Fired Up (film)
Encyclopedia
Fired Up! is a 2009 teen
comedy film
produced and directed by Will Gluck
and written by Freedom Jones. The main plot revolves around two popular high school football players (portrayed by Eric Christian Olsen
and Nicholas D'Agosto
) who create their lie to attend cheerleading camp for the summer and get close
to its female cheerleaders.
and Nicholas D'Agosto
) are two popular football players at the fictional Gerald R. Ford High School who manage to get out of football camp and con their way into the cheerleading
squad after overhearing a conversation about the camp's abundant female population of 300 cheerleaders. Their objective is to infiltrate the cheerleading camp in order to meet girls
. While at cheer camp, Nick and Shawn realize that they actually enjoy cheering and they start to care about their squad as well as the cheer competition. Shawn develops feelings for the head cheerleader, Carly Davidson (Sarah Roemer
) and Nick chases after Diora (Molly Sims
), their camp coach's wife.
Carly and the rest of the squad find out about the boys' true motives for attending cheer camp. Carly's boyfriend, Dr. Rick (David Walton
), also reveals that the boys initially planned to leave cheer camp before the cheer competition. Nick and Shawn leave camp after being ejected from the squad. While attending a party at their friend's house, the boys found out that they are genuinely fond of cheer camp and want their squad to succeed. Nick and Shawn decide to return to cheer camp and help the squad in the cheer competition. While doing their routine, Carly notices Rick is cheating on her with their rivals' head cheerleader. She and Shawn later focus all of their attention to the routine. The squad's routine results in their best finish yet, despite a botched attempt to execute the "Fountain of Troy" maneuver. When the squad go for executing the forbidden maneuver, Shawn accidentally goes for a triple backflip instead of a double like Carly and backflips into the water in front of them. The crowd gasps at the impact and the squad rushes to help, but Shawn manages to emerge and yells "Tigers!" before losing consciousness. Although the squad did not win the contest, they place ten spots better than they did last year. The film ends when Nick and Shawn end up with their girls with Shawn and Carly sharing their kiss.
in 2008. However, the hallway scene was filmed at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California
. To make filming easier, the fictional Gerald R. Ford
High School's mascot was made the "Tigers" since South Pasadena High's mascot is a tiger. Some of the South Pasadena Tigers Football team's gear such as pads, were borrowed for use in the film. However, filming for the football game scene took place at Calabasas High School
. The filming of the pool scene took place at Long Beach Polytechnic High School
. The cheerleader camp was filmed at Occidental College
, which incidentally also has the tiger as a mascot. In one of the early scenes, the train passing by is the Metro Gold Line (LACMTA) Pasadena line. The location where the cheerleaders were practicing was filmed in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
.
gave the film a rating of 23% based on 101 reviews, with the general consensus being that "though not as raunchy or juvenile as the average teen comedy, Fired Up is also not as funny."
Metacritic gave the film a "generally unfavorable" score of 31% based on a normalized average of 18 reviews. A common criticism, addressed by director Will Gluck in the film's commentary track, is that the filmmakers "casted a little bit older." Star Eric Christian Olsen adds, "If by 'older,' you mean thirteen years!" Lead actors Olsen and Nicholas D'Agosto were playing high school students at the ages 30 and 27 at the time of filming, respectively. Gluck also points out Roger Ebert
's and the New York Times
's negative reviews specifically, as well as a mention of the Washington Post. He, however, omits the Washington Post's backhanded compliment that "Gluck directs with frantic, go-for-broke pacing, which is what you do when your reserves of wit are bankrupt." One of the more positive reviews, from Hollywood.com, admits it's satisfying for the audience it's aimed towards: "An outrageous, sex-obsessed teen comedy that’s something to cheer about -- especially if you’re 16."
, UMD
, and Blu-Ray
formats June 9, 2009. An unrated version was also released containing non-censored profanity and brief nudity not seen in the theatrical cut.
Teen film
Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
produced and directed by Will Gluck
Will Gluck
Will Gluck is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Career:Will's career started off writing for The John Larroquette Show and then he went on to write and produce for shows like Grosse Pointe, Luis and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. He co-created and produced the Fox series...
and written by Freedom Jones. The main plot revolves around two popular high school football players (portrayed by Eric Christian Olsen
Eric Christian Olsen
Eric Christian Olsen is an American actor. He currently portrays Detective Marty Deeks on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:...
and Nicholas D'Agosto
Nicholas D'Agosto
- Early life :D'Agosto was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Deanna Rae and Alen D'Agosto, who own several Arby's in Omaha. His father is Italian and his mother is of Dutch and English descent. He was raised Catholic and selected Genesius of Rome, the patron saint of actors, as his confirmation...
