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Whip It (2009)

Director: Drew Barrymore

Time Out rating

Average user rating

14 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘Whip It’ is essentially ‘Rollerball’ for the American Apparel set, where instead of James Caan battling fascist corporate powers you’ve got Ellen Page taking arms against crass feminine stereotypes. With her seductive and lightly anarchic directorial debut, Drew Barrymore strongarms her way into Austin’s underground roller-derby scene to tell the familiar tale of an underdog’s rise to sporting eminence. The sport itself makes little sense to the casual onlooker (it’s female-only, full-contact and involves charging around an oval-shaped roller rink on skates and looking mean), but the film is saved by the sincerity of its tone and the richness and variety of its ensemble cast – from Juliette Lewis’s hotshot banshee Iron Maven to Kristen Wiig’s nurturing Maggie Mayhem and Barrymore’s borderline psychotic Smashley Simpson. And deftly moderating her patented eye-rolling poseur shtick, Page delivers her most charismatic and least divisive performance to date as Bliss Cavendar, aka Babe Ruthless.

Taken as a florid celebration of female solidarity, the film is commendable, if hardly radical. But in the final reel, following a sappy my-first-boyfriend subplot and much indie- rock name-dropping, the focus shifts to examine Bliss’s increasingly fractured relationship with her fusty parents and a more discerning and emotionally substantial film emerges. Marcia Gay Harden, as Bliss’s ex-beauty-queen mother, shimmers in the background, desperate for her daughter to realise her potential, but also quietly devastated at the prospect of losing her to the big bad world. It’s a much needed oasis of quiet heartbreak amid the exhilarating cavalcade of sweaty roller girls.

Author: David Jenkins

Time Out London Issue 2068, 8-14 April, 2010

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User reviews of this film

Ana said...

Posted on Aug 24 2010 11:55 Sandra Bullock is one of the worst actresses ever, right next to Angelina Jolie. I'm embarrassed for them. Oscars have never been consistent in honouring the best artists, they're extremely variable popularity contests ruled by the strong hand of corporate backing, I would guess. I usually try to judge for myself, if it's something I think I want to see, and they don't reveal the entire movie in the trailer ( hate that!). Great artists and creators are rare. thanks.

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Evie said...

Posted on May 03 2010 22:00 I moved by the storyline between Bliss and her mother and don't think the script was cliched at all. Its refreshing to see a film where female characters don't have to be portrayed as size zero, or "put together" or expert asassins to be considered strong acceptable women. Bliss has more kick-ass than a thousand Hit-Girls.

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Dicky said...

Posted on Apr 21 2010 19:49 Oh, I forgot to mention, DJ also recently reviewed “From Paris With Love”, which has been slated in TO audience reviews.

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Dicky said...

Posted on Apr 21 2010 19:46 Richie Rich: I agree. This is a 1 star movie. A few months ago DJ reviewed a film “The Headless Woman”, to which he awarded 5 stars. The audience reviews are very damning (mine included), and give an average of 2 stars (you must bear in mind there are a few of the inevitable rave reviews planted by the film industry amongst that average). Mr Jenkins seems to be a few stars removed from the audience. Significantly, he seems to have forgotten that people are paying to see the movies recommended by this site. I’ll be interesting to see what average rating “La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet” receives over the next few weeks – rated 5 stars by DJ. Mind you, it’s on at about 2 cinemas nationwide, so reviews won’t be flooding in. It’d be great if Time Out’s rating process was transparent.

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Richy Rich said...

Posted on Apr 16 2010 08:49 I cannot believe this got four stars. It was quite possibly the worst film I have ever seen. Facile, formulaic movie-making of the very worst kind with nothing to recommend it. I will not go to another drew Barrymore directed film ever. The script could have been written by a 12 year old and was so predictable - with every movie cliche ticked off - you could almost say the lines before the 'actors' did. As for the 'action' scenes - laughably lacking in an kind of authenticity. Your reviewer - David Jenkins - should be relieved of his position. Unbelievable.

