TIFF Movie Review: Whip It

October 2, 2009 by Liam
Filed under: Movie News, Movie Reviews

Whip It Movie Review

Whip It stars Ellen Page as teenager Bliss Cavender who, as the movie opens, is competing in a Miss Bluebonnet beauty pageant. It is something that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to do, but beneath the gown lies a girl who is trying to break free. Later, while shopping with her mother, a group of roller derby players skates by, handing out flyers for an upcoming event. Bliss grabs a flyer and later secretly heads to nearby Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to check out the action. Soon, Bliss is breaking out her own pair of skates and trying out for the league. When she makes the cut, she must find time not only to play, but to also spend time with a musician named Oliver (Landon Pigg) who she met at a game. Bliss takes the name “Babe Ruthless” (all the players make up names the play under) and becomes a league sensation. But just when things are going well and it seems that our heroine has finally found her own personal bliss, it’s only a matter of time before things begin to unravel.

Whip It has garnered attention at the Toronto International Film Festival for a couple of reasons. First, because it marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. Second because it marks the return to the spotlight for star Ellen Page who made a splash here in Toronto a couple of years ago with Juno. As for Barrymore, she holds her own as a director. She doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but she succeeds in creating a world that drew me in, making me want more. As for Ellen Page, the role is similar to that of Juno in that she plays a character with an independent spirit, but the comparisons stop there. There’s something that’s more vulnerable about Bliss. She’s a girl looking to discover who she is. Helping her make that discovery are a cast of supporting players that includes Kristen Wiig as “Maggie Mayhem”, Zoe Bell as “Bloody Holly”, Eve as “Rosa Sparks” and Barrymore, who takes a small role as “Smashley Simpson”. Even the villainous “Iron Maven” (Juliette Lewis) takes a turn pushing Bliss to help her succeed along her journey.

And for a movie that’s all about the girls, the guys don’t disappoint either. Andrew Wilson reunites with Barrymore (he’s had a role in every movie she’s produced) playing the team’s coach, Jimmy Fallon helps move the action along as the game announcer. And lastly, Daniel Stern. There’s a scene in the movie (which can also be seen in the trailer) where Stern, playing the father, says “I cannot take losing the chance for our kid to be happy” and that really says it all. If you’re a father with a daughter, and that scene doesn’t break your heart, you simply don’t have heart worth breaking.

Of course, not everything worked. There were a few characters that were a little cut-and-paste. I probably could’ve done without the whole romance angle. I also didn’t get the purpose of Bliss’ little sister (played by Eulala Scheel) who was in the beginning and end of the movie, but seemed to disappear for the rest. Cute kid, but an unnecessary character. Other aspects of the movie that stood out for me were the music, which was well done, and I really enjoyed the filming and intensity of the roller derby sequences.

Like the sport it is based on, the thing that Whip It has going for it is that it is fun. It’s not going to win any Oscars, and you’re probably not going to wish your kids would grow up to play roller derby, but there’s a strong message about being a girl and having a dream and about being a parent and finding the courage to allow your kid to follow that dream. And I can’t really imagine a better actress to have played that girl. And as a father with a couple of little girls, I can really only hope that one day my own kids find that one thing that makes them happy — just as long as it doesn’t involve some boy in a stupid rock band. (7.5 out of 10)

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