This would've been much better if they let it stay a mystery until the end. It does seem like they're going that route at the beginning, but then they just give it up. Once you find out who it is, it just gets boring and you're sort of waiting for the predictable "good guys win" ending. Ultimately it starts off promising, but ends up a disappointment.
8 Reviews
Tired of Lifetime's gimmicks
deedrala4 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The beginning scene of the movie was a farce: intentionally misleading the audience into thinking the main lead character Audrey and her mom were shot and killed when they weren't. Just another of LMN's cheesy gimmicks, especially with the voice-over by Audrey saying this is how the audience is manipulated into watching the movie - by showing a minor character being killed at the beginning. Then she went on to make it even wackier by specifying that she wasn't actually a minor character but the main lead character and this is her story. So as we watch the rest of the movie, we're thinking 'why bother?' since we already know she would be killed by the end. Ridiculous misleading tacky gimmick that should make Lifetime ashamed and embarrassed but they're most likely proud of it.
Even though I know that Lifetime is capable of great movies (although few and far between), I'm going through a gradual LMN withdrawal in which I'm recording and watching fewer of their flicks every week/month. Pretty soon it will be maybe 2 or 3 a year, but only the ones that sound like they might have been made with halfway intelligent adults in mind as the desired audience.
More and more it seems like most of their flicks are written, directed, and edited by pre-teens. Toward the end of this movie, when Audrey and her mom were watching the news about Michael and Nora being arrested, the last line of the text on their TV screen contained a blatant mistake/glaring omission: it should have been "ready to strike a plea deal" - NOT "ready to strike a plea".
And of course their main basic gimmick of all that hasn't changed in years: a psycho murderer and all the people that are affected by him/her. Usually the psycho's identity is kept secret for the majority of the movie, but in rare instances like this one, we find out halfway through who it is.
The only reason I give it 3 is for Jhey Castles' acting as the only good thing about this movie. Otherwise it would be 1.
3 out of 10 / Grade D
Even though I know that Lifetime is capable of great movies (although few and far between), I'm going through a gradual LMN withdrawal in which I'm recording and watching fewer of their flicks every week/month. Pretty soon it will be maybe 2 or 3 a year, but only the ones that sound like they might have been made with halfway intelligent adults in mind as the desired audience.
More and more it seems like most of their flicks are written, directed, and edited by pre-teens. Toward the end of this movie, when Audrey and her mom were watching the news about Michael and Nora being arrested, the last line of the text on their TV screen contained a blatant mistake/glaring omission: it should have been "ready to strike a plea deal" - NOT "ready to strike a plea".
And of course their main basic gimmick of all that hasn't changed in years: a psycho murderer and all the people that are affected by him/her. Usually the psycho's identity is kept secret for the majority of the movie, but in rare instances like this one, we find out halfway through who it is.
The only reason I give it 3 is for Jhey Castles' acting as the only good thing about this movie. Otherwise it would be 1.
3 out of 10 / Grade D
The acting was almost credible, but the plot wasn't
dttruman25 October 2020
The secondary characters showed more promise than the main ones, but the premise was way off and was not researched well at all. It was your typical superficial LMN murder mystery, but this was one was set in the behind the scenes look of a fictitious NBA team. A forced whirlwind romance between a player and a cheerleader results in murder. This fraternization would never happen today because the cheerleader would be fired and the player heavily fined. A terrible ending shows how ill-prepared the ending was thought out, which explains why this was so substandard. I am really surprised that the NBA allowed them to use their name since it will probably reflect bad on the teams
It's a watchable movie
CranberriAppl23 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Anna Marie Dobbins must be popular bc she is all over this network. This did not seem like a movie about a semi-pro anything. The gym looked like my small-ish Catholic school's gym and the title Pom Pom Wars makes it sound like one of the high school cheer movies. I think Walter was the only player we saw. I thought Audrey and Walter were cute, but their relationship happened so fast. Lifetime has trouble incorporating believable romance into their movies.
The villain and/or villains were telegraphed fairly early if you know Lifetime movies, but it was confirmed about halfway through. The character with the Olivia Benson hair and makeup played her part well. I'd say the villain's and/or villains' motivation was based on believable circumstances. A previous reviewer mentioned one, but I'd like to add another Lifetime gimmick that annoys me. In the beginning, the person that is shown to kill Bailey is clearly not the actual villain's actor. Different body type and I'd go as far to say the person wasn't the same gender. I hate when Lifetime does that because it's a straight up lie, not a twist (thanks Bob's Burgers). Everyone in this movie had distinct hairstyles, and yet the killer in the beginning did not. This is the trick of Lifetime's that annoys me the most.
After a while, it stopped feeling like a whodunnit. I don't think ****** was ever a believable suspect, but there were others in the movie that they could have played up as suspects until the end. My guess is that the production budget and costs likely made it necessary to "trim the fat," and not have the movie take too many turns. The climax was weird...how were the police ready to arrest *********** but ******** got away with all the people and cameras around? It made for a cheap and yep gimmicky "twist" to tie back to the opening of the movie. The voice-over dialogue should have been nixed. Pretty insensitive given that people died.
I only watched this bc I recognized Anna M. Dobbins from other movies. I almost didn't watch it bc I assumed it was for teenagers. It didn't feel like a waste of 90 minutes, but I doubt I'd watch again.
