It was late August 2000. A movie about high school cheerleaders opened at number one, punching way above its weight class by knocking a Wesley Snipes action flick off the top spot. Nobody really expected it. But honestly, looking back, the bring it on movie kirsten dunst legacy was inevitable. Dunst was only 17 when she filmed it, yet she managed to turn a character who could have been a vapid "blonde lead" into someone with actual, relatable skin in the game.
She wasn't just a girl in a skirt. She was Torrance Shipman.
The "Cheer Fever" Origin Story
The movie almost didn't happen—at least not the way we know it. Screenwriter Jessica Bendinger originally envisioned a documentary about the high-stakes world of competitive cheerleading after seeing it on ESPN. She pitched it to MTV News, but they didn't bite. So, she pivotally turned it into a script called Cheer Fever.
Funny enough, Kirsten Dunst turned the role down more than once. She was stuck in Prague working on what she later called a "depressing, bad indie film." It took a conversation with director Peyton Reed to convince her. He didn't want to make a fluff piece; he wanted to make a sports movie that actually felt like a movie.
Dunst finally said yes. Thank god.
Why the Bring It On Movie Kirsten Dunst Casting Worked
Torrance Shipman is a "Dunstocracy" staple. She starts the film as the epitome of white privilege—captain of a five-time national championship squad at the affluent Rancho Carne High. Then she finds out the truth. Her predecessor, the legendary "Big Red," stole every single routine from the East Compton Clovers.
Most teen movies of that era would have had the protagonist "find her own way" and win anyway. This one didn't. Dunst played the guilt with a specific, savage wrinkle of the nose. She was bossy, wounded, and occasionally tone-deaf. Remember when she tried to have her dad’s company sponsor the Clovers so they could afford to go to Nationals?
Gabrielle Union, playing the iconic Isis, basically ripped the check up. It’s a moment that still hits. The movie forced Torrance to realize that being a "good person" doesn't mean you're entitled to a win you didn't earn.
The Realism of the Stunts
There were no shortcuts. Peyton Reed was adamant that the actors do their own stunts. This meant a grueling four-week cheer camp before cameras even rolled.
- The Cast: Only 8 of the 20 people on each squad were actors.
- The Pros: The remaining 12 were world-class competitive cheerleaders.
- The Result: That "spirit fingers" energy was backed by actual athleticism.
Dunst had cheered in 8th grade, and Gabrielle Union cheered in high school, but the routines were next-level. The East Compton Clovers were largely played by students from San Diego’s James Madison High School, a squad that was actually ranked third in the nation at the time. You can see the difference in the precision.
The Toothbrush Scene and That Soundtrack
If you ask Peyton Reed what his favorite scene is, he won’t say the final routine. He’ll tell you it’s the toothbrushing scene.
It’s just Torrance and Cliff (Jesse Bradford) in a bathroom. No dialogue. Just some awkward, electric flirting over toothpaste. It felt like a 1940s rom-com stuck in the middle of a Y2K teen flick. Cliff was the "proto-Dan Humphrey" type, a punk-rock kid who hated cheerleading but loved the girl. Their chemistry gave the movie a heart that the sequels never quite recaptured.
And then there’s the music. From Blaque’s "As If" to the cast lip-syncing "Mickey" during the credits, the soundtrack was the pulse of the film. It was the year 2000 in a bottle.
Cultural Appropriation Before It Was a Buzzword
We talk about cultural appropriation constantly now. In 2000, Bring It On was actually doing the work. It highlighted the systemic gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" without being preachy.
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Rancho Carne had the resources, the fancy uniforms, and the stolen routines. East Compton had the talent but no funding. The movie didn't give the Toros a magical "we're sorry" win. They came in second. They deserved second.
Isis told Torrance: "I know you didn't think a white girl made that shit up." That line is legendary for a reason. It cut through the bubbly aesthetic of the film and pointed directly at the theft of Black creativity.
The 25th Anniversary Reunion
Just recently, in September 2025, the cast reunited at the Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles. Dunst, Union, Bradford, and Lindsay Sloane (Big Red herself) sat down to look back.
Seeing Dunst and Union together again reminded everyone why this movie stuck. It wasn't just a fluke. While Dunst has gone on to do heavy hitters like The Power of the Dog and Melancholia, she still speaks fondly of Torrance. She was 17, she had her first number-one movie, and she was crying in a van with her mom and director when the box office numbers came in.
That’s a core memory for a reason.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're revisiting the bring it on movie kirsten dunst era, here’s how to do it right:
- Watch for the Meta-Winks: Eliza Dushku’s character, Missy, is called "Buffy" by the Clovers. It’s a direct nod to her role as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Look at the Extras: Keep an eye on the background during the competition scenes. Those are real San Diego high school squads.
- Appreciate the Writing: Notice the "vernacular" Jessica Bendinger created. "Cheerocracy" and "Cheer-tator" weren't things people said before this movie.
- Skip the Sequels (Mostly): There are five of them. They are fun, sure, but none of them feature the original cast or the sharp social commentary of the first one.
The movie ends with the cast singing and dancing. It’s carefree. It’s joyful. But it’s also a reminder that the best teen movies are the ones that respect their audience enough to tell the truth about power, privilege, and the importance of coming up with your own damn routine.