Whip It (2009)

In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

Director:

Drew Barrymore

Writers:

Shauna Cross (screenplay), Shauna Cross (novel)

Stars:

Sarah Habel, Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Habel	...	Corbi
Shannon Eagen	...	Amber
Edward Austin Kelly	...	Pageant Coordinator
Mary Callaghan Lynch	...	Val
Ellen Page	...	Bliss Cavendar
Jimmy Fallon	...	'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket
Alia Shawkat	...	Pash
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Brooke Cavendar
Barbara Coven	...	Pagent Mother
Eulala Scheel	...	Shania Cavendar
Nina Kircher	...	Trudy
Daniel Stern	...	Earl Cavendar
Mark Boyd	...	Ronny
Carlo Alban	...	Birdman
Douglas Minckiewicz	...	Colby (as Doug Minckewicz)

Storyline

In a town near Austin, Bliss Cavendar's strong-willed mom believes Bliss, at 17, can win pageants - the key to a happy life. Bliss isn't the beauty pageant type: she's shy, quiet, and has just one friend, Pash, her fellow waitress at a diner. Things change for Bliss when she discovers a women's roller derby league in Austin, tries out, proves to be whip fast, and makes a team. Now she needs to become someone tough on the rink, keep her parents from finding out where she goes twice a week, and do something about a first crush, on a musician she meets at the derby. Meanwhile, mom still sees Bliss as Miss Bluebonnet. Things are on a collision course; will everyone get banged up?

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Plot Keywords:

pageant | roller derby | waitress | friend | beauty pageant | 

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Taglines:

Be Your Own Hero

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us] Official Facebook [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Derby Girl

Filming Locations:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£353,041 (UK) (9 April 2010)

Gross:

£353,041 (UK) (9 April 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandate Pictures, Vincent Pictures, Flower Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Iron Maven / Juliette Lewis tells Bliss Ellen Page that she's 36 years old, that's Juliette Lewis' actual age at the time the movie was released.

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Goofs

Iron Maven's (Juliette Lewis) stunt double is obvious during several close-ups throughout the final match.

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Quotes

Pash: [On going to Austin, TX alone] But you don't have the balls.
Bliss Cavendar: I can grow the balls...

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Crazy Credits

Bloopers run during closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 3 October 2009 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Fun Dream Love Dream"
Written by Jonas Stein, John Eatherly and Max Van Peebles (as Maxwell Peebles)
Performed by Turbo Fruits

User Reviews

Surprisingly Good

Enticed by free t-shirts and comfortable seats, two of my friends and I made the journey to Alexandria last Saturday to catch the sneak Preview of Whip It. Upon our arrival, our expectations were not high, as none of us were fans of Drew Barrymore.

Once the movie began, however, our opinions quickly changed. Drew Barrymore may not be the best actor, but she definitely has chops at directing. Whip It is the tale of a girl who hates life in a small town so she decides to rebel by joining a roller derby team with often comedic results. The movie is much better than plot may sound. It has some cliché moments but definitely beats the standard chick flick.

The film had a very unique feel, shifting between humorous and hipster-esquire scenes. This also was probably my biggest problem with the movie. The comedy often reminded me of something out of an Owen Wilson film but then the dramatic scenes reminded me of something more hip than Juno. That being said, the movie was much funnier than the average chick flick.

Ellen Page is superb as usual, taking on a somewhat different role than what I've seen before. It's impossible to compare her to her role in Juno, as in Whip It she plays a much more introverted, but still conflicted girl.

Andrew Wilson was probably the funniest character in the movie. I'm actually wondering where this guy came from. The other two Wilson brothers are huge and this guy just comes out of nowhere. Hopefully we'll see more of him, as he is just as funny as Owen and Luke.

Drew Barrymore had a very small role in the movie. The few scenes she is in are certainly not ruined by her. Landon Pigg should probably stick to music, or maybe even quit that because he sucks at that. He is not an actor, and that was prevalent throughout the movie. Jimmy Fallon provided a solid array of one-liners as the quirky announcer for the games.

The rest of the cast was solid, including Marcia Gay Harden as the strict but loving mother. Juliette Lewis is good as the over-the-top, intense player who takes things way too seriously. Alia Shawkat I couldn't stand but I just can't stand her in general.

This movie definitely goes far beyond what any average chick flick would. In fact it's hard to classify it as such, as I found it good and I'm a dude. All things considered it's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of hip movies or just comedy in general.