The Swinging Cheerleaders, 1974.
Directed by Jack Hill.
Starring Jo Johnston, Rainbeaux Smith, Colleen Camp, Ron Hajak, Ric Carrott, Bob Minor, Rosanne Katon and John Quade.
SYNOPSIS:
A college newspaper reporter goes undercover in a cheerleader squad in order to expose the supposed demeaning nature of cheerleading but ends up uncovering a lot more.
On the surface The Swinging Cheerleaders looks like a Porky’s-style high school/college sex romp featuring dozen of nubile teens running around and getting into all sorts of mischief that normally ends with their clothes falling off, and while there is a bit of that going on there is also a more serious attempt at a dramatic story that beats at the heart of this film.
This is down to writer/director Jack Hill, who had spent the last couple of years before this making women-in-prison movies with Pam Grier and Sid Haig. Turning his hand to something a little more challenging – Hill himself states in the special features interview that he had no interest in football – he decided to make The Swinging Cheerleaders and managed to hit nearly every plot point that a high school comedy/drama should without making it silly or ridiculous. The fact that nearly every female (all except Colleen Camp) in the film manages to lose their top at least once and the token black characters are a little clichéd means the film does fall into the trappings of the times, making it not quite as subversive as Hill would probably like it to be viewed, but nevertheless it does have a notably higher production quality than the more exploitative likes of The Cheerleaders or its even cheekier sequel Revenge of the Cheerleaders.
Although the main plot of the film is a fairly simple one there are many threads that are explored as the film plays out. Wannabe journalist Kate (Jo Johnston) decides to apply for the college cheerleading team in order to get inside that particular clique and expose the shallow and demeaning way that women are viewed but as she manages to worm her way into the squad she discovers that there is a lot more going on than flashing your legs on the playing field. First she is hit upon by Buck (Ron Hajak), the football player boyfriend of jealous head cheerleader Mary Ann (Colleen Camp), but then succumbs to his charms after he comes to her with concerns that the coach may be up to something and fixing the games. Kate investigates further and discovers that Buck may be right but there are also many other people involved and a lot of other things going on besides, like teacher/student relationships and Kate’s radical ex-boyfriend stirring things up behind the scenes.
Which means there is quite a lot of plot to follow and get into but Jack Hill is a master of grabbing your attention with interesting characters who have problems you can relate to. However, The Swinging Cheerleaders suffers by having a tone that never quite settles comfortably into one area, which does make you start to question whether you are supposed to be laughing or empathising during certain scenes. At one point around the 49 minute mark an up-until-then virginal cheerleader is, to use the terminology in the film, ‘gangbanged’ by a group of stoners and rescued by her erstwhile jock boyfriend; you don’t see the event but you witness the aftermath as said jock carries her cut and beaten body into her friend’s room. A moment of serious reflection and sympathy you may think but the way the scene is written means you’re never quite sure if the cheerleader was complicit, whether her friends are congratulating her for finally doing the deed or whether the jock boyfriend was entirely correct in beating up the lead ‘gangbanger’. He was, of course, but the writing and the performances don’t let you come to that conclusion very easily and there are a few more scenes in the film that make you question whose side you’re supposed to be on and whether it is okay to laugh or be shocked at certain things.
It is, however, perfectly acceptable to laugh at some of the acting in this film as the quality ranges from pretty good (Colleen Camp and Clint Eastwood’s regular co-star John Quade are very magnetic when they are on the screen) to the downright awful (future Playboy Playmate Rosanne Katon and a pregnant Rainbeaux Smith both manage to suck the joy out of any scene they are in where they have to speak). But whatever its downfalls The Swinging Cheerleaders is quite engrossing once you get past the inconsistent writing and acting, and while it may not be up there with Jack Hill’s best movies it does have a charm all of its own that ranks it above the numerous college sex comedies and teenage dramas that would follow in its wake. If it’s puerile humour and explicit nudity you’re after then this isn’t the movie to scratch that particular (jock) itch but for something that is at once both very familiar and a little different then The Swinging Cheerleaders is worth watching and this cleaned-up Blu-ray print is probably the best way you’ll ever get to see it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
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