Whip It! English Movie
Release Date: October 2, 2009
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Drew Barrymore
Screenwriter: Shauna Cross
Starring: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Julieete Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material)
Reviews
Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this feisty, female-friendly action-comedy. JUNO's Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a young woman who longs to break free of her small-town bonds... Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this feisty, female-friendly action-comedy. JUNO's Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a young woman who longs to break free of her small-town bonds by joining the rough-and-tumble sport of roller derby in nearby Austin, Texas.Tired of being pushed into beauty pageants by her parents, Texas teen Bliss finds herself after joining a female roller derby team.
What's been the biggest surprise of TIFF '09 for me? Aside from the false impression by some of the media about there being an inch of Oscar movement here this year or the horror show on the sales side in which films will eventually sold... for 20 cents on the expected dollar?
Drew Barrymore not only can handle the director's chair, but she has, in her first film, delivered the same kind of charm that made her a major movie star through the Wedding Singer to 50 First Dates period... or more specifically, the Fox movies, like Ever After and Never Been Kissed. She is a very likable spirit. (So much so that she shouted herself hoarse at her premiere party on Sunday night and had to drop out of all press on Monday.)
The film, written for the screen by the author of the book on which the film is bases (who is also in the film), embraces the true modern feminism of now, not asking for permission, but simply moving forward, regardless of age, race, height, weight, dress size or any of the myriad other issues that keep people judging others.
Is it perfection? No. But it is a warm, funny, kind, smart, loving movie that girls, grrrrrls, women, and womyn will really enjoy. It is entertainment with ambition. And how does one say, "no" to that? (it's a rhetorical question... one doesn't.)
Ellen Page takes her next step, unencumbered by belly, cutting violence, or overly snappy dialogue. But Barrymore and screenwriter Shauna Cross spread the wealth around to veterans like Daniel Stern, Marcia Gay Harden (both pretty and shrewish), and Juliette Lewis, as well as newcomers like Kristin Wiig and the sparkly Alia Shawkat.
You can pick it apart if you really want to, but the spirit is stronger than each narrow detail. If you have a girl under 18 in your home, you will become intimately familiar with this film, as will your DVD player. Just give in and enjoy it. You've been whip-it-ed.
If this movie has a great story it will be a classic because the idea of chicks on roller skates is awesome. That is how the movie is being sold to the male public at large.
Honestly, I really think this is a chick movie, girl’s night out.
I saw the trailer some time ago and loved it. The cast alone tells you the acting will be freakin’ great. The movie stars Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (I love Juliette Lewis.), Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor and Alia Shawkat.
The movie is about a women’s roller derby team. That’s where the phrase "Whip it" derives from. The team whips it and they can score big time. Page stars as Bliss, a young Texan who takes a stand against her parents, beauty pageants and everything in general by joining a roller derby league. The script comes from Shauna Cross, adapted from her book "Derby Girl." Drew Barrymore also directed the film – her first directing gig.
Whip It stars Ellen Page as teenager Bliss Cavender who, as the movie opens, is competing in a Miss Bluebonnet beauty pageant. It is something that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to do, but beneath the gown lies a girl who is trying to break free. Later, while shopping with her mother, a group of roller derby players skates by, handing out flyers for an upcoming event. Bliss grabs a flyer and later secretly heads to nearby Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to check out the action. Soon, Bliss is breaking out her own pair of skates and trying out for the league. When she makes the cut, she must find time not only to play, but to also spend time with a musician named Oliver (Landon Pigg) who she met at a game. Bliss takes the name "Babe Ruthless" (all the players make up names the play under) and becomes a league sensation. But just when things are going well and it seems that our heroine has finally found her own personal bliss, it’s only a matter of time before things begin to unravel.
