Sugar & Spice (2001)

Director:

Francine McDougall

Writer (WGA):

Mandy Nelson (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Why would the most popular girl in school wear a mask?

Plot:

A popular high school cheerleader becomes pregnant with the star quarterback's child, only to find herself turning to crime to support the lifestyle she wants to live.

Plot Keywords:

Cheerleader | Quarterback | Cheerleading Squad | High School | Video Store

Cast

Marla Sokoloff	...	Lisa Janusch
Marley Shelton	...	Diane Weston
Melissa George	...	Cleo Miller
Mena Suvari	...	Kansas Hill
Rachel Blanchard	...	Hannah Wald
Alexandra Holden	...	Fern Rogers
Sara Marsh	...	Lucy Whitman
James Marsden	...	Jack Bartlett
Sean Young	...	Mrs. Hill
W. Earl Brown	...	Hank 'Terminator' Rogers
Adam Busch	...	Geeky Guy
Jake Hoffman	...	Ted
Nate Maher	...	Chris
David Belenky	...	Bruce
Kevin Kling	...	Factory Worker
Dave Quimby	...	Apartment Manager
Jacy King	...	Food Valley Cashier (as Jacy Dumermuth)
Wiley Harker	...	Principal Smith
Stevie Ray Rentfrow	...	Mr. Dennis Weston
Kirsten Frantzich	...	Mrs. DeeDee Weston
Christopher Denton	...	Mr. Ed Bartlett
Jan Puffer	...	Mrs. Edna Bartlett
Claudia Wilkens	...	Kansas' Grandmother
Jeff Hopkins	...	Police Officer
Kevin Joseph Klein	...	FBI Agent
Jeremy Kent Jackson	...	Football Player #1
Jamison Haase	...	Football Player #2
Jessie Schoen	...	Butch Girl
Susan Fuller	...	Bank Loan Officer
Andy Hubbell	...	Husband
Katie Kelly	...	Nurse
Ann Kellog	...	Mink
Isabell O'Connor	...	Inmate #1 (as Isabell Monk)
Miriam Must	...	Itchy, Inmate #2
Jennifer Snell	...	Inmate #3
Andrea Guilford	...	Lamaze Instructor
Bonnie Benjamin-Olson	...	Lunch Lady
Matt Guidry	...	Male Reporter
Li Ning	...	Dim Sum Charlie
Laura Anderson	...	Average Girl (as Laura McKinley Anderson)
Cassie Fox	...	Another Average Girl
Kurt Loder	...	Himself
Jerry Springer	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Cram	...	Fickle Video Renter (uncredited)
Frank Crandell	...	Shop Teacher (uncredited)
Dom Davis	...	Baseball Fan (uncredited)
Brooke Engen	...	Video Update Customer (uncredited)
Tiffany Engen	...	Video Update Customer (uncredited)
Eric Karros	...	Himself (uncredited)
Diane Kelson	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Josh Minnie	...	Football Fan (uncredited)
Ross Porter	...	Himself (uncredited)
Shelly A. Tanning	...	Wendy the Masked Doll (uncredited)
Mike Wielinski	...	Video Update Customer (uncredited)

Directed by
Francine McDougall

Writing credits (WGA)
Mandy Nelson		(written by)

Produced by
Wendy Finerman	....	producer
Greg Mooradian	....	executive producer
Matt Moore	....	executive producer
Michael Nelson	....	co-producer
Claire Rudnick Polstein	....	executive producer
Lona Williams	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Mark Mothersbaugh

Cinematography by
Robert Brinkmann

Film Editing by
Sloane Klevin

Casting by
Juel Bestrop
Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by
Jeff Knipp

Art Direction by
Maria L. Baker		(as Maria Baker)

