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Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Creator/SarahDugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.

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Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) (Creator/AubreyPeeples) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Creator/SarahDugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is a focused, achievement-oriented girl whose main sins are being a bit aloof and InnocentlyInsensitive, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.

to:

* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather than a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is a focused, achievement-oriented girl whose main sins are being a bit aloof and InnocentlyInsensitive, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.
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The Cheerleader is no longer a trope


* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Blonde, popular Kelly is Light, brooding introvert Bridget is Dark, as is {{Goth}} girl Nina. Nina even draws this contrast in her narration, noting that the school ''wanted'' her to be the murderer, since it conforms to their stereotypes to have the {{Goth}} kill TheCheerleader.

to:

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Blonde, popular Kelly is Light, brooding introvert Bridget is Dark, as is {{Goth}} girl Nina. Nina even draws this contrast in her narration, noting that the school ''wanted'' her to be the murderer, since it conforms to their stereotypes to have the {{Goth}} kill TheCheerleader.the cheerleader.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke ([[Series/VirginRiver Sarah Dugdale]]). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.

to:

Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke ([[Series/VirginRiver Sarah Dugdale]]).(Creator/SarahDugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.
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* IJustWantToBeYou: Kelly accuses Bridget of having this attitude during their big confrontation before her murder. Considering Bridget's characterization, she's not exactly wrong.


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* JerkassHasAPoint: Kelly may be a somewhat snobbish AlphaBitch, but she's not exactly wrong to consider Nina's ImpliedDeathThreat (writing a message to Kelly saying she "wants to see her blood drip") sick. And while she could've been more considerate with Bridget during their big fight, she's not exactly wrong to say Bridget [[IJustWantToBeYou is more interested in being Kelly (i.e. successful and popular) rather than being Kelly's friend]].
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* VomitDiscretionShot: Bridget is so nervous in the aftermath of the murder she throws up in the school bathroom, but we only see the back of her head.

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* VomitDiscretionShot: Bridget is so nervous in suffers StressVomit as the aftermath of police investigate the murder she throws murder, and is shown throwing up in the school bathroom, toilet, but we only see the back of her head.
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None


* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.

to:

* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, a focused, achievement-oriented girl whose main sins are being a bit aloof and InnocentlyInsensitive, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.

Added: 509

Removed: 509

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None


* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.



* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Sarah Dugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.

to:

Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Sarah Dugdale).([[Series/VirginRiver Sarah Dugdale]]). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly and makes up a phony party invitation to lure her out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness: The Larks, the club that the main characters belonged to, was more of a minor subplot in the 1994 version. Here, the equivalent, the Bobettes, is a big part of the story, as it's Bridget's major bit of social capital in the school, but it's portrayed as not being enough for her.

to:

* SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness: The Larks, the club that the main characters belonged to, was more of a minor subplot in the 1994 version. Here, the equivalent, the Bobettes, is a big part of the story, as it's Bridget's major bit of social capital in the school, but it's portrayed as not being enough for her. She accepted the Bobettes' invitation after being rejected by a similar, more elite group.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Blonde, popular Kelly is Light, brooding introvert Bridget is Dark, as is {{Goth}} girl Nina. Nina even draws this contrast in her narration, noting that the school ''wanted'' her to be the murderer, since it made a nice contrast between the two.

to:

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Blonde, popular Kelly is Light, brooding introvert Bridget is Dark, as is {{Goth}} girl Nina. Nina even draws this contrast in her narration, noting that the school ''wanted'' her to be the murderer, since it made a nice contrast between conforms to their stereotypes to have the two.{{Goth}} kill TheCheerleader.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* AdaptationalExplanation: Among other things from the original movie, Kelly's pot-smoking and Bridget's negative reaction to it get a more logical explanation--Kelly, who doesn't really seem like someone who'd use drugs, says she only recently took up marijuana as a way to calm down amid her hectic schedule, while Bridget's issue with it is that she's worried her parents will smell the pot in the car after she gets home.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying the the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.

to:

* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying the that the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.
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* ImportantHaircut: Nina goes from a basic dark-haired look to a spike blonde dye-job.

to:

* ImportantHaircut: Nina goes from a basic dark-haired look to a spike spiky blonde dye-job.
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None


Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Sarah Dugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget invites Kelly to a phony party and stabs her after after Kelly figures out the truth. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.

to:

Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Sarah Dugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona. persona, which attracts ridicule from Kelly. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget invites becomes desperate to strike up a friendship with Kelly to and makes up a phony party and stabs invitation to lure her after after out of the house. Once Kelly figures out the truth.truth, she escapes, but Bridget follows and eventually stabs Kelly. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.



* PerkyGoth: As opposed to the sullen Monica in the earlier version, Nina is bubbly and friendly.

