Backspot

Play trailer

2:16

Backspot

2024

1h 32m

Drama

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

An ambitious cheerleader (Devery Jacobs) faces both new adversity and the increased drive for perfection and triumph when she and her girlfriend are selected for an all-star cheer squad and its demanding head coach (Evan Rachel Wood). With a competition looming, Riley must navigate her drive with her crippling anxiety as one wrong move will bring her crashing to the ground.

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Critics Consensus

An outstanding showcase for Devery Jacobs, Backspot is front of the line as an insightful and thrilling sports drama.

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Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (LAist)

06/15/2024

Waterson has a really good eye for capturing details for these characters. There are relationships within this film that feel real, and a lot that goes unspoken that feels natural.

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Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Autostraddle

06/03/2024

A visceral and dynamic sports film so centered on girlhood in ways that feel exciting and original, but a lot of that work is done by the directing more than the script itself. Regardless, it’s a striking entry into the queerleading canon...

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Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

05/31/2024

Its early execution strains and wobbles some, but “Backspot” sticks its landing.

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Peter Gray

The AU Review

10/07/2024

3.5/5

This is a cautionary tale that warns of the extremes of dedication, whilst proving a love letter to the art of cheerleading and the zeal it requires.

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Rubén Rosario

MiamiArtZine

09/16/2024

At 93 minutes, it flies by. Your nerves might be more than a bit frazzled by the time it loosens its grip...

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Christie Cronan

Common Sense Media

08/26/2024

This queer coming-of-age cheerleading drama is a viscerally dynamic teen sports film that tackles complex themes of mental health, relationships, and ambition with a healthier perspective than many previous movies about cheerleading.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 09/15/2024

Lumbering with a weird documentary like direction that is distracting

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M M

@RT37401815 06/02/2024

This movie was intense and the subject matter fresh. I enjoyed the story and the characters.

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D.W. Waterson

Director

Devery Jacobs

Riley

Evan Rachel Wood

Eileen McNamara

Shannyn Sossamon

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Kudakwashe Rutendo

Amanda

Thomas Antony Olajide

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Backspot: Trailer 1

2:16

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Synopsis

An ambitious cheerleader (Devery Jacobs) faces both new adversity and the increased drive for perfection and triumph when she and her girlfriend are selected for an all-star cheer squad and its demanding head coach (Evan Rachel Wood). With a competition looming, Riley must navigate her drive with her crippling anxiety as one wrong move will bring her crashing to the ground.

Director: D.W. Waterson
Producer: Alona Metzer, D.W. Waterson, Devery Jacobs, Martin Katz
Screenwriter: Joanne Sarazen
Distributor: XYZ Films
Production Co: Pageboy Productions, Crave, Téléfilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Prospero Pictures, Night Is Y
Genre: Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 31, 2024
Runtime: 1h 32m