With a title like 'Pom poms and payback,' how could I refuse? Every now and again Lifetime turns out an original movie that is actually a whole lot of fun. Sometimes that's because they're sincere and well-made, while other examples are unquestionably gauche but still manage to entertain. Mark this as a third variety - the type that's so outrageously over the top that there's no way it could be anything but an intentional laugh riot. From top to bottom the screenplay is astoundingly blunt, direct, ham-handed, and outright cheesy. Yet this is also a film that knows exactly what it is, and confidently charges forward with utmost irreverent flippancy. I can understand how this won't appeal to everyone, but I'm absolutely among its cheerleaders - this is a blast!
Anyone seeking an earnest, meaningful drama is apt to be disappointed. Sure, Lifetime has a particular reputation, and it's not undeserved. But for those receptive to all the wide, weird, wonderful possibilities cinema has to offer - and specifically, utmost nonsensical romps - this is fantastic. The characters, dialogue, scene writing, and narrative are all characterized by dazzlingly bare-faced, forthright absurdity. Though only a high school student, Jessie is a tech wiz. She, Annabelle, and primary protagonist Sharlene are walking cliches, teenagers written with superficial supposed intelligence that comes and goes as the plot demands. Howard is the stereotypical nerdy sidekick, oafish and bumbling in personal matters, and meanwhile the movie wastes no time at all in establishing the primary antagonist and her scheme. That she likes to talk to herself as her plot unfolds is worth a cheeky laugh, and the unflaggingly straightforward tenor of it all means 'Pom poms and payback' is predictable from the very start.
While the technical craft of the feature, and the work of crew behind the scenes, is perfectly competent, it's all slanted toward the same ridiculous end. Every possible opportunity is taken to spotlight the bodies of the cheerleaders, or the coach; swell costume design, and hair and makeup work, all lean into the deliberate gawkiness (even at the climax!). Marc Jovani's music is as "by the numbers" as a thriller score could get, and while serving its purpose, its deployment with intent to amplify the mood of any given scene is altogether funny in light of how heavy-handed the plot development is. And so it is with the acting, too - everyone on hand turns in a performance that carries small hints of nuanced range as a scene may require; I recognize skill that would show itself, given the opportunity. Yet by and large, every portrayal is defined by unflinchingly brusque, guileless chewing of scenery and overacting, in keeping with the spirit of the picture. Everyone involved clearly was having the time of their lives making this, and that revery definitely shines through.
We're still not done, though, because some of the dialogue and scene writing is so objectively exaggerated and overcooked that it's beyond all doubt that this was consciously designed as an unblinking, deadpan comedy. That includes the climax, and the utterly preposterous ease of the final scene. Moreover, even when the movie declines full-fledged humor, everything about it is so stunningly contrived, a conjuration purely of Movie Magic, that it's impossible not to laugh at the spectacle. The result of all this bluster is that 'Pom poms and payback' is an unremitting delight, a wonderfully entertaining and bombastic tongue-in-cheek spectacle from start to finish. Yes, Lifetime is known for overly self-serious "mama dramas," and that renown is not without reason. Yet those who create features for the network aren't sloppy nobodies - there's real intelligence and heart that goes into these features, whether they're genuine and heartfelt, overdone but enjoyable - or, as is the case here, highfalutin tomfoolery that's here to upend expectations borne from its brethren and have a good time, whether viewers get it or not.
I get it. And I love it. I can appreciate why not everyone can get on board with titles like this, but I also believe the purpose is wildly misunderstood. 'Pom poms and payback' is a joyously, willfully overblown mixture of thriller and comedy, and it earns my most enthusiastic recommendation! Three cheers from me!
