Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this movie, I was really eager to watch the damned thing. First of all, Drew Barrymore had some major ups and downs during her career as an actress but you can say whatever you want, she delivered a really neat directing debut. Above all, I really liked how she managed to mix teenage anxiety with a sport flick. Of course, the whole thing was still rather stereotypical and predictable but it was still well made and entertaining. First of all, you had a really strong female cast (Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Zoe Bell, Eve, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis) and they all delivered some solid performances. Still, Ellen Page can’t seem to move on from Juno as she keeps playing over and over again some similar characters and I hope for her she will be able to do something else in the future. Anyway, this derby roller thing (which I had never seen before) was pretty fun to watch. Above all, I really enjoyed the directing and most of the dialogues were quite hilarious. To conclude, even if the core of this movie was not original, the execution was really good, I really liked the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look.
Whip It Reviews
Whip It review
Posted : 12 years, 5 months ago on 19 November 2011 07:38And, of course, Ellen brings a very special tone to her character.. I just fell in love with her and her vulnerability.
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Whip It review
Posted : 12 years, 7 months ago on 3 October 2011 12:170 comments, Reply to this entry
Whip It review
Posted : 12 years, 8 months ago on 31 August 2011 12:320 comments, Reply to this entry
Coodos To Drew Barrymore
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 11 September 2010 11:510 comments, Reply to this entry
Whip It
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 11 September 2010 02:29Now, the most confusing thing about WHIP IT is that, after it "skates" through plot/character development in its first half going straight into the annoyingly fast-paced skate sequences, it suddenly slows down towards the end, and there are some reasonably effective dramatic, dialogue-based moments that take place before the film's final showdown. This is disappointing because it's a sign of what could've been, if this same approach had been used during the film's beginning to get us to care about the characters. Honestly, if from its halfway point on, WHIP IT would've continued with its improvement in the dramatic department, I may have felt inclined to give it a higher rating, but as expected, the climax and everything related to the final competition descends into utter cliche. There's very little originality here.
I wish I could say that the movie has other virtues in terms of having interesting characters, but I'd be lying. Ellen Page is severely constrained here as the protagonist; the script literally prevents her from demonstrating the infinite range she displayed in both HARD CANDY and JUNO. Heck, she even had a meatier role in the forgettable SMART PEOPLE. I may have appreciated the romantic aspect of WHIP IT more if Page hadn't been paired with the lanky and gangly Landon Pigg, who shows nil acting ability. Drew Barrymore (who also directed) and Kristen Wiig have both had far better moments in the realm of comedy, and they bring very little of value here in terms of their performances. The usually great Marcia Gay Harden has to suffer through being the stereotypically demanding mother, complete with the scene at the end in which she "finally understands and accepts everything," while Daniel Stern is thoroughly unfunny as the dad. However, the most insufferably bad performances are given by Andrew Wilson as the girls' coach and by the still unfunny Jimmy Fallon as the "announcer" of sorts at the competitions. As if the competitions weren't annoying enough because of how poorly edited they are, Wilson and Fallon are like mosquitoes each time they intervene (they're bothersome, and they never go away). The only person who's somewhat refreshing to watch here is Alia Shawkat as the protagonist's best friend, though the sudden moment at the end in which she makes out with the restaurant boss makes no sense whatsoever.
When I reviewed BANDSLAM a couple of days ago, I discussed how it was actually possible for conventional films to still be entertaining and find some way to give freshness to their material. BANDSLAM knew just when to hold off on having too many musical sequences (and at least they were edited well) and it also knew when to hold off in terms of cliches. That's largely absent from WHIP IT. This film isn't a total disaster, but it's a failure of editing and storytelling. You know something's wrong when you're focused on wanting the movie to end rather than on rooting for your heroine to win in the final showdown. I hate doing this, because I realize that WHIP IT has all the best intentions in the world, but I refuse to give credit to a clearly half-assed piece of entertainment.
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“Garota Fantástica“
Posted : 14 years, 2 months ago on 15 March 2010 10:27Em “Whip it!“, Ellen Page mantém o arquétipo de Juno(2007), underground, decidida, espertona, rebelde. Sua mãe (Marcia Gay Harden) a prepara para ganhar concursos de beleza pelo interior do Texas enquanto ela usa camiseta dos Misfits. Mães X Filhas.
Juno, quer dizer, Bliss estuda e trabalha como garçonete numa lanchonete com sua melhor amiga, uma noite vão escondidas a cidade vizinha assistir a uma exibição de Roller Derby(esporte de contato sobre patins) e daí você já imagina o resto do filme, e vocês estará certo, em todo e cada clichê que imaginar de “Garota Fantástica“(2009).
Bliss diz para a mãe que está num curso extracurricular enquanto treina no time perdedor com garotas tatuadas, de cabelos coloridos e atitude(!) entre elas a debutante na direção Drew Barrymore. Há espaço(demais) para um romance indie com o carinha da banda que a troca por uma groupie loira porém ‘Babe Ruthless” dá a volta por cima. Girl Power.
