviated “F U” for that matter) a cheer-full movie.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Commentary with director Will Gluck and cast Eric Christian Olsen and Nicholas D’Agosto: Lead actors Olsen and D’Agosto prove that they share as much chemistry on-screen as they do off-screen, as is evident in their lively banter with director Gluck that is good for its own share of laughs.
“This is Not a Cheerleading Movie: The Making of Fired Up” goes behind the scenes at some of the general aspects of production, in particular the training that the cast had to go through, as well as some of the accidents that happened during the shoot.
“Double Duty” is a more in-depth look at the cheerleading and football training that leads Olsen and D’Agosto went through in preparation for this movie.
“Gag Reel” contains a bevy hinted at by the movie’s abbreviated title but otherwise not said explicitly in order to qualify for that PG-13 rating in the U.S. There’s also a particularly funny montage of scenes interrupted by the sound of peacocks.
“Fired Up Press Junket - Hour 12” is that warning Olsen delivers about calling “Fired Up!” a cheerleading movie.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Images are sharp and colourful thanks to an excellent visual transfer. The Dolby 5.1 audio complements the film’s cheerleading scenes especially well.
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DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
Posted on 29 June 2009
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