Review: An outrageous, sex-obsessed teen comedy that’s something to cheer about – especially if you’re 16.

Story: It’s a comic smorgasbord of “cineteenmatic” influences from Bring It On and Superbad to buddy comedies like Wedding Crashers. Shawn (Nicholas D*Agosto) and Nick (Eric Christian Olsen) are girl-obsessed jocks on the Ford High School football team. They scheme to trade another sweat-induced summer at football camp for a stint at the mostly female cheerleading camp instead. Their insincere motive? Score with the chicks. However, their muscular presence begins to turn around the miserable fortunes of this pathetic squad and now with an “S” for Shawn and an “N” for Nick, the team has a genuine chance to score for the first time at the cheer competition finals. On top of all this, Shawn falls for the team captain.

Acting: With a fresh and lively cast, Fired Up transcends the derivative nature of this kind of teen movie. Learning everything they know from conniving male screen teams like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, D’Agosto and Olsen may be the best pairing since those two started crashing weddings. Their nonstop rat-a-tat, locker-room-style patter about girls and sex is delivered with the panache of real comic pros – especially good is a scene where they must try out their cheer routines for their coach with only a strategically placed pom-pom for cover.

Direction: TV sitcom creator (The Loop) and first-time feature director Will Gluck tends to approach this lightweight material exactly as if he were doing it for the small screen but somehow it works – with the film’s main attributes being a breezy pace and effortless staging of the cheerleading set pieces. The movie clearly doesn’t take itself seriously, even indirectly addressing its Bring It On similarities by having the gang actually watching that movie one night and reciting the dialogue in unison. Funny stuff.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Review: Kids will love it, but this ‘Panther has drifted far from the smart farce it once was.

Story: It’s been 45 years since Peter Sellers was unleashed as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the delicious Pink Panther. That 1963 film spawned numerous sequels and cartoons, and in 2006 the baton was passed to Steve Martin – who hatched a worldwide hit with his version of the French detective. In this meandering, gag-laden sequel, Martin is assigned to join a team of other famed international detectives and crime wizards to crack a case where priceless treasures are being stolen around the globe including, of course, the iconic Pink Panther diamond. Again aiding Clouseau in his own cause are his partner Panton (Jean Reno) and Nicole (Emily Mortimer), for whom he still has those amorous feelings.

Acting: Let’s face it, no one could top Sellers in this role, and it’s wise that Martin doesn’t really try, instead taking the character more toward The Jerk. Whether inadvertently burning restaurants down to the ground, juggling wine bottles (in a particularly lame sequence), mangling the English language, imitating the Pope or spouting hopelessly politically incorrect bon mots like calling an Asian colleague “my little yellow friend,” Martin plays it broadly and safely. As the quartet of international detectives brought in to solve the case with Clouseau, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki and gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan do everything they can to keep from being totally upstaged by Martin’s nonstop antics, but it ain’t easy for any of them. Also of note: John Cleese takes Kevin Kline’s place as Clouseau’s exasperated boss. He and Lily Tomlin, Martin’s All of Me co-star, are reunited here to teach him proper social etiquette.

Direction: With a cast of capable comic veterans like this, all any director would have to do is point the camera and make sure it’s in focus. And that seems to be ALL Dutch helmer Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks) has done. The PP template has been dumbed down to appeal to young kids and despite its picaresque Paris and Rome locations, this comes off as surprisingly flat with a lot of comic possibility left twisting in the wind.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.

Review: After his recent more somber fare, it’s nice to see Tyler Perry go back to his comedic roots – well, sort of.

Story: As with any Tyler Perry movie in which he plays his alter-ego, gun-totin’ grandma Madea, there’s always the juxtaposition between the hilarity and the serious. Madea Goes to Jail is no exception. While Madea fights the law with every breath in her body – and the law wins, at least for a little while – the more serious side of the movie sees the fast-track Assistant DA Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) come face-to-face with his past when his old college friend Candy (Keisha Knight Pulliam), now a drug-addicted prostitute, shows up on his court docket. There’s some bad history there, and Joshua wants to atone for his mistakes by trying to help Candy get straight. But it ain’t easy, not with this girl. No worries, Madea is on the case.

Acting: When asked what happens to Perry when he puts on the wig, he replies, “She just comes. The minute I hear that zipper go up on the fat suit, she comes.” It is truly an amazing transformation for the multi-hyphenate, who created this character on stage. Perry’s skill at improvisation comes shining through, not only when he’s playing Madea but also when he’s playing Uncle Joe, Madea’s cantankerous older brother. You’re always wanting more of them, but alas the meat of the movie revolves around Luke and Pulliam, who both do an adequate job conveying their somewhat one-note characters. Viola Davis also makes an appearance as a reformed drug user-turned-minister—an odd choice for the Oscar nominee, but she certainly adds some weight.

Direction: When Perry wears the multiple hats, he must keep the behind-the-camera action as simple as possible. You can imagine him just whipping off the wig, putting on a ball cap, walking over to Davis and Luke to give them a few ideas and then start shooting. He also has an unwavering dedication to what he feels is the most important part to his movies: the messages about strong familial ties, faith and redemption. But really, for my money, it’s just worth it to see Perry, as the side-splittingly hilarious Madea, go toe-to-toe with Dr. Phil in a court-appointed anger-management therapy session. Priceless.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.