Cheer (2020)

Now aware of its influence and with the added responsibility that comes with it, “Cheer” delivers a fascinating command performance, with all the attention and empathy that the stories at its center demand.

Cheer Season 2 is, like the first season, an addictive triumph. It expands the narrative to include a rival cheer team worth (begrudgingly) rooting for and a new cast of characters to love. But the most impressive thing Cheer Season 2 does is honestly examine the fallout of Season 1. The documentarians capture the good, the bad, and the ugly. ... Cheer Season 2 is The Empire Strikes Back of contemporary sports docs.

"Cheer" depicts the turmoil of high competition and the double-edged sword of fame. And it lays out what makes the world of cheerleading so addictive, both for its participants and for viewers.

All in all, Whiteley’s docuseries is a gripping inside peek at the world of top-flight athletics, where calamities are always one misstep away, physical agony and emotional devastation are ever-present, and the process of forming a cohesive team is complicated by the thorny hang-ups that everyone brings to the table.

Although it registers friendships and fallings-out, it does not make them into soapy storylines. It prefers, equally refreshingly, to dig deep into the many qualities that must combine to make a single performer, and then how they must coalesce into one team.

Cheer is an utterly convincing portrait of what is unquestionably a real, and absurdly dangerous, sport complete with compelling stories that actually make it much more emotional and more exciting than the past couple Last Chance U seasons. ... I've always wanted just a slightly deeper sociological push from Last Chance U and that carries over to Cheer, perhaps the differentiating factor between very good shows and great shows.

“Cheer” isn’t so much a new take on an old story as it is proof there’s drama wherever two or more gather. It’s an addicting reality show that will make you think twice the next time you see someone accomplish something amazing.

Fascinating — and often surprisingly moving — documentary series.

An earnest video journal about the challenges this dangerous sport poses and how the men and women who have made that sport the center of their lives rise to meet them.

From head coach Monica Aldama to flyer Lexi to stunt base Jerry, there’s an effort made to understand these people as people, not just a product of what they’re able to do on the confines of the mat. In almost all cases, “Cheer” leads with showing what they’re capable of, then pulling back to show the people from their hometown or in their Navarro world that helped make them who they are.

This was a very fascinating look at the sport of college cheerleading. The people we follow are very interesting and have very powerful backstories. The documentary is very well done, and the sport is fascinating to watch.