Cheerleading captain Torrance Shipman (Kirstin Dunst) is up against some major obstacles as she begins her senior year: she just found out that the former team captain stole all their moves from an inner-city school in L.A.; one of her best team members just broke her leg; and the choreographer she hires to teach them new moves is just quite possibly incompetent. How she handles these problems is the foundation for a boisterous, energetic, and occasionally funny movie that endeavors to capture the intricacies of competitive cheerleading.

Jessica Bendinger, who wrote the screenplay — and who, I’ll bet, is a former cheerleader herself — can’t seem to decide whether we’re supposed to laugh at or admire these kids, making for a sometimes confusing hybrid of a movie, equal parts slangy satire and conventionally uplifting sports movie. Director Peyton Reed’s ability to get his young actors to perform convincingly is spotty at best. But Dunst is terrific, the team’s moves are fun to watch, and Bring It On has just enough verve and humor to get us over these hurdles.