Fired UpMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 31 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The teensploitation premise is like something a porn filmmaker from the '70s might have come up with. But Fired Up! has one added quirk: The script, credited to Freedom Jones, is a riot of tongue-twisting ironic sleaze -- it sounds like the first (and last) collaboration between Diablo Cody and Artie Lange. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    Passable in its efficiency, Fired Up! is less offensive than it might have been while also managing to be staggeringly uninspired. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    A kind of dumb but also kind of smart-about-being-dumb comedy. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Though not nearly as raucously funny as the leads in "Wedding Crashers," Nick and Shawn resemble junior versions of the one-track-minded womanizers played by Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle |

    If you loved "Wedding Crashers," then, for all intents and purposes, you've already seen Fired Up because this new movie borrows from the 2005 Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson hit with such utter shamelessness, you have to wonder if royalty checks are already in the mail. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Fired Up feels like everybody's first time doing anything - writing, acting, directing, cheerleading. Read full review

  • 30
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    It's like being trapped for an hour-and-a-half in a pound full of yappy puppies. Read full review

  • 25
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Here is a movie that will do for cheerleading what "Friday the 13th" did for summer camp. Read full review

  • 20
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Tries waaay too hard, just like its motormouth jock-snark heroes. Read full review

  • 10
    Washington Post |

    Will Gluck directs with frantic, go-for-broke pacing, which is what you do when your reserves of wit are bankrupt. Read full review

View more reviews for Fired Up on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Raging hormones rule in crude cheerleading comedy.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this is a review of the PG-13-rated version of the movie and not the unrated DVD. Expect to find even more adult content in the unrated DVD. This crude comedy about two lust-driven teen boys is full of boundary-pushing sex and language content. The main characters are surrounded by -- and happily ogle -- hundreds of girls clad in the shortest of shorts and tiniest of bikinis. Boys are shown naked from both the back and front (private parts are covered by towels, etc. in the latter case). Though actual physical contact is limited to kissing and a few scenes of "grab ass," the characters are constantly talking and thinking about "hooking up." Not surprisingly then, the language can get vulgar and sexist -- and it's also peppered with "s--t" and the like. Underage characters drink, and there's some same-sex kissing and fondling; many of the gay characters are played very stereotypically, though it's all meant to be funny rather than disrespectful.
  • Families can talk about the consequences of the characters' behavior. Is there any fall-out from their drinking or obsession with sex in the movie? Would there be stronger consequences in the real world?
  • How would you describe the filmmakers' attitude toward the boys' behavior? What role does Carly play in clarifying that attitude?
  • Unlike in many other sports movies with underdog heroes, the Tigers don't win the cheerleading competition. What does the movie say about winning, losing, and doing your best?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Lecherous teen boys learn about caring and respect for the opposite sex -- but along the way their behavior is selfish, egotistical, and driven by their very randy urges. "Winning" is shown to be far less important than improving and doing the best you can.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: The main characters are selfish and obsessed with sex, though they do eventually mend at least some of their ways. There's also plenty of stereotyping.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Several punches to the face; football hits during a game; cheerleaders fall and hit the ground hard during practices -- no injuries.
  • sex false4 Sex: From the movie's opening moments to its final frames (including under the closing credits), raunchy teenage behavior is the focus of this film. There's enthusiastic kissing and passionate embracing throughout. Teen boys constantly ogle bikini-clad girls, girls in short shorts, and other girls of all shapes, sizes and ethnicity. There's no frontal nudity or bare breasts, but naked boys are seen from many angles on several occasions. Boys and girls grab each other's clothed butts. Same-sex female kissing in two scenes, and some gay and lesbian fondling. All of the above is played for comic effect and portrayed in a lighthearted manner.
  • language false4 Language: Continuous bawdy language; every possible form of "s--t," plus "dick," "kicka--," "t--ty bar," "bang," "douche monsters," "bitch," "a--hole," "dog knockers," "boob," "goddamn," "suck bucket," and more. One character is defined by the extensive euphemisms he creates for all things female and sexual.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Significant references to Staples Office Products are used to parody the concept of product placement in sports.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: One scene shows teen boys drinking, partying, getting drunk, and behaving ridiculously.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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