RECOMMENDED, WITH RESERVATIONS
“BRING IT ON” (PG-13): Torrance (Kirsten Dunst of “The Virgin Suicides”) has made it to the top of the heap: She’s the head cheerleader at San Diego’s Rancho Carne High, where the football team punts, but the cheering squad is a five-time national champ.
As Torrance prepares for her big year, she discovers that all her cheerleaders’ routines were stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, an inner-city school 100 miles north. Will Torrance play fair? Will she lead her school to victory with stolen routines? Will she find love after her boyfriend goes to college?
“Bring It On” is “Clueless” with pompoms.
Language: Some profanity.
Sex: Much chat, gay and straight, and a rude gimmick about a pantyless cheerleader.
Violence: These girls take some violent tumbles, resulting in a broken leg and nose.
Audience: Teens. Girls will root for the cheerleaders; boys will simply enjoy the show.
NOT RECOMMENDED
“THE CREW” (PG-13): You don’t become a wise guy because of a pension – something that hits home to four golden guys with guns.
Burt Reynolds, Richard Dreyfuss, Seymour Cassel and Dan Hedaya play the retirees who room together at the Raj Mahal on South Beach, a Florida spot that has become more hip than hip replacement. The quartet is about to fall victim to gentrification when they hatch a plan that involves murder, Hispanic drug kingpins and a hilarious Lainie Kazan.
Language: Some profanity, much of it Yiddish.
Sex: A naked, shriveled old male butt and repeated trips to a sex club.
Violence: The boys blow the head off a corpse (off-camera, fortunately).
Audience: Adults. This crew is too crude and lewd for youngsters.
NOT RECOMMENDED
“THE ART OF WAR” (R): In this high-tech thriller, Wesley Snipes gives us a chip off the old Bond. He plays an ultrasecret agent for the United Nations who gets caught in the crossfire between the Chinese and Americans as the deadline for a trade accord nears and someone assassinates the Chinese ambassador.
Anne Archer, Donald Sutherland and Maury Chaikin give strong support in an actioner that answers the question: What do you do for bad guys after the Cold War? Answer: Recruit the Chinese.
Language: Profanity in two languages.
Sex: In the opening sequence, two women at a nightclub disappear under the table while their male companion remains seated. It’s clear they aren’t looking for a contact lens.
Violence: Verging on the hard core, with the brutal torture slaying of a female co-conspirator done in MTV slo-mo.
Audience: Adults only.