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* PerkyGoth: As opposed to the sullen Monica in the earlier version, Nina is bubbly and friendly.friendly up until the murder.
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Added DiffLines:

[[quoteright:273:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_of_a_cheerleader_2019_film.jpg]]

''Death of a Cheerleader'' is a 2019 Creator/{{Lifetime}} MadeForTVMovie. It's a remake of 1994's ''Film/AFriendToDieFor'', which became a popular rerun for Lifetime under the {{Retronym}} ''Death of a Cheerleader'', so they used that title for the remake.

As with the earlier movie, it's a loose fictionalization of the 1984 murder of high school sophomore Kirsten Costas by her classmate Bernadette Protti, a crime that resident school EmoTeen Nancy Kane was briefly suspected of until Protti confessed. This movie is actually set as a period piece in 1984, and expands the role of the wrongly-blamed girl (Monica in the 1994 movie, Nina here), while giving all the characters new names and some characterization changes.

Hollybrook High School student Bridget Moretti ([[Series/{{Nashville}} Aubrey Peeples]]) is a somewhat dorky girl who gets invited to join the Bobettes, an elite sorority-esque group at the school, along with pretty and popular Kelly Locke (Sarah Dugdale). Nina Miller (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is also invited but turns down the invitation. While Bridget views Kelly as the ideal of what she wants to be, Nina regards Kelly as exactly what she ''doesn't'' want to be; she dyes her hair and starts taking on an edgy persona. Hurting from her rejection from the cheer squad (among other disappointments), Bridget invites Kelly to a phony party and stabs her after after Kelly figures out the truth. The cops focus on Nina, who has a solid alibi for the night, except she lied about it to avoid getting in trouble with her mom. Bridget becomes an emotional wreck once the police start to close in on her.

!!''Death of a Cheerleader'' features most of the same tropes as ''A Friend to Die For'', but adds these:

* AdaptationNameChange: Everyone gets renamed here.
* TheAlibi: Bridget falsely claims to have been babysitting the night of the murder. Nina also lies about where she was that night, but to avoid getting in trouble. She claimed to have been out at a movie, but was really cavorting with a boy from out of town.
* AscendedExtra: Monica in the earlier film is basically just there to get picked on by Stacy and get blamed for the murder. Her 2019 equivalent Nina narrates the story and is presented as a {{Foil}} to Bridget, as a character who gets the same opportunities as her but shuns popularity.
* BrilliantButLazy: Nina is a classic underachiever, apparently thinking she's sticking it to the school's high-achievement culture.
* CompositeCharacter: Jamie, the InnocentBetaBitch from the 1994 version, gets combined with Jill (the friend of Angela, Bridget's 1994 equivalent) into Bobettes member Trish here.
* DarkerAndEdgier: This movie tries to be more realistic than the earlier movie, with more of a focus on Bridget's [[AdaptationalExplanation personality breakdown and her motives]].
* AdaptationalNiceGuy[=/=]AdaptationalVillainy: The murderer and the victim have subtly different characterizations here, probably in response to criticism from people who knew Kirsten Costas saying the the original seemed to vilify her and blame the victim. Rather a bullying AlphaBitch, Kelly is an entitled [[PersonalityBloodTypes Type-A]] achiever who's InnocentlyInsensitive to people she perceives as beneath her, while Bridget gets an AdaptationalAngstUpgrade, as more of a neurotic ticking time bomb.
* EmoTeen[=/=]{{Goth}}: We see Nina go from "normal" to an edgy, rebellious girl, making her the subject of gossip among the other girls.
* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Nina, a secondary character, narrates the story in a somewhat [[FauxlosophicNarration Fauxlosophic]] way.
* ImportantHaircut: Nina goes from a basic dark-haired look to a spike blonde dye-job.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Blonde, popular Kelly is Light, brooding introvert Bridget is Dark, as is {{Goth}} girl Nina. Nina even draws this contrast in her narration, noting that the school ''wanted'' her to be the murderer, since it made a nice contrast between the two.
* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: The setting of the actual case (Miramonte High School in Orinda, California) is turned into Hollybrook High in the fictional town of Colina.
* PerkyGoth: As opposed to the sullen Monica in the earlier version, Nina is bubbly and friendly.
* OutOfFocus: Angela's parents and sister are important side characters in the 1994 version, but Bridget's family are only minor characters here.
* RemakeCameo: Creator/KellieMartin, the murderer Angela in the 1994 movie, plays an FBI agent helping with the case. This leads to some LeaningOnTheFourthWall moments when the agent talks about Bridget and her possible motivations, and goes through the FBI profile of the killer, since she's describing a character that she once played.
* SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness: The Larks, the club that the main characters belonged to, was more of a minor subplot in the 1994 version. Here, the equivalent, the Bobettes, is a big part of the story, as it's Bridget's major bit of social capital in the school, but it's portrayed as not being enough for her.
* VomitDiscretionShot: Bridget is so nervous in the aftermath of the murder she throws up in the school bathroom, but we only see the back of her head.

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