film reviews

Whip It

It seems like every actor wants to take their turn at directing, some do a great job like Clint Eastwood, while others should stick to their day jobs so to speak. Drew Barrymore is the latest to take a shot behind the camera, and although she isn’t bad, she still has room for improvement. Doing something you feel passionate about is the first correct step, and in that she has done well. Whip it is the story of women roller derby, the film is based on a book from Shauna Cross, who also writes the screenplay. The film starts in the small Texas town of Beldon, where we meet Bliss Cavendar who is played by Ellen Page( Hard Candy). Bliss is living her mother’s dream of being a beauty pageant queen. Her mother played by Marcia Gay Harben (Into the Wild) is a former beauty queen who believes if she had a mother like herself, that she would have gone far in the pageant world. Bliss doesn’t share her mother’s passion for pageants, and when they make a trip to Austin to shop, she comes across a flyer for roller derby and is instantly intrigued with the sport. She goes back home and convinces her best friend Pash, played by Ali Shawkat(Three Kings), to come along and see what it is all about. Once at the event she is taken in by the thought of women in control and enjoys the toughness of the sport. She decides to try out for one of the teams and after the coach sees her speed, she is invited to join the team. Her teammates all take to her and do all that they can to help her be ready for her first match. The girls all take names that sound dangerous or with colorful takes on famous names, such as Rosa Sparks played by Eve, Maggie Mayhem, played by the always funny Kristen Wiig, Bloody Holly played by the amazing Zoe Bell, and Smashley Simpson, played by Drew Barrymore. The film has some nice moments and a good cast, which also includes Daniel Stern, Juliette Lewis, and Jimmy Fallon as the announcer for the games. You could tell that Barrymore had the passion for the subject of this film, which is women can do anything and all you need to do is try, and with more experience she will improve the mistakes she made with this film. In the end, it is enjoyable to watch and there isn’t much more you can ask in a movie, and who knows it just might inspire you to do something you have always wanted to do as well.

Brian Taylor