) who create their lie to attend cheerleading camp for the summer and get close
Sexual intimacy
The term "sex" is often loosely used to mean one of a number of possible degrees of sexual intimacy between humans.-Stages of Intimacy:Zoologist Desmond Morris has established a Normative progression of general stages in pair-formation leading to sexual intimacy:# Eye to body# Eye to eye# Voice to...
to its female cheerleaders.
Plot
Nick Brady and Shawn Colfax (Eric Christian OlsenEric Christian Olsen
Eric Christian Olsen is an American actor. He currently portrays Detective Marty Deeks on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:...
and Nicholas D'Agosto
Nicholas D'Agosto
- Early life :D'Agosto was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Deanna Rae and Alen D'Agosto, who own several Arby's in Omaha. His father is Italian and his mother is of Dutch and English descent. He was raised Catholic and selected Genesius of Rome, the patron saint of actors, as his confirmation...
) are two popular football players at the fictional Gerald R. Ford High School who manage to get out of football camp and con their way into the cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
squad after overhearing a conversation about the camp's abundant female population of 300 cheerleaders. Their objective is to infiltrate the cheerleading camp in order to meet girls
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
. While at cheer camp, Nick and Shawn realize that they actually enjoy cheering and they start to care about their squad as well as the cheer competition. Shawn develops feelings for the head cheerleader, Carly Davidson (Sarah Roemer
Sarah Roemer
Sarah Christine Roemer is an American model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Disturbia, Asylum, and Fired Up!.-Life and career:...
) and Nick chases after Diora (Molly Sims
Molly Sims
Molly Sims is an American model and actress. Sims is known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her role as Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas. She is also an ambassador for Operation Smile...
), their camp coach's wife.
Carly and the rest of the squad find out about the boys' true motives for attending cheer camp. Carly's boyfriend, Dr. Rick (David Walton
David Walton (actor)
David B. Walton is an American actor, best known for his roles in four shows on NBC. He played Dr. Rick in Fired Up. He was also a series regular on Cracking Up, as Liam Connor.Walton is a 2001 graduate of Brown University....
), also reveals that the boys initially planned to leave cheer camp before the cheer competition. Nick and Shawn leave camp after being ejected from the squad. While attending a party at their friend's house, the boys found out that they are genuinely fond of cheer camp and want their squad to succeed. Nick and Shawn decide to return to cheer camp and help the squad in the cheer competition. While doing their routine, Carly notices Rick is cheating on her with their rivals' head cheerleader. She and Shawn later focus all of their attention to the routine. The squad's routine results in their best finish yet, despite a botched attempt to execute the "Fountain of Troy" maneuver. When the squad go for executing the forbidden maneuver, Shawn accidentally goes for a triple backflip instead of a double like Carly and backflips into the water in front of them. The crowd gasps at the impact and the squad rushes to help, but Shawn manages to emerge and yells "Tigers!" before losing consciousness. Although the squad did not win the contest, they place ten spots better than they did last year. The film ends when Nick and Shawn end up with their girls with Shawn and Carly sharing their kiss.
Cast
- Eric Christian OlsenEric Christian OlsenEric Christian Olsen is an American actor. He currently portrays Detective Marty Deeks on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:...
as Nick Brady - Nicholas D'AgostoNicholas D'Agosto- Early life :D'Agosto was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Deanna Rae and Alen D'Agosto, who own several Arby's in Omaha. His father is Italian and his mother is of Dutch and English descent. He was raised Catholic and selected Genesius of Rome, the patron saint of actors, as his confirmation...
as Shawn Colfax - Sarah RoemerSarah RoemerSarah Christine Roemer is an American model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Disturbia, Asylum, and Fired Up!.-Life and career:...
as Carly Davidson - Molly SimsMolly SimsMolly Sims is an American model and actress. Sims is known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her role as Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas. She is also an ambassador for Operation Smile...
as Diora - David WaltonDavid Walton (actor)David B. Walton is an American actor, best known for his roles in four shows on NBC. He played Dr. Rick in Fired Up. He was also a series regular on Cracking Up, as Liam Connor.Walton is a 2001 graduate of Brown University....
