Whip It (2009)

This movie was not as good as I thought it would be. Ellen Page is sweet and she is obviously very talented. However, she is starting to come off as a whiner to me. She was not quite as sarcastic, and she did not try to be as "cool" as she was in Juno, but she is still a little annoying for some reason. Drew Barrymore's performance was really disappointing to me. I felt she did very little and her role was almost a "cameo". She just pops up from time to time, says very little, and tries to act tough. Also, let me ask you this? Does Ellen Page look 21? No, she looks like she is 14. How in the world are her teammates surprised when they find out she is only 17? Also, being a person who has roller skated for over 30 years, I guess I found it hard to believe that Bliss would be the fastest person out there when they were doing time trials. She looked slow and awkward. They guy that Bliss falls for looks like a loser. My wife was like, "why is she even bothering with that ugly guy?" I didn't get it.

I hate to bash this movie, because I was really looking forward to seeing it. However, I am finding it hard to say something good about it. Juliette Lewis actually gave one of the best performances in the movie. She is one of the few who actually pulled off the "edgy, tough roller-girl" persona. This movie was nothing special, and the box office returns will show it.

Fmovies: Whip It and Bend It Like Beckham are so similar, but so much different. Both tell the stories of teenage girls who sneak away to participate in sports, Soccer and Roller Derby.

Both girls have crushes and relationships with the opposite sex, both end differently.

The main difference in Whip It, which makes the film really stand out, is the relationship with Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). This is the main theme of the movie and is beautifully developed. Drew Barrymore said she was drawn to the script because of mother-daughter theme. Drew and her mom have had problems and wanted to do the story because of it.

Bliss grows up in a small town (Bodine) in Texas, which is on the outskirts of Austin. Watch for the part when Bliss and her friend Pash dance to the Dolly Parton song Jolene, and change the words to Bodine. One day while shopping in Austin she picks up a flyer for the local Roller Derby team, the Hurl Scouts. Bliss talks her best friend. played by Alia Shswkat, into driving her into Austin to watch an actual game. She is invited after the game by Maggie Mayhem to attend a tryout to make the team.

Drew said she was attracted to the sport of Roller Derby by the crowd. When she attended an event, she looked around and saw yuppies, blue collar workers, teenagers, families, and just a wide range of people. All drawn to the sport of Roller Derby.

The book was written by Shauna Cross who based her experience on her career with the LA Derby Dolls. Shauna skated with them as Maggie Mayhem (played by Kristen Wiig). Shauna was looking for a tennis partner and searched Craigslist for one, and found an ad for Roller Derby, which started her career.

Drew made some additions to the script. A fan of the hockey movie "Slap Shop" and the characters the Hanson Brothers, she came up with the Manson Sisters for Whip It. They play silent but deadly teammates on the Hurl Scouts. A little hard of hearing or not caring to, they walk by the white board with a play diagrammed, look, and just keep walking. They are played by LA Derby Dolls skaters Kristen "Krissy Krash" Adolfi and Rachel "Iron Maiven". Adolfi and Piplica are teammates on LADD's Tough Cookies, on whom the film's fictionalized Hurl Scouts are based.

Landon Pigg goes from musician to his first acting role, as Bliss' love interest. I think this is the only scene of making out under water I have ever seen.

If some of the blood and bruises look real .. they are !! Most of the actors did their own skating and had their share of mishaps. Bliss (Ellen Page) was trained by LA Derby Doll's Axle of Evil. Drew suffered a huge bruise on her thigh while wrestling with one of the trainers. During the training, some of the actors would yell out "I am hurting" and the trainers would yell back "Keep Skating".

The movie scenes of Roller Derby action look extremely real as Drew used hand held cameras for a lot of the action. A huge crane in the middle of the track took shots from high above and also went down close to the action.

The moral of the movie (per Drew) is finding yourself, to get out there and do things, to improve yourself, and to pick yourself up and keep trying.

I highly recommend this movie to one and all.

While it's a coming of age story we've seen before the film being set against roller derby makes it's something new and different. I saw this movie yesterday at TIFF and the screenwriter was there for the Q&A. This story is taken from her experiences discovering roller derby and many of the characters are based on real people. The writer is also from Texas and grew up near Austin where the story is set. Ellen Page and Marcia Gay Harden are excellent and the mother/daughter scenes are very real. Ellen Page did all her own stunts - learning to skate which adds a lot to the movie. Many of the older actresses did many of their stunts as well so the wipe outs and the scrapes and bruises are real!! Kristen Wigg is also great - one of the first times I've seen her be a real person on screen instead of just a funny character.

Whip It fmovies. Drew Barrymore created a stunning film with Shauna Cross's script, and you would never know it was her first time directing. The characters and story are so well crafted and there's never a dull moment. I love the way this movie feels nostalgic and makes you remember that time in your life where you're trying to figure out who you are, and you have that one best friend that gets you through the tough times. I'm impressed by the actresses' skating abilities and making this all look so natural to them. Marcia Gay Harden is total perfection as Bliss Cavendar's mother, bringing such a realness to her character, and Ellen Page and Alia Shawkat have realistic chemistry that pulls you into their friendship. This isn't a raunchy movie and I find it totally enjoyable. I can watch this movie over and over and I never get sick of it - it's become a classic for sure!

Caught a preview of this and was really glad I did. The writing and characters were very genuine. There were lots of laughs and emotion and great moments you can't help but root for the girls. Drew, Ellen, Alia, Kristin, Marcia, Juliet, Eve and the rest just tore it up on the screen. It was nice to see some of these girls, like Drew & Kristin, in roles as real people as opposed to just caricature's. I never knew how roller derby was even played but now I'm gonna look for a local league to go watch - those girls rock! I ended the film feeling like I was best buds with all of them. This definitely shows that Drew will have quite a career directing and that Juno wasn't a one-hit-wonder for Ellen, either. You won't want to miss this one.

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a little gem. It could have been called Juno on Skates, such are the comparisons, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, Bliss Cavendar is almost identical to Juno MacGuff (and not just because Ellen Page plays them both), it follows a similar 'finding oneself' story arc, there are eccentric yet lovable parents and it prides itself on the unique dialogue flowing throughout; however Whip It has something up its sleeve to give it its own recognisable edge – roller-derby. Fun doesn't come any thicker, faster or sillier than roller-derbying. Barrymore understands this and appropriately places the underground sport front and centre. The editing is occasionally too quick meaning you can't always see what is going on, but you are caught up in the atmosphere so much it doesn't really matter.

Beneath the action is a coming-of-age tale that wears its heart on its sleeve and bears all. Despite being slightly predictable and clichéd, real life roller-derby competitor Shauna Cross' screenplay (adapted from her own book) makes up for it with razor-sharp dialogue ("I can grow the balls") and genuinely intriguing characters. Not to mention the comedy littered throughout; never laugh-out-loud moments but you'll be chuckling from start to finish. The romance subplot could have been left out though, it doesn't hold your interest like the other story elements and feels slightly unnecessary.

Undeniably cute once again, Ellen Page stamps her A-list spot with another splendid, oddly appealing performance. Page's serious acting chops are matched by her superb comic timing as she proves that she is one of the finest young actors coming through today. The huge supporting cast is letdown by no-one; Kristen Wiig the pick of the bunch, her deadpan humour is hilarious and she is surely another actress we will see more of in the future. A special mention to Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern as well, they play Bliss' old folks with warmth and likability, never allowing them to become the typical misunderstanding parents you often find in these movies.

A laugh-a-minute affair with a bigger than average heart. Throw in a terrific little indie soundtrack and you have yourself a must-see movie.

4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)