Set Decoration by
Maggie Martin

Costume Design by
Wendy Chuck

Makeup Department
Crist Ballas	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Natalie A. Hale	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Nelson	....	unit production manager
Claire O'Brien	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Sherman	....	second assistant director
Erica Spano	....	second second assistant director
Mary Ellen Woods	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Thomas R. Anderson	....	set dresser
Tammy Banal	....	buyer
Claudia Bonfe	....	set decorating production assistant
Chad Branham	....	property master
Windy Fleischaker	....	set designer
Michelle Gilstead	....	buyer
Missy Parker	....	buyer
Bradford Richardson	....	lead graphic designer
Kate Sheeley	....	set decoration buyer
Jennifer L. Stumm	....	property assistant
Lynny Warner	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Mark Choi	....	sound effects editor
Jed M. Dodge	....	dialogue editor
Robert Getty	....	adr editor
Robert Getty	....	dialogue editor
John Glaeser	....	boom operator
Robert Jackson	....	adr supervisor
Michael Kamper	....	sound effects editor
Derek Marcil	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ken McLaughlin	....	production sound mixer
Yuri Reese	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Scoville	....	dialog editor
Dean St. John	....	adr mixer
Johanna Turner	....	transfer engineer
Mathew Waters	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mathew Waters	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Cadence Baron	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Mark Sawicki	....	optical camera

Stunts
James Fierro	....	stunt coordinator
Rose M. Frazier	....	stunts (as Rose Frazier)
Eric D. Howell	....	stunt coordinator (as Eric Howell)
Carl Paoli	....	stunts
Lisa Pederson	....	stunts
Luis Rosa	....	stunts
Jaime Strandmark	....	stunts
Gina Marie Vitale	....	stunts
Suzanne Williams	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Douglas Busby	....	additional second assistant camera
Dan Conklin	....	grip
Harve Cook	....	video assist operator
Vincent Donohue	....	cinematographer: second unit
Kirk R. Gardner	....	Steadicam operator
Kirk R. Gardner	....	camera operator
Michael Hoffer	....	key grip
Frank Masi	....	still photographer
David Meyers	....	rigging gaffer
Darren Michaels	....	unit still photographer
Thomas O'Connor	....	electrician
Thomas O'Connor	....	gaffer: second unit
David S. Pope	....	dolly grip
David Schmalz	....	video assist operator
Afshin Shahidi	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Chris Bowe	....	extras casting assistant
Blythe Cappello	....	casting associate
Beau Jorgensen	....	extras casting
John Srednicki	....	casting intern
Heather R. Johnson	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jeannine Bourdaghs	....	wardrobe supervisor
Susan Strubel	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
William Fletcher	....	assistant editor
Penny Lee Hallin	....	assistant editor
Tom Lewis	....	additional editor
Paul Parsons	....	assistant editor
Pattye Rogers	....	assistant editor
Dan Schalk	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Baber	....	music editor
Bob Bowen	....	music coordinator
Eric Corley	....	assistant music editor
Bruce Fowler	....	orchestrator
Walt Fowler	....	orchestrator
Adam Kay	....	music editor: temp music
Booker White	....	music preparation
John Kurlander	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Marc Scott	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Ethan Anderson	....	production assistant
Doug Bania	....	production assistant
Cassandra Barbour	....	rights and clearances
David Brotsky	....	assistant location manager
Gerrard Coffey	....	first assistant accountant
Jennifer Dartt	....	production assistant
Marjorie Ergas	....	production coordinator
Susan Hartmann	....	assistant production coordinator
Matthew Heffernan	....	production assistant
Sean Ilnseher	....	production assistant
Michael Maxwell	....	production assistant
Leah M. Otto	....	film commissioner: Minnesota
Andrew Putschoegl	....	assistant to director
Dana Reaves Bolla	....	accountant
Shannon Rusten	....	extras wrangler
Laura Sevier	....	rights and clearances
Matt Shelton	....	production assistant
Joseph Stephans	....	location manager: pre-production
Lynne Westafer	....	production assistant
Brian D. Woods	....	production assistant
Michele Wright	....	second assistant accountant
Dave Dustin	....	set medic (uncredited)
Sean Jordan	....	interactive media (uncredited)
Gabrielle Wallack Godfrey	....	production coordinator: re-shoot (uncredited)