as Dr. Rick - Danneel HarrisDanneel HarrisDanneel Ackles , better known by her stage name Danneel Harris, is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Shannon McBain on One Life to Live and Rachel Gatina on One Tree Hill.-Early life:Elta Danneel Graul was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and was raised in the small...
as Bianca - Adhir KalyanAdhir KalyanAdhir Kalyan is a South African actor noted for his role in the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement.-Early years:Adhir was born in Durban, South Africa to an Indian South African family...
as Jack - AnnaLynne McCordAnnaLynne McCordAnnaLynne McCord is an American actress. Known for playing a range of vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series Nip/Tuck, and as the pampered Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress...
as Gwyneth - Juliette GogliaJuliette GogliaJuliette Rose Goglia is an American teen actress. She is best known for portraying Sierra in the Disney Channel series That's So Raven and Hannah West in the CBS series CSI...
as Poppy Colfax - Philip Baker HallPhilip Baker Hall-Early life:Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of a factory worker father who was from Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family, and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor...
as Coach Byrnes - John Michael HigginsJohn Michael HigginsJohn Michael Higgins is an American actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim....
as Coach Keith - Smith ChoSmith ChoSmith Cho is an American actress of Korean descent. She has appeared in movies, on television and in commercials.-Career:Cho has appeared in such movies as Bad Boys II, Norbit, Pie in the Sky, Fired Up, and Blades of Glory, and had a lead role in Ping Pong Playa...
as Beth - Margo HarshmanMargo HarshmanMargo Cathleen Harshman is an American actress who played Tawny Dean on the Disney Channel series Even Stevens.- Personal life :...
as Sylvia - Hayley Marie NormanHayley Marie NormanHayley Marie Norman is an American actress and model. She first came to public attention as case model #25 on NBC's game show Deal or No Deal, where she stood out as one of the most recognizable briefcase models and became a fan favorite due to her energetic and outgoing personality as well as...
as Angela - Jake SandvigJake SandvigSteven Jacob "Jake" Sandvig is an American actor. He is best known for playing Hugh Payne in 20 Good Years and Preston Shackleton in Cracking Up. In 2009, he made a guest appearance in Ruby & The Rockits. He is also known for his role in Easy A and Sky High-Filmography:-Guest appearances:-External...
as Downey - Nicole TubiolaNicole TubiolaNicole Tubiola is an American actress. She is known for her role as Danielle "Dani" Davis on Wildfire .-Private life:She grew up in Bullhead City, Arizona and graduated in 1997 at Mohave High School...
as Marcy - Edie McClurgEdie McClurgEdie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
as Ms. Klingerhoff - Alan RitchsonAlan RitchsonAlan Ritchson is an American actor, singer, and fashion model. He is best known for his modeling career as well as his portrayals of the superhero Aquaman on The CW's Smallville and Thad Castle on Spike TV's Blue Mountain State....
as Bruce - Shoshana BushShoshana Bush-Career:Bush is a native of Tiburon, California. She has made guest appearances on television series such as CSI: Miami, Moonlight and Ghost Whisperer. In 2007, she co-starred alongside Tom Arnold in Palo Alto and then appeared in the 2008 film Fling...
as Girl - Kate Lang JohnsonKate Lang JohnsonKate Lang Johnson is an American actress and model. She has acted in the feature films Fired Up and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and she has guest starred on television shows such as Life and ER...
as Jennifer - Jill LatianoJill LatianoJill Latiano is an American actress, model, dancer and television personality.-Career:Latiano began her career in 1999 as a dancer for New York Knicks. In From 2003 to 2005, she was the host of the NYCTV series Fashion in Focus. She then made her acting debut on an episode of Sex and the City in 2004...
as Haley - Amber StevensAmber StevensAmber Dawn Stevens is an American actress and model.-Personal life:Stevens was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of American actor and radio announcer Shadoe Stevens and former model Beverly Cunningham. She has a younger sister named Chyna Rose Stevens...
as Sara - Francia Raisa as Marly
- Madison RileyMadison RileyMadison Riley is an American actress.-Filmography:-External links:...
