Photo by: Slashfilm.com
In “Whip It,” Ellen Page (from “Juno”) stars as Bliss Cavendar, a shy, awkward 17-year-old girl whose mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) is determined to turn her into the next Miss America.
Bliss is resigned to a life of living out her mother’s dreams until she comes across a flyer advertising a roller derby competition. Intrigued, Bliss recruits her sidekick Pash (Alia Shawkat) to accompany her to the game.
By the end of the competition, Bliss is hooked. She decides to try out for a nearby roller derby league and much to her surprise, she makes the team. In roller derby, Bliss is able to transform herself from a weak, helpless doormat, into Babe Ruthless, the “poster child” of roller derby in Austin, Texas.
The characterization was actually very good; most of the main characters in the movie were extremely well developed.
Unlike most comedies, “Whip It” also has a surprising amount of depth to it.
This movie is about so much more than roller derby.
It’s about family, forgiveness, getting older, falling in (and out) of love, blackmail and, more than anything, friendship.
Although Drew Barrymore both produced and made her directorial debut in this movie, it is obvious that she really did her research and knew how to make a great movie.
The camerawork is flawless and the acting is amazing.
But with actresses like Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig and Drew Barrymore, one wouldn’t expect anything less.
“Whip It” is superb. A must-see for those looking for a movie that will put a smile on their face and a bounce in their step. It opened in theaters on Oct. 2.
Fast Film Facts
- Director Drew Barrymore
- Lead Ellen Page
- Supporting Alia Shawkat
- Starring Eve, Jimmy Fallon and Daniel Stern
- Tagline: Be your own hero
- Setting: Bodeen,Texas
- Rating: PG-13