Thanks
Conan O'Brien	....	thanks

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• WB Television Network, The (2005) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Aurum Producciones (2001) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Filmverleih (2001) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2001) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (200?) (Argentina) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2001) (Finland) (VHS)
• Laurus Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Laurus Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Custom Film Effects  opticals
• Entertainment Clearances  rights and clearances
• Metamorphosis  make-up design and services (special make-up effects and prosthetics)
• Rescue Resources  set medic
• Trauma Records  soundtrack released by

Also Known As:

Sugar and Spice and Semiautomatics (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sex-related humor and some thematic elements.; Rated PG-13 for language, sex-related humor and thematic elements. (video version)

Runtime:

81 min | 84 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Iceland:L | USA:R (original rating) | South Korea:12 | South Korea:15 (extended version) | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Anoka High School - 3939 Seventh Avenue N., Anoka, Minnesota, USA

Trivia:

The premiere of the movie was held in Minnesota, where the movie was filmed. The entire audience was given Betty Doll masks, like the ones the girls used to rob the bank in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Homecomming candidates are making their speeches the camera is showing close ups of Lisa while the 4H girl makes her speech. In the long shot, there is an empty chair, but in the close-up there is someone in the chair.

Quotes:

Kansas: She's been the weak tit on this mama cat ever since this whole thing started!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Cannonball

All the nice that's fit to print

A high school cheerleading squad robs a bank in order to support the burgeoning family of one of their own. They get the idea watching the Keanu Reeves movie Point Break and then watch movies like Reservoir Dogs and Dog Day Afternoon to figure out how exactly to pull the caper off.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Sounds like a cutesy family movie, right? The kind that warms the cockles, wherever they are. Well, almost. It's a dead-on, surprisingly hilarious comedy, with perfect off-center performances and a crisp, honest script.

The last cheerleading movie I saw (and quick, can you name more than a couple anyway? Didn't think so) was the Kirsten Dunst comedy Bring It On. This one blows that out of the water, out of the atmosphere, and out of the solar system. There's no moralizing. There's no good-girls-are-right, bad-girls-are-wrong lesson. Heck, we're talking about teenage girls pulling off a robbery! And one thing that could have sunk this movie early on was a character change. You've seen movies in which a character, faced with a new set of circumstances, does a 180-degree turnaround on how they've behaved up to that point. In this movie, you'd expect the girls to suddenly become flawless professional robbers. Not so. And while their plan has its faults, it's still a plan, buoyed by the vacant aphorisms of their leader, the pregnant and chipper Diane (Marley Shelton). Sing-songy and ebullient, the kids squabble among themselves but, in the true spirit of cheerleading and gosh-darn Girl Scout-like togetherness, they pull together as a team. Hip! Hip! Hooray!

Decent cheerleading movies are hard to come by. Come to think of it, so are any cheerleading movies. Oh, not that I'm looking, but I can name only two off the top of my head: Bring It On and the legendary, overlooked (okay, just kidding) 1977 opus Satan's Cheerleaders. But the latter's pep squad was in college, so it's different. But I digress.

Truth be told, there's not a dull moment in the movie. Diane's knocked up before the prom by her dimwit football-hero boyfriend. This guy's so stupid he gets himself fired from such seemingly unfireable jobs as fast-food employee and other glamorous retail employment opportunities. See, in the real world, he'd be upset that the luster had worn off his diamond of an image, having to work with geeks at the video store. But he's a dope, blissfully ignorant. He knows but one thing - that he loves Diane - and being such a dullard is supremely helpful to the film (and isn't easy to do; kudos goes to James Marsden in the role).

In short, a real hoot. We've seen many bank robbery movies with their own twists and idiosyncrasies; this one's one of the better ones to come down the pike. Go team go!