Title: Whip It (2009)Starring: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig
Directed By: Drew Barrymore
While there isn't exactly anything new and exciting about this movie, it does have an overall likeability that I couldn't ignore. These characters are amusing, although generic. The story is fun, but predictable. It's not exactly "Picture of the Year" material, but that doesn't mean you can't just watch it and enjoy it.
Whip It follows the story of Bliss Cavendar (Page), a young woman in Bodeen, TX who is just coming into her own. Her mother (Harden) wants her to participate in beauty pageants, but she doesn't like them. When she sneaks away to see a roller derby match, she discovers what she does like. Roller derby. From this point on you know EXACTLY what's going to happen, right down to the "feel-good but lesson learned" ending.
First-time director Barrymore is really the only success-story that comes out of this. Here, she's crafted a fitting example of the genre, and done so with a certain amount of credibility that isn't always allotted to first-timers. She certainly took advantage of the opportunity and made the best of it. Here's hoping that next time she can try her hand at some more original material, and knock it out of the park.
Score: 7.5/10
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