Whip It has garnered attention at the Toronto International Film Festival for a couple of reasons. First, because it marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. Second because it marks the return to the spotlight for star Ellen Page who made a splash here in Toronto a couple of years ago with Juno. As for Barrymore, she holds her own as a director. She doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but she succeeds in creating a world that drew me in, making me want more. As for Ellen Page, the role is similar to that of Juno in that she plays a character with an independent spirit, but the comparisons stop there. There’s something that’s more vulnerable about Bliss. She’s a girl looking to discover who she is. Helping her make that discovery are a cast of supporting players that includes Kristen Wiig as "Maggie Mayhem", Zoe Bell as "Bloody Holly", Eve as "Rosa Sparks" and Barrymore, who takes a small role as "Smashley Simpson". Even the villainous "Iron Maven" (Juliette Lewis) takes a turn pushing Bliss to help her succeed along her journey.
And for a movie that’s all about the girls, the guys don’t disappoint either. Andrew Wilson reunites with Barrymore (he’s had a role in every movie she’s produced) playing the team’s coach, Jimmy Fallon helps move the action along as the game announcer. And lastly, Daniel Stern. There’s a scene in the movie (which can also be seen in the trailer) where Stern, playing the father, says "I cannot take losing the chance for our kid to be happy" and that really says it all. If you’re a father with a daughter, and that scene doesn’t break your heart, you simply don’t have heart worth breaking.
Of course, not everything worked. There were a few characters that were a little cut-and-paste. I probably could’ve done without the whole romance angle. I also didn’t get the purpose of Bliss’ little sister (played by Eulala Scheel) who was in the beginning and end of the movie, but seemed to disappear for the rest. Cute kid, but an unnecessary character. Other aspects of the movie that stood out for me were the music, which was well done, and I really enjoyed the filming and intensity of the roller derby sequences.
Like the sport it is based on, the thing that Whip It has going for it is that it is fun. It’s not going to win any Oscars, and you’re probably not going to wish your kids would grow up to play roller derby, but there’s a strong message about being a girl and having a dream and about being a parent and finding the courage to allow your kid to follow that dream. And I can’t really imagine a better actress to have played that girl. And as a father with a couple of little girls, I can really only hope that one day my own kids find that one thing that makes them happy — just as long as it doesn’t involve some boy in a stupid rock band.
Release Date: October 2, 2009
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Drew Barrymore
Screenwriter: Shauna Cross
Starring: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Julieete Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material)
Reviews
Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this feisty, female-friendly action-comedy. JUNO's Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a young woman who longs to break free of her small-town bonds... Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this feisty, female-friendly action-comedy. JUNO's Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a young woman who longs to break free of her small-town bonds by joining the rough-and-tumble sport of roller derby in nearby Austin, Texas.Tired of being pushed into beauty pageants by her parents, Texas teen Bliss finds herself after joining a female roller derby team.
What's been the biggest surprise of TIFF '09 for me? Aside from the false impression by some of the media about there being an inch of Oscar movement here this year or the horror show on the sales side in which films will eventually sold... for 20 cents on the expected dollar?
Drew Barrymore not only can handle the director's chair, but she has, in her first film, delivered the same kind of charm that made her a major movie star through the Wedding Singer to 50 First Dates period... or more specifically, the Fox movies, like Ever After and Never Been Kissed. She is a very likable spirit. (So much so that she shouted herself hoarse at her premiere party on Sunday night and had to drop out of all press on Monday.)
The film, written for the screen by the author of the book on which the film is bases (who is also in the film), embraces the true modern feminism of now, not asking for permission, but simply moving forward, regardless of age, race, height, weight, dress size or any of the myriad other issues that keep people judging others.
Is it perfection? No. But it is a warm, funny, kind, smart, loving movie that girls, grrrrrls, women, and womyn will really enjoy. It is entertainment with ambition. And how does one say, "no" to that? (it's a rhetorical question... one doesn't.)
Ellen Page takes her next step, unencumbered by belly, cutting violence, or overly snappy dialogue. But Barrymore and screenwriter Shauna Cross spread the wealth around to veterans like Daniel Stern, Marcia Gay Harden (both pretty and shrewish), and Juliette Lewis, as well as newcomers like Kristin Wiig and the sparkly Alia Shawkat.
