2023 Directed by D.W. Waterson
Riley, a mid-level cheerleader, is given an opportunity to cheer with the All Star team Thunderhawks. With a competition looming, Riley must navigate her crippling anxiety, her relationship with her girlfriend, and her desperate need for approval from her new coach.
Canada
Toronto International Film Festival
Canada
Doing lesbian film coverage for Autostraddle for half a decade has resulted in me receiving lots of ire from queer women wanting different things from our media. I'm biased because I know the filmmakers but I think this has so many of those things!! And is doing them really well!! I'm excited for everyone to see this.
Full TIFF coverage: www.autostraddle.com/toronto-international-film-festival-2023-recap/
Love how the basis of Evan Rachel Wood’s character was “what if Ellen but a cheer coach named Eileen?”
Plucky and entertaining but lacking a climax. Backspot is a visually dynamic, propulsive story of cheerleaders pushing themselves to the limit with an engrossing lead performance from Devery Jacobs. It has shades of Whiplash, yet it struggles to build on itself and ultimately feels more like a collection of good scenes than a complete story. Still, it's likable and fun to watch.
Can everyone give me a fucking cheer for D.W. Waterson because holy SHIT. Absolute revelation of Canadian filmmaking with a fearlessly confident and thoroughly gifted debut feature bolstered by a cast who are constantly stealing the show from one another! And they even managed to make one of the worst songs ever not only palatable, but enjoyable! That's miracle worker kinda stuff right there. Best movie ticket I've ever won and pretty undeniably the best movie ever made about cheerleading!
9/10
Wanted to love this (what’s not to love about the logline) but I think it struggled to find its tone for a while. There are about 30 minutes of really excellent material here though (namely all of the mentor mentee relationship development).
evan rachel wood plays sue sylvester before she goes to mckinley high school in lima ohio
