Whip It - A Review

A break from Oscar Nominees... I needed a break from my avalanche of assignments and mid terms... And this movie was very very enjoyable indeed.


Ok, not world class plot with grand budget or incredible setting. Just a simple story of a small town girl making it big in the sport of roller derby (imagine sexy rough girls cat-fighting on roller skates). The plot wasn't even good, like one moment the heroin was on top of the world, one moment she was in deep shit, then all the conflicts sorted themselves out the next minute. Seriously, everything was so expected and predictable.

Bad ass contact sport!

What come-of-age movie can do without romance?

But what I really like about this movie is the character development, especially Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page). I am not sure it is good screenwrite or good acting, or both, but I really enjoy watching Bliss enjoying herself skating and falling in love and falling out of love and then being on top of the world again.

They are sort of cute actually
The guy, Oliver (Landon Pigg) was actually very sweet and humorous!

On another note, I feel like Ellen Page is being type-casted. Previously she did a fantastic job with Juno but I kinda see Juno's shadow here again. The teenage angst, the rebellious tomboy, supportive parents in the end, the happily ever after ending. But she really did a fantastic job for being a 22 year old lady playing a 17 year old teen.

I love the nerdy look!

And I love the stupid smile on the father's face for being so proud of her daughter!

When I found out that Drew Barrymore was the director of this movie, I was slightly cynical about it before I even watch it. I felt like this was Barrymore's vanity project where her face will be plastered across the screen. (Remember Hugh Jackman's self-produced, self-written, self- acted, self-I-forgot-what-else vanity project about an exclusive sex club few years back?) But this movie's focus was really on Ellen Page. Drew Barrymore only appeared in little scenes. She wasn't even playing the wise mentor or the bad ass chic.

Drew Barrymore reduced herself to a supporting role and gave Ellen Page the limelight!

Barrymore still had plenty of screen time being stupid.
Really... There wasn't a scene of her in the movie that actually make sense!

Put aside the predictable plot, I really like the romance in the movie between Bliss and Oliver, though they didn't work out in the end. But the meet, the flirt, the court and finally the love was like... wow! (Or maybe I have a thing for cute musicians!) It was predictable but not in a cheesy way, more like super buttered sweet. Not bad at all for a 17 year old!

Is it me or is making out under water cool?
I love the editing here. Beautiful lighting, beautiful music, beautiful angles, beautiful mood!

Ratings : 7/10. Enjoyable. Lots of mindless not-so-rough violence in a feminist kind of humour. And Ellen Page is HOT in this movie!