You can pick it apart if you really want to, but the spirit is stronger than each narrow detail. If you have a girl under 18 in your home, you will become intimately familiar with this film, as will your DVD player. Just give in and enjoy it. You've been whip-it-ed.
If this movie has a great story it will be a classic because the idea of chicks on roller skates is awesome. That is how the movie is being sold to the male public at large.
Honestly, I really think this is a chick movie, girl’s night out.
I saw the trailer some time ago and loved it. The cast alone tells you the acting will be freakin’ great. The movie stars Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (I love Juliette Lewis.), Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor and Alia Shawkat.
The movie is about a women’s roller derby team. That’s where the phrase "Whip it" derives from. The team whips it and they can score big time. Page stars as Bliss, a young Texan who takes a stand against her parents, beauty pageants and everything in general by joining a roller derby league. The script comes from Shauna Cross, adapted from her book "Derby Girl." Drew Barrymore also directed the film – her first directing gig.
Whip It stars Ellen Page as teenager Bliss Cavender who, as the movie opens, is competing in a Miss Bluebonnet beauty pageant. It is something that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to do, but beneath the gown lies a girl who is trying to break free. Later, while shopping with her mother, a group of roller derby players skates by, handing out flyers for an upcoming event. Bliss grabs a flyer and later secretly heads to nearby Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to check out the action. Soon, Bliss is breaking out her own pair of skates and trying out for the league. When she makes the cut, she must find time not only to play, but to also spend time with a musician named Oliver (Landon Pigg) who she met at a game. Bliss takes the name "Babe Ruthless" (all the players make up names the play under) and becomes a league sensation. But just when things are going well and it seems that our heroine has finally found her own personal bliss, it’s only a matter of time before things begin to unravel.
Whip It has garnered attention at the Toronto International Film Festival for a couple of reasons. First, because it marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. Second because it marks the return to the spotlight for star Ellen Page who made a splash here in Toronto a couple of years ago with Juno. As for Barrymore, she holds her own as a director. She doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but she succeeds in creating a world that drew me in, making me want more. As for Ellen Page, the role is similar to that of Juno in that she plays a character with an independent spirit, but the comparisons stop there. There’s something that’s more vulnerable about Bliss. She’s a girl looking to discover who she is. Helping her make that discovery are a cast of supporting players that includes Kristen Wiig as "Maggie Mayhem", Zoe Bell as "Bloody Holly", Eve as "Rosa Sparks" and Barrymore, who takes a small role as "Smashley Simpson". Even the villainous "Iron Maven" (Juliette Lewis) takes a turn pushing Bliss to help her succeed along her journey.
And for a movie that’s all about the girls, the guys don’t disappoint either. Andrew Wilson reunites with Barrymore (he’s had a role in every movie she’s produced) playing the team’s coach, Jimmy Fallon helps move the action along as the game announcer. And lastly, Daniel Stern. There’s a scene in the movie (which can also be seen in the trailer) where Stern, playing the father, says "I cannot take losing the chance for our kid to be happy" and that really says it all. If you’re a father with a daughter, and that scene doesn’t break your heart, you simply don’t have heart worth breaking.
Of course, not everything worked. There were a few characters that were a little cut-and-paste. I probably could’ve done without the whole romance angle. I also didn’t get the purpose of Bliss’ little sister (played by Eulala Scheel) who was in the beginning and end of the movie, but seemed to disappear for the rest. Cute kid, but an unnecessary character. Other aspects of the movie that stood out for me were the music, which was well done, and I really enjoyed the filming and intensity of the roller derby sequences.
Like the sport it is based on, the thing that Whip It has going for it is that it is fun. It’s not going to win any Oscars, and you’re probably not going to wish your kids would grow up to play roller derby, but there’s a strong message about being a girl and having a dream and about being a parent and finding the courage to allow your kid to follow that dream. And I can’t really imagine a better actress to have played that girl. And as a father with a couple of little girls, I can really only hope that one day my own kids find that one thing that makes them happy — just as long as it doesn’t involve some boy in a stupid rock band.
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