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Girl tired of frank and v said...

Posted on Apr 14 2010 10:40 you guys are wasting time by arguing! im fed up and have repoted both of you! so please stop so ppl dont get turned off watching this good film! you should both shut up and make nice comments on the film!

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Donna said...

Posted on Apr 14 2010 07:59 I started reading what was supposed to be a film review and I end up with derogatory, sexist comments. Jimmy, it's not big or clever, in fact it's downright offensive!

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Violet said...

Posted on Apr 09 2010 14:33 I'm already perfectly aware of it's meaning, thanks so much!

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frank said...

Posted on Apr 09 2010 14:19 irony. look it up.

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Violet said...

Posted on Apr 09 2010 14:11 Well Frank, isn't that reassuring now? This film is the perfect antidote to that shitty sentiment.

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Violet said...

Posted on Apr 09 2010 14:07 Oh and Dicky? 'good film' does not always = 'film that won the most oscars', Avatar being a perfect example of that.

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Violet said...

Posted on Apr 09 2010 13:57 What is it about roller derby exactly that makes so little sense to the casual onlooker? The fact that it's an 'all women' thing? Can I be the one to tell you that the category of 'female' is NOT a minority group or interest -that 51% of the population are female? Good. We've got that one sorted. It is basically rugby on skates. If millions of morons can wraps their heads around male-only teams kicking a pigs bladder into a net, I'm sure they'll be able to handle that.
I don't see anything more 'florid' about this coming of age story than it's teen male counterparts - American Pie, Superbad, etc, it is necessary that this film exists for young women in a society that usually marginalises or reduces them to a pair of tits or an arse in most mainstream cinema.
Oh and before Diablo Cody's godawful, annoying debut, Ellen Page delivered an amazing performance in Hard Candy. She is a very talented actress.

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Dicky said...

Posted on Apr 08 2010 00:36 Is there a connection between free cinema tickets on Wednesdays (courtesy of Orange) and “B” movies released on the same day? Maybe. More telling is the story that Drew Barrymore supposedly got so merry last October that she couldn’t attend a showing of this movie at a film festival in Toronto – the story goes she cried off with the excuse she had a sore throat. All legitimate, I’m sure, but not a good sign for your directorial debut.
The movie storyline’s simple: Young girl wants to break free from slightly control-freak mother and living in a deathly quiet town, so deceives everyone and attends rollerball a few towns away while supposedly doing extra study. Needless to say, she’s kinda geeky, and picked on. But the film goes on to show her mastering rollerskating and becomes the team mascot cum pin-up girl. This film’s really girl power on skates. And the story’s easily told in an hour. That it then stretches on for another hour. Sure, it’ll make you chuckle once or twice. Unfortunately, Drew Barrymore sends up her character with endless pratfalls, which become increasingly over-acted. And the team coach – “Razor” is just as over-acted as Barrymore. Elsewhere there’s some not bad acting, but this film is too long for its own good.
Sorry Time Out, I don’t agree – this is not a 4 star movie. 4 star movies (like “The Hurt Locker”) win 6 Oscars. “Avatar” was rated as 2 stars by Time Out, and went on to win 2 Oscars. Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for “The Blind Side” this year – and it was rated a 2 star movie. “Whip It!” isn’t going to win Oscars. Given it was shown at film festivals last autumn, if it was that good a movie it would have been released in time to get included in the Oscar nominations just gone. This is really a made for TV movie. If I were you, if someone offers you a ticket, do what Drew Barrymore did – say you have a sore throat or, if you’re forced to go, take some Beechams powders to ease the pain of the second hour.
Like I say, if 2 star movies win Oscars, then this is a 1 star movie.

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Tinlone said...

Posted on Jan 18 2010 12:33 I watched this in HKG with my friend and we both laughed so hard. The storyline is simple but the acting was superb! Ellen Page was the main reason I want to watch this but others were all very good!

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