as Lily - Jessica SzohrJessica SzohrJessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
as Kara - Tanya ChisholmTanya ChisholmTanya Chisholm is an American actress and dancer. She is mostly known for her role as Kelly Wainwright on the Nickelodeon sitcom, Big Time Rush. She is also known for her role as Marcie on the Legally Blonde spin off, Legally Blondes, , acting along side Camilla Rosso and Rebecca Rosso...
as Denise - Julianna GuillJulianna GuillJulianna Guill is an American actress. She best known for role as Bree in Friday the 13th and Scarlet Haukkson in the webisode series My Alibi. She also co-starred in the TBS series Glory Daze as Christie.-Early life:...
as Another Girl - Heather Morris as Fiona
- Kayla EwellKayla EwellKayla Noelle Ewell is an American actress known for her roles on television as Caitlin Ramirez on CBS's long-running soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, as Maureen Sampson on NBC's acclaimed Freaks and Geeks, and as Vicki Donovan on The CW's The Vampire Diaries.- Early life :Ewell was born in...
as Margot Jane Lindsworth-Calligan - Janel ParrishJanel ParrishJanel Meilani Parrish is an American actress, singer, Broadway performer, songwriter and pianist. She is best known for playing Jade in the 2007 film Bratz: The Movie and her recurring role as Mona Vanderwaal on the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars.-Career:Parrish first achieved fame in...
as Lana - Masi OkaMasi OkaMasayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
as Eagle Mascot
Filming locations
Taking place in Illinois, almost all of the filming shots of the high school in the film were taken at South Pasadena High SchoolSouth Pasadena High School
South Pasadena High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in the city of South Pasadena, California.The school is one of five schools in the South Pasadena Unified School District....
in 2008. However, the hallway scene was filmed at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. To make filming easier, the fictional Gerald R. Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
High School's mascot was made the "Tigers" since South Pasadena High's mascot is a tiger. Some of the South Pasadena Tigers Football team's gear such as pads, were borrowed for use in the film. However, filming for the football game scene took place at Calabasas High School
Calabasas High School
Calabasas High School is a four-year high school in Calabasas, California, United States.Calabasas High School, which serves Calabasas,and portions of West Hills, Los Angeles, California is one of three high schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School District Calabasas High School is a four-year...
. The filming of the pool scene took place at Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
. The cheerleader camp was filmed at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
, which incidentally also has the tiger as a mascot. In one of the early scenes, the train passing by is the Metro Gold Line (LACMTA) Pasadena line. The location where the cheerleaders were practicing was filmed in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 127 acres , is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site nestled into hills near the San Gabriel Mountains, at 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA...
.
Critical response
When the film was released, it was screened to mostly poor reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a rating of 23% based on 101 reviews, with the general consensus being that "though not as raunchy or juvenile as the average teen comedy, Fired Up is also not as funny."
Metacritic gave the film a "generally unfavorable" score of 31% based on a normalized average of 18 reviews. A common criticism, addressed by director Will Gluck in the film's commentary track, is that the filmmakers "casted a little bit older." Star Eric Christian Olsen adds, "If by 'older,' you mean thirteen years!" Lead actors Olsen and Nicholas D'Agosto were playing high school students at the ages 30 and 27 at the time of filming, respectively. Gluck also points out Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's and the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
's negative reviews specifically, as well as a mention of the Washington Post. He, however, omits the Washington Post's backhanded compliment that "Gluck directs with frantic, go-for-broke pacing, which is what you do when your reserves of wit are bankrupt." One of the more positive reviews, from Hollywood.com, admits it's satisfying for the audience it's aimed towards: "An outrageous, sex-obsessed teen comedy that’s something to cheer about -- especially if you’re 16."
Box office
The film was considered financially unsuccessful. Fired Up! had a budget of $20 million and took in a box office gross of $18,599,102 worldwide before leaving theaters. It opened up to the U.S. box office at number 9 with $5.4 million behind films like Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which was in its sixth week of release at the time, and Confessions of a Shopaholic, in its second. On the DVD commentary, the business it did (or lack thereof) is discussed, with director Will Gluck stating, "In retrospect, we probably should have done R, but I kind of like the idea of doing a movie that everyone can go see, and not just 'over 18 or have to sneak into it.'" It left American cinemas after seven weeks.Home media
The movie was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, UMD
Universal Media Disc
The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...
, and Blu-Ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
formats June 9, 2009. An unrated version was also released containing non-censored profanity and brief nudity not seen in the theatrical cut.