The 2000 movie "Bring It On" was not a great movie. It was a lot of fun, and generally enjoyable to watch, but it was not about to win any major awards. Similarly, "Bring It On: The Musical," now appearing at the Ahmanson, is not a great musical, but it sure is a blast to watch.

It's worth mentioning that the musical has almost nothing to do with the movie, other than the title and the fact that both are about cheerleading. Oh, and the two rival high schools have the same color uniforms as in the movie — but that's about it.

The musical follows Campbell (Taylor Louderman), the very peppy and likable, if somewhat bland, captain of the Truman High School cheer squad. She has wanted to lead the Truman team to the national competition ever since she was 5, but of course, it can't be that simple.

Due to "redistricting," Campbell is transferred to Jackson, a high school with a much more diverse population than that of the Stepford-esque Truman. After a series of unfortunate events, Campbell's precocious prodigy, Eva (Elle McLemore), takes over as Truman's captain, while Campbell tries to find her footing — both figuratively and literally — in her new school.

The cast is all very talented. Louderman's voice is lovely and clear, and she, like the rest of the cast, does a good job of cheering and singing simultaneously. Adrienne Warren is also fantastic as Danielle, Jackson's queen bee with an incredible voice.

Further fleshing out the cheer world are the supporting cast, every one of whom would steal the show in a lesser ensemble. Jason Gotay is sweet as Campbell's love interest Randall, while the aforementioned McLemore is always interesting to keep an eye on as Eva. Kate Rockwell and Janet Krupin play their roles as cheer minions so well that one can't help but wonder if they are playing it straight or satirically.

Ryann Redmond is incredibly lovable as Bridget, the self-deprecating perennial mascot who is also transferred to Jackson with Campbell. Ariana DeBose and Gregory Haney also do great jobs as Danielle's "henchmen," Nautica and La Cienega. Nicolas Womack is very entertaining as Twig, a little guy with a passion for rapping, and for Bridget. Each actor has a great voice that really adds to the show and gives it a fully fleshed-out sound.

The songs themselves are interesting. The music is by Lin-Manuel Miranda ("In the Heights") and Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal"), while Miranda and Amanda Green ("High Fidelity") tackle the lyrics. Both composers have distinctive styles, and the score is definitely reminiscent of "Heights," with touches of "Next to Normal" interspersed throughout. It makes for an interesting experience, though not necessarily a bad one. 

The score has some stellar moments, like "It's Right In Front of You" and "It's All Happening," though other numbers, such as "I Got You," come off as a tad too cheesy and trite. (One of the odder moments of the show is the song "Something Isn't Right Here" — is that the 1989 TV movie "Madeline" I hear?)

The book (by "Avenue Q's" Jeff Whitty), though, is the real detractor. It's rather amorphous and sort of incoherent. Some major plot points are glossed over, leaving the audience slightly befuddled. There also isn't a clear conflict in story, which makes it difficult for the show to propel itself at times.

What is commendable is how the show treats the some of the major social issues it tackles — as non-issues, in fact. It's nice to see a show letting the characters exist as they are and not harping on, "Oh, look at us, we're so diverse, we have a (fill in the blank with whatever you so desire) character!"

The characters, while not always fully developed, are still somehow three-dimensional. Perhaps this is because they lie somewhere in between stock stereotypes are real people one encounters in day-to-day life, but it works.

"Bring It On" is a musical about cheerleading, and the most impressive thing about the show is the cheering. The cast is a mix of the expected musical theater types and competitive cheerleaders. Both groups excel at their new medium. The stunts are death-defying, and almost similar to "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" in that they instill a near-continuous sense of fear for the actor's safety. Oddly enough, that's not the only similarity to "Spider-Man": the projection screens (by Jeff Sugg) are similar to those seen in the Foxwoods Theatre on Broadway, along with the general sense of pushing the boundaries of what a contemporary musical can do. (It should be noted that this critic did generally enjoy "Spider-Man," having seen the first incarnation in previews this past January.)

The aesthetic of the show is nice. The set design (by David Korins) is simple, but effective, as a perpetual reminder of a high school gymnasium. The costumes, by Andrea Lauer, are pretty and, happily, reminiscent of what high schoolers wear (or more, what they would wear if they had a costume designer helping them dress each morning). Jason Lyons' lighting is often astounding, and, as a whole, very well done.

While "Bring It On: The Musical" is not flawless, it is still undeniably enjoyable. The parts of the show that don't work are not so blatant as to detract from the show, and as a result, the musical is an amusing outing with a fantastic cast, jaw-dropping stunts and a peppy score.

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