Well, if you haven't yet planned it and set it up, it's time to get busy.  There's no telling how long the movie will be held over.  What are we talking about?  The new movie "Stick It" that is now in theatres and the party you're going to have with your team or teammates.

Support Your Sport
No one knows how good or haow realistic the movie is going to be, but we know there are few gymnastics related movies ever released and we know all your gymnasts are going to see the movie, anyway.  Why not make it a gym or team event.

Plan Your Party
There are lots of ways to plan the party.  Some theatres have private V.I.P. rooms.  One of our movie theatres does.  And we have rented them for the Saturday matinee, made reservations at our favorite local restaurant and then it's off to the gym for open gym.

FUN with "Stick It"
From our perspective, we want our gymnasts to see the movie and have a chance to talk about it with us and their teammates, but mostly we want to have FUN and celebrate with our team a rare mainstream gymnastics event.

Dinner and a Movie
Dinner and a movie would be a good party, but we're thinking our gymnasts may be fired up and want to get some of that gym energy out and what better way to do that than an open gym.

Real Gymnastics Stars
Real life star gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Carly Patterson appear in the movie with Nastia Liukin gaining more movie screen time by virtue of her brilliance from what was supposed to originally be only a very brief cameo.   Former gymnastics greats Bart Conner, Elfi Schlegal and Tim Daggett also appear in the film.

So Far, So Bad
We have to admit that there has never been a gymnastics movie that ever portrayed gymnasts with anything but bad attitudes and hostility and have, in general, displayed zero understanding of the sport, espcially at the team level, not to mention some atrocious acting.  But this movie may yet break the mold, at least in terms of understanding the sport.

Gymnastics Movie 1
There have been gymnastics movie before.  "Gymkata" starring (?) Kurt Thomas was a 1985 "gymnastics skills and martial arts kills" flop that didn't stay in the theatres very long.  Hence the advice to quickly plan your party.

Gymnastics Movie 2
"American Anthem" had negative coaching stereotypes, a ridiculously "rebellious" gymnast and total gymnastic unreality.  Doing men's high bar out in the middle of the woods, at night and in the rain - come on.  The apparent theme - gymnasts should follow their own juvenile notions, ignore their coach's advice and that's how they will become a winner.  But hey, Mitch Gaylord and some other great gymnasts were in this 1986 forerunner.

20 Years Since the Last Gymnastics Movie
These two movies apparently killed any Hollywood desire to make any further gymnastics movies until now, twenty years later.  Writer/Director Jessica Bendinger, flush from "Bring It On" success, took on a movie revolving about gymnastics.

A Gymnastics Movie First?
Still, this could be a first - a good gymnastics movie (in spite of evidence to the contrary in the weak trailers) - and it may be a good starting point for discussions with gymnasts about their attitudes, their life in the gym and their careers in the sport.

Theme of the Movie
Stick It
Haley Graham is a rebellious 17 year-old who is forced to return to the regimented world of gymnastics after a run-in with the law. A judge sentences Haley to her ultimate nightmare -- attending an elite gymnastics academy run by legendary hardnosed coach Burt Vickerman. Haley's rebellious spirit and quick-witted banter quickly shakes things up at the strict school - making both close friends and bitter foes along the way. Haley surprises herself as she discovers an unexpected ally in the form of her new coach, and learns respect is a two-way street.  Haley, Vickerman, and a group of his elite athletes band together to confront a major championship and prove that loyalty, friendships and individual athletes matter more than rules, judges or scores.

Reviews
Reviews are mixed.  Let's stick to the positive ones.

"Three cheers for a feisty, break-all-the-rules heroine who is a bold innovator in the grueling world of competitive gymnastics."
-- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE

 -- Frank Scheck, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
  "Subversively funny ..."

  "... a frothy girl-power manifesto so briskly paced, sharply written and infectiously entertaining that its deficiencies seem as insignificant as a lightly chipped fingernail."
-- Maitland McDonagh, TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE

    "Stick It isn't groundbreaking material, but at least it keeps its balance."
-- Kathy Cano Murillo, ARIZONA REPUBLIC

    "A spry teenage comedy that gets everything right, Stick It takes the usual batch of underdogs, dirt bags, mean girls and bimbos and sends them somersaulting through happy clichés and unexpected invention."
-- Nathan Lee, NEW YORK TIMES

-- Robert Koehler, VARIETY
  "Bendinger, who wrote for rock magazine Spin, has figured out a way to salute female competition and unity."

  "Writer/director Jessica Bendinger breathes new life into old cliches... with attitude, cheeky humor and youthful energy."
-- Josh Bell, LAS VEGAS WEEKLY

  "Stick It appears to be one kind of movie, but the kind of movie it actually is, is more original."
-- Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS

  "... smarter and funnier than it has any right to be."
-- M.E. Russell, OREGONIAN