Bring It On - Missy

Bring It On is the quintessential cheering movie of the aughts.  I mean, who doesn't know what "Spirit Fingers" are?  Starring Kirsten Dunst as Torrence Shipman, newly elected cheer captain and Eliza Dushku as cynical newcomer Missy Pantone, this movie has earned cult status in the world of female-dominated high school athletics.  Because it was so wildly successful, it has spawned nearly a half dozen campy, horrible, made-for-TV sequels.  Despite this, Bring It On is still a brilliant teen movie.  There always seems to be a satirical aspect to teen movies.  Take a look at the name of the high school where our story takes place:  Rancho Carne.  Google translates this as "beef ranch".  Rancho Carne Toros.  Beef Ranch Bulls.  Ahem.  Is this a thinly-veiled reference to the hormonally-driven meat market that is high school?  Or does it have to do with student athletics - strength, virility?  Or maybe I'm looking a little too deep into it.  All I know is, it made me think of burritos.  Mmm, carne asada...  Moving on!  This movie is actually pretty tame when compared to more recent teen comedies (Mean Girls, The Hot Chick, Euro Trip).  Other than the highly amusing and satirical opening, for the most part Bring It On is at its most suggestive when the characters are discussing sexual orientation.  Dyke and fag are used as offensive terms, but the characters own it as part of the lexicon, part of their culture.
 

Missy qualifies as sidekick because Torrence spends a lot more time with her than any other teammate from the squad, although Whitney and Courtney are sassy (and Beta) enough to be considered sidekicks.  I chose Missy over those two because they are cheer-frenemies and that is all there is to them, though they do get some seriously snarky lines, and combined they could be called Brutus to Torrence's Cesar, what with their attempt at overthrowing the "Cheerocracy".  Missy and Torrence are actually quite the impressive pair.  They only talk about boys a couple of times, and most of their conversation revolves around ethics, morality and authenticity in competition.  Both Torrence and Missy hold a higher standard of conduct as athletes.  This is an unusually strong characteristic to bond these characters together in a teen movie.  But, as is almost required in teen movies and chick flicks in general, Missy goes through quite a transformation.  When she is introduced, she is an inked, be-dreaded gymnast with serious attitude and serious talent, with no tolerance for the stereotypically shallow cheerleaders that denigrate her.  By the end, she proudly calls herself a cheerleader, and embraces that title.  And she doesn't even mind that her best friend wants to date her brother, plays matchmaker even!

Stats:
Screen time:  15 minutes
Memorable Quotes:  "I transferred from Los Angeles, this school has no gymnastics team, this is a last resort!"  "Are you trying to tell me you speak fag?"  "And Courtney and Whitney?  Dykadellic?"  "We might have to have a rumble."  "Making money from guys ogling my goodies."  "That's right, I am a cheerleader and you're a dumbass."  "And, let me give you a little tip from a cheerleader:  Be, aggressive, b-e aggressive."  "I don't know what's scarier, neurotic cheerleaders or the pressure to win.  I could make a killing selling something like 'Diet Prozac'."

http://beta-friend.blogspot.com/2010/04/bring-it-on-missy.html