Blood, Sweat & Cheer (2024 Lifetime)
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Cast: Tammin Sursok, Monroe Cline
Director: Traci Hays
Writer(s): Barbara Zagrodnik
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
Former cheerleader Renee tries to recapture her glory days by living vicariously through her teen daughter, Cherie. Their strained relationship sours when Cherie quits her school’s dance team and moves in with her father. Realizing she can pass for a teenager, Renee enrolls in a new high school under Cherie’s name and joins the dance team to compete in the upcoming Fall Dance Classic to win Cherie a college scholarship. But as Renee’s lies spiral, her mounting deceptions become increasingly hard to pull off. Could Renee’s frantic efforts to keep up her elaborate ruse eventually lead to murder? Stars Tammin Sursok, and Monroe Cline (2024).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Popular girls walk in slow motion to generic pop music. Then the straggler popular girl is thrown down the stairs, and a blonde in sunglasses and a hoodie trips her on purpose.
The blonde is an overzealous cheer mom named Renee. Renee is wearing all pink and has flower stickers in her car. Cherie is embarrassed by her mother and quits the cheer team since she is 18 and can make her own decisions. Cherie also tells her mother that she is switching schools and moving in with her dad.
When Renee is left alone, she angrily trashes her daughter’s room. The freakout is paused when a college scout calls to see if Cheri is still competing for a scholarship. Renee impersonates Cheri and says she is up for the spot. Renee tries to contact her daughter, but Cheri changes her number and asks her dad to keep it a secret.
Renee is mistaken for Cheri at cheerleader practice, so she leans into that and goes all Josey Grossy. (Down to the bad “young” fashion” and pigtails.) Thankful, it is at least at a new school. Somehow, Renee passes as a student despite saying things like “dope.”
It is late in the season for Renee to join the cheerleading team, so she tries to win over the popular girls from the beginning of the movie. They don’t have a spot for her, so Renee must resort to sabotage. (IE, pushing the one girl, Julia, down the stairs.) Tonya and Dorinda ask Renee to join the squad as a quick replacement.
Renee does a sluty routine to win over the rest of the squad. Renee has to change her work schedule to nights and weekends to keep up with her new cheer schedule.
Lana comes over to Renee’s house, finds her sister playing teen drag, and is like, “WTF!?” Lana tells Renee to stop living vicariously through Cheri. Renee explains that she is taking night classes for work. When Lana leaves, Renee finds out that she made the squad and dances in her living room. (Tammin Sursok is pretty charming.)
The AP World History teacher thinks something is off with Renee when she doesn’t excel in the class despite having aced US History. The teacher also quickly tells Renee about her nut allergy and shows off a cool ID bracelet.
The school hunk, Ramsey, flirts with Renee by her locker. He was held back a grade and is 19, so Renee rolls with it and gives him her number on paper. He is confused as to why she didn’t just put it in his phone and tells her she is acting like she is in an old movie, Clueless.
Tonya and Dorinda think Renee will have the routine down by the time of the competition, but what about her dry, flakey skin? Renee runs to her car and cakes on more makeup. Tonya apologizes for being too harsh and invites Renee to a pool party. (Cue a bathing suit try on montage.)
Renne dances on the playground and bumps into the school athletic director named Patrick. She is attracted to him, but he bristles at her after learning she is a student. Renne sets her sights on Ramsey instead and leaves the pool party early to seduce him. Ramsey turns out to be Patrick’s son, but that doesn’t stop Renee from making out with him on the couch. Lana walks in on them and stops things before it goes too far.
Dorinda is still rude to Renee, and it doesn’t phase her. Renee brags about the college scout coming to see her cheer. Dorinda has recently gone through a breakup and is taking it out on Renee. She accuses Renee of stealing routines from her old school and is some sort of spy. Dorinda follows Renee home and sees she has a daughter.
Renee has a plan to keep her haters from getting to her and leaking her secret. Renee plants drugs in Dorinda’s backpack since she knows too much. They have a cheer-off, but the principal interrupts and drags Dorinda away.
With Dorinda out of the way, Renee is free to date Ramsey openly. Ramsey’s dad, Patrick, asks Renee to cool off the relationship because his son has to focus on school and getting to college. Renee understands and sees she is pushing her daughter like he is.
Renee’s grades are slipping, and her History Teacher tells her that if she doesn’t raise her grades, she will be suspended from the squad. The principal also needs a signature from Renee’s mom, and Renne tries to trick him, but he is onto her. The principal chases her out of the school, and she accidentally backs into him.
Now that she is a murderer, Renee has nothing to lose and puts in her clip-in bangs to return to school and make out with Riley.
News about the principal’s hit-and-run gets out, and classes are canceled for a few days. Ramsey tells Renee that the police think it is a hit and run, and his dad has security footage from the accident.
The History teacher fails Renee on a test and tells her that her grades are not high enough to compete with the squad. So, Renne makes some cupcakes with peanut oil, has the history teacher sample them, and evaluates her baking skills. They also get a failing grade since the cupcake causes her to go into anaphylactic shock and die. (Or so she thinks)
Renee has a full-on meltdown in front of a mirror.
It is time for the competition, and Renee is surprised to see her daughter in the audience cheering on her former classmates. Lana is also there and recognizes Coach Patrick. He, too, pieces things together.
Renee is set on getting the scholarship and has to get Lana and Cherie out of there, so she texts her to meet her in the parking lock and knocks her out with a fire extinguisher. Then Renee texts Cherie and tells her that her father’s been in an accident.
Coach Patrick gets a text that they IDed the car, a minivan with flowers. They rush outside and find Lana locked in a broom closet. Cheri is out in the hall, too. Ramsey is confused, but his dad, Coach Patrick, isn’t and rushes to get security.
Renee dances in the lead dancer spot and soaks up the applause. Cherie watches her mother on stage, horrified.
Backstage, Cherie confronts her mother, who is dressed up in a cheerleader uniform and totally killing the vibe. Renee gets the scholarship, but when the college recruit sees Cherie, she takes it back.
Instead of staying with her daughter, Renee rushes on stage to get the trophy with the squad. The police come on stage and drag Renee away as she screams at her daughter that she could have been something if it wasn’t for her.
Side Note/Stray Thoughts
This movie is a 2023 Tubi Original that Lifetime acquired, which explains the silly off-brand tone.
It is not your typical Lifetime movie and is way over the top, so I can’t Pour it up. I did enjoy it, though.
Overall rating
Number of Kills: 🔪🔪(2 knives)
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 Glasses of Wine)
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Give it a shot)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked & @patrickmiguel
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*Photo Credit: © 2024 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
I feel like there’s a similar movie out there? I remember this plot. Did Tubi air this, does anyone know, or did Lifetime directly acquire?
Yes, you’re right! This is a Tubi acquisition 😎
2019’s “Identity Theft of a Cheerleader” had a similar story where a woman in her thirties poses as a high schooler
One of my favorites!
I loved this one!!!