Lifetime Review: 'The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders'

Ava Scott (Savannah May) and her mother Candice (Denise Richards) have just moved to a new town to start fresh, with Ava fearful over the prospect of being the "New Girl". So at her mother's insistence, Ava tries out for the school's cheerleading squad, convinced that her dance background will translate well. It's through her audition for the team that Ava meets Katrina Smith (Alexandria DeBerry), the beautiful and popular head cheerleader who welcomes Ava to the team with open arms.

However, it doesn't take Ava long to realize that beneath Katrina's warm and supportive front, lies a manipulative and ruthless girl who runs the cheer squad with an iron fist. From horrifying initiation ceremonies to backhanded remarks to Ava and the other eligible squad members, Katrina makes it clear that her standards are high—as well as how she won't let the rising-in-popularity Ava usurp her dominance on the team. When Ava finds herself at the brunt of Katrina's vicious schemes to maintain her title, she'll have to work together with some new friends to stand up to Katrina and put a stop to her malevolent reign.

As I've said before, the best of Lifetime movies share one distinct accomplishment: the ability to entertain an audience and pull them into their drama-laced plots through some means. Some do so with strong plots, some with a great cast, while others go all the way with the drama inherent in their stories to create a thrill ride viewing experience. That is the case for The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders, the first in the batch of cheerleader-centric films Lifetime is premiering, which takes the age-old concept of catty mean girl cheerleaders and amps it up for all its worth.

Much of this film's drama can be traced to the queen of catty cheerleaders Katrina Smith, who is played exceptionally by Alexandria DeBerry. From Katrina's slow-motion introduction scene to the plastered-on smile and faux enthusiasm she gives to every word she says, Katrina is every high school mean girl turned up to the max, with DeBerry clearly having fun bringing such a despicable girl to life, while also giving Katrina a sharp edge in the moments where her behavior goes beyond your typical high school bully behavior. The script greatly compliments Katrina's character, and keeps her from going too far into histrionics, making for a well-rounded villainess who you can't help but love to see in action.

Savannah May is also well-cast as the troubled but level-headed Ava, with May allowing for Ava's character to emerge from her less-than-proactive actions mostly unscathed. The first act might have viewers scratching their heads at Ava's behavior, as she seemingly goes from becoming aware of Katrina's true nature to fully trusting her enough to confide in her about her troubled past (an aspect of Ava's character which is refreshingly built up to rather than just exposition-dumped on the audience in the opening act), and allowing her bullying ways to continue. There is also a moment in which we see Ava emulating Katrina's manipulative tendencies, which may strike some viewers the wrong way.

But in addition to Ava's silent compliance and emulation of Katrina being fully called out, Ava fully hits her stride when she fully becomes aware of who Katrina truly is, with May more than delivering as Ava becomes dead set on making sure Katrina is brought down. A memorable sequence that perfectly captures the film's tone occurs when Ava and Katrina get into a public dance-off on the football field; a scene where May and DeBerry play well off each other in their rivalry dynamic both in terms of acting and dance.

A surprisingly memorable character comes in the form of Ava's love interest Patrick, played with undeniably adorkable charm by Gunner Burkhardt. In addition to Burkhardt nailing Patrick as a trope-defying socially awkward jock, Burkhardt and May develop a strong chemistry as their relationship builds from a friendship into something more, with a sense of realism most wouldn't expect to find in a Lifetime teen film. As such, seeing this relationship fall victim to Katrina is all the more upsetting, and you'll root for both Patrick and Ava to reconcile and take down the girl who has gone out of her way to hurt them both.

Speaking of defying tropes, Denise Richards does well as Ava's caring, if not overly suspicious mother Candice, with the script allowing for Richards to keep Candice likable, even as she takes on the usual "Disbelieving Mother" trope for these kinds of films. Unlike other films where this trope comes into play, where the mother's disbelief of her child is almost entirely out-of-line with the child's backstory, Candice's disbelief in Ava's claims against Katrina come off as more understandable given how secretive and evasive Ava has been regarding her dilemma—traits she likely displayed during her past fall from grace. As such, you feel for Candice as a mother struggling with both her daughter's troubled past, and the fear that she's fallen back to her old habits, and apart from one scene where she makes Candice appear more callous than concerned, Richards plays Candice's arc with excellent emotional subtlety.

Lauryn Speights is sympathetic as social outcast Allyson, especially when her past with Katrina is revealed, and Gracie Marie Bradley and Scarlett Cowan stand out as victimized cheerleading recruits Tiffany and Julie, with both Bradley and Cowan selling their character's insecurities that are ultimately exploited by Katrina, with Cowan in particular giving Julie a palpable hidden strength that keeps her from being a cookie cutter Victimized Outcast. Lifetime legacy Josie Davis also makes the most of her small role as cheer coach Ms. Sinclair, with her scenes with DeBerry allowing Davis to show Ms. Sinclair as a toxic influence of an authority figure who has likely shaped Katrina's arrogant and cruel demeanor to some degree.

The criticisms I have about The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders are mostly minor ones that do little to detract from the film's overall quality. I feel the subplot regarding the school's equally toxic football team, and Katrina's equally bullying boyfriend Ryan (played by Garrett Westton) could've used some more developing, seeing as how their misogynistic and cruel attitudes are dropped almost immediately after being introduced. I also got some The Wrong Tutor flashbacks in the fact that Lifetime familiar face, Tilky Jones was cast as science teacher Mr. Bailey. While his role in the film is slightly more plot-relevant than William McNamara's in Wrong Tutor, it still feels odd that someone as talented as Jones would be cast in such a minuscule role that could've been filled by anyone.

Ultimately, though, The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders stands out as a spectacularly made Lifetime teen drama that brings all the delicious mayhem that fans of the channel eat up like hot cakes. With a stellar cast, a perfect love-to-hate villainess, and a plot that keeps its thrills tightly packed together, Lifetime couldn't have picked a better movie to start off its "Cheer, Rally, Kill" line-up.

Score: 10 out of 10 smoke machines.