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

Roller derby started in Columbia after a Bogotá graphic designer watched the movie for the first time.

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Goofs

In several shots throughout the film a soft box (used for lighting) is visible in the reflection of Bliss' glasses.

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Quotes

Bliss Cavendar: [helping Pash to the toilet] Come on, let's get this out.
Pash: [belches low] It's cool. I swallowed it.
Bliss Cavendar: Come on, just stick your fingers down your throat. You'll feel better.
Pash: No! You stick your fingers down YOUR throat.
Bliss Cavendar: ...Pash... you ever thought... about your parents making love... your dad's naked body...
Pash: ...WHAT?
Bliss Cavendar: His balls jiggling... sweaty?
Pash: nnoo!
[throws up, heaving]
Pash: [whimpers] That's not fair!

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Crazy Credits

Bloopers run during closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Best Movies You Missed (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Scratch"
Written and Performed by Steven Baber
Courtesy of Johnnyrandom

User Reviews

Great flick - Go see Whip It when it comes out!

While it's a coming of age story we've seen before the film being set against roller derby makes it's something new and different. I saw this movie yesterday at TIFF and the screenwriter was there for the Q&A. This story is taken from her experiences discovering roller derby and many of the characters are based on real people. The writer is also from Texas and grew up near Austin where the story is set. Ellen Page and Marcia Gay Harden are excellent and the mother/daughter scenes are very real. Ellen Page did all her own stunts - learning to skate which adds a lot to the movie. Many of the older actresses did many of their stunts as well so the wipe outs and the scrapes and bruises are real!! Kristen Wigg is also great - one of the first times I've seen her be a real person on screen instead of just a funny character.