Whip It - Review

Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Drew Barrymore
Writer: Shauna Cross
Starring: Ellen Page, Kristin Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, Daniel Stern, Alia Shawkat, Eve, Landon Pigg, Jimmy Fallon. Drew Barrymore, Andrew Wilson

Ellen Page stars as Bliss, a high school teen in small-town Texas. When we meet her she is a misfit amongst pageant contestants. Participating to carry on her mother’s legacy, Bliss goes along with the pageant activities to keep the peace with her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), but realizes there is more to life than pageantry. The only thing that seems to keep her sane in her boring, small-town existence is her best friend, Pash (Alia Shawkat). High school friends and co-workers at the Oink Joint, both girls dream of escaping their lives in the heartland.

One day, Bliss happens upon some roller derby gals. What is roller derby? Take a bunch of hot ladies in fishnet with attitude, put them in roller skates, add a bit of aggression & competition and you have the makings of a roller derby bout. Bliss slowly immerses herself in roller derby, enticed by the sense of freedom her everyday life does not allow her. In roller derby she finds an accepting family, free of judgement. A place where she is free to find herself and fall in love.

With all this freedom comes conflict. Eventually, the half-truths and omissions catch up with Bliss. Here is where the true lessons are learned – about understanding, strength of character, compromise and letting go. Perhaps it was my own small-town upbringing, but I felt it was easy to relate to all of the characters and what they brought to the story. The story is familiar, with a twist. It recognizes that we are, all of us, looking for the one thing that we can be good at, that will make us happy . . . and that one thing can be different for each of us.

Whip It marks Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut. In my opinion, this was the perfect project for her and she did a beautiful job. Whip It speaks to Drew Barrymore’s love with the idea of the eternal dreamer and I am excited to see what projects she will bring us in the future.

Whip It is heartfelt and charming. The cast is phenomenal. The soundtrack is edgy and meaningful. Everything about this movie is spot on! This film is not just a chick flick, I highly recommend this movie for anyone that enjoys a good movie!

For more on Whip It, visit the Official Website.