The villain and/or villains were telegraphed fairly early if you know Lifetime movies, but it was confirmed about halfway through. The character with the Olivia Benson hair and makeup played her part well. I'd say the villain's and/or villains' motivation was based on believable circumstances. A previous reviewer mentioned one, but I'd like to add another Lifetime gimmick that annoys me. In the beginning, the person that is shown to kill Bailey is clearly not the actual villain's actor. Different body type and I'd go as far to say the person wasn't the same gender. I hate when Lifetime does that because it's a straight up lie, not a twist (thanks Bob's Burgers). Everyone in this movie had distinct hairstyles, and yet the killer in the beginning did not. This is the trick of Lifetime's that annoys me the most.
After a while, it stopped feeling like a whodunnit. I don't think ****** was ever a believable suspect, but there were others in the movie that they could have played up as suspects until the end. My guess is that the production budget and costs likely made it necessary to "trim the fat," and not have the movie take too many turns. The climax was weird...how were the police ready to arrest *********** but ******** got away with all the people and cameras around? It made for a cheap and yep gimmicky "twist" to tie back to the opening of the movie. The voice-over dialogue should have been nixed. Pretty insensitive given that people died.
I only watched this bc I recognized Anna M. Dobbins from other movies. I almost didn't watch it bc I assumed it was for teenagers. It didn't feel like a waste of 90 minutes, but I doubt I'd watch again.
it's a ok movie
tezzahols25 October 2020
Pretty good whodunit!
Chartreuse130 October 2020
Audrey tries out for a cheerleading squad and makes it. She also falls for Walter who is the star player for the Renegades and whose ex is Bailey, who also makes the squad. Suddenly, Bailey is strangled and Walter becomes the prime suspect and is arrested. But Audrey doesn't believe he did it and sets out to find the real killer. Then another cheerleader friend of hers is murdered. Who's behind them and why is reason to watch the movie. Strong plot and good acting makes this a watch. Reommended!
Renegade Girl
lavatch19 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
At the heart of "The Pom Pom Girls" (a.k.a., "Ruthless Renegade") is Audrey Anderson, who tries out for and wins a slot on the cheerleading team for a professional basketball franchise, the Los Angeles Renegades. She soon begins a romantic relationship with the superstar point guard of the team, Walter "LeBron" James. Then, two of the cheerleaders, Bailey and Tracey, are murdered. Audrey senses that she may be the next victim.
With some lively dance routines and a wide range of bizarre characters, the film was a compelling watch. Audrey's new romantic interest, Walter, was an intriguing character with a background in the Bahai religion in which he made a vow of celibacy until marriage. For this reason, Bailey broke off her relationship with Walter shortly before her murder. When Walter is investigated by the police for the murder, Audrey takes it upon herself to play the sleuth.
Audrey's quest leads her to a sleazy janitor, Lou, who has a criminal record. Even more troubling was that he evidently was obsessed with Bailey and she (to some unexplained degree) returned his affection! Coach Cassie is also suspicious in that she recently had a falling out with Bailey. The owners of the franchise, Michael and Nora McConnell, are also suspects, due especially to Michael's philandering with a string of members of the cheerleading squad.
The quick-thinking Audrey observes the peculiar physical mannerisms of Nora, leading to the conclusion that she is suffering from delusional behavior. The filmmakers effectively developed Nora's "visions" that clouded her judgment and resulted in her losing touch with reality.
Nora and Audrey were a study in contrasts. Due to the solid upbringing she received from her mother Jessica, Audrey has an astute awareness of her environment. Almost instantly, she perceived the toxicity of the Renegade ownership. Her near encounter with tragedy led Audrey to conclude that her future did not lie in cheerleading or the entertainment business. Instead, the Renegade girl vows to make her calling in law enforcement as a detective!
With some lively dance routines and a wide range of bizarre characters, the film was a compelling watch. Audrey's new romantic interest, Walter, was an intriguing character with a background in the Bahai religion in which he made a vow of celibacy until marriage. For this reason, Bailey broke off her relationship with Walter shortly before her murder. When Walter is investigated by the police for the murder, Audrey takes it upon herself to play the sleuth.
Audrey's quest leads her to a sleazy janitor, Lou, who has a criminal record. Even more troubling was that he evidently was obsessed with Bailey and she (to some unexplained degree) returned his affection! Coach Cassie is also suspicious in that she recently had a falling out with Bailey. The owners of the franchise, Michael and Nora McConnell, are also suspects, due especially to Michael's philandering with a string of members of the cheerleading squad.
The quick-thinking Audrey observes the peculiar physical mannerisms of Nora, leading to the conclusion that she is suffering from delusional behavior. The filmmakers effectively developed Nora's "visions" that clouded her judgment and resulted in her losing touch with reality.
Nora and Audrey were a study in contrasts. Due to the solid upbringing she received from her mother Jessica, Audrey has an astute awareness of her environment. Almost instantly, she perceived the toxicity of the Renegade ownership. Her near encounter with tragedy led Audrey to conclude that her future did not lie in cheerleading or the entertainment business. Instead, the Renegade girl vows to make her calling in law enforcement as a detective!
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