Jimmy Fallon é o árbitro e pretenso hilário comentarista das partidas, Andrew Wilson (Rushmore, Charlie’s Angels, Tenembaums) é o técnico que sempre fica em segundo lugar e Juliette Lewis é a líder do time adversário. Na trilha Little Joy, Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Mgmt e Raveonettes. Cultura Pop.
Uma cena das garota fazendo guerra de condimentos numa lanchonete. O dia do concurso de beleza que prometeu a sua mãe participar é no no mesmo dia da final do campeonato das Roller Derby Girls. Sessão da Tarde.
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Promising directorial debut for Barrymore
Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 November 2009 11:54
For Whip It, first-time director Drew Barrymore has crafted a sports flick and a coming-of-age tale rolled together to produce a warm, droll charmer of a motion picture. Shauna Cross wrote the screenplay for the film, which was adapted from her own novel Derby Girl: a fictional story constructed using anecdotes from the author's time spent in the professional female roller derby. While Whip It succumbs to several screenwriting conventions, the energy of Barrymore's direction is able to compensate for the script sputtering, and the actors all breathe jubilant life into this adamantly character-driven film.
The story concerns Texas-based teenager Bliss Cavendar (Page) who resides in the small, dead-end town of Bodeen. She has fallen victim to the narcissistic and nepotistic desires of her mother (Harden) who clings to the glory days of her beauty queen past by forcing Bliss to endure the same type of ritualistic torture. Bored and desperate to escape the tedium of her life, Bliss sneaks out to the roller derby one night where she swoons over the female players with their retro outfits, gaudy make-up and awesomely ludicrous nicknames (Maggie Mayhem, Bloody Holly, Smashly Simpson, etc). From there, Bliss begins training to join the down-and-out Hurl Scouts; the perennial losers of the Austin-based roller derby league. Her speed makes her a standout at the tryouts, and she soon becomes Babe Ruthless - the league's new star.
Since Whip It is a sports movie, everything comes down to the championship at the end. Happily, everything culminates with a humdinger of a climax - a nail-biting showdown infused with cheer-provoking moments and honest-to-goodness tension.
In terms of both teen drama and sports movies, Whip It adheres to a customary formula: girl hates the life she's been forced into, finds something she loves, lies to get it, but must reconcile with that lie in order to truly succeed. During the cliché-heavy narrative Bliss also makes real friends, has her first romance, has a falling out with her best friend, and her parents eventually find out about her extracurricular activities. Additionally, Whip It holds true to the time-worn sports movie convention of an inept team that goes all the way with the addition of a new superstar. But it's only when a movie is limply done that you can virtually hear the gears of its formula grinding into place. When a film is bursting with gusto, heart and charm, however, one can gladly enjoy the experience without being too bothered by the clichés. Fortunately, Whip It falls into the latter camp - director Barrymore and writer Cross have stumbled upon a fresh setting for the formula, and the movie only feels like a retread in hindsight. Best of all, the progression of events feel natural as opposed to contrived - it feels like a naturalistic, non-Hollywood depiction of the monotonous life of a young female.
Unfortunately, the comedy is frequently muted (probably by intention - it wasn't supposed to be a riot); offering only the occasional chuckle but not much else. With Whip It running at almost two hours, a trim would have been beneficial - as would a few more laughs. But Drew Barrymore does deserve credit for her first effort as a director. Having featured in movies since she was a small child, Barrymore has learned from the best (most notably E.T. mentor Steven Spielberg). She acquits herself particularly well during the roller derby scenes; collaborating with cinematographer Robert Yeoman to craft some exciting and fun set-pieces (on top of this, as Roger Ebert noted, Barrymore's supporting role savvily puts her in the position of not asking anything of the actors that she doesn't do herself). Though Barrymore isn't perfectly assured (there are sluggish patches, and not all of the derby sequences are as dynamic as they could be) she hits most of the marks she strived for.
Ellen Page is rapidly becoming one of the finest actors of her generation, and this movie offers further proof of her immense range. Page has received a bit of a rap for ostensibly playing every role the same, but anyone who has witnessed her heartbreaking turn in An American Crime or her gripping performance in Hard Candy knows better. In Whip It, her role of Bliss is a good choice - shy, weary, frightened and unsure of herself. Page submits a dialled down, heartfelt performance, with little reliance on Juno-style dialogue. The rest of the cast offer brilliant support. There are effective performances courtesy of Andrew Wilson (who brings great humour and charm to the role of the Hurl Scout's long-suffering coach), Marcia Gay Harden (who's exceptionally nuanced as the pageant mum) and Daniel Stern (solid as Bliss' supportive father). As for Bliss' team-members, there's Kristen Wiig who's down-to-earth as the captain, as well as Barrymore herself playing the resident badass, and stuntwoman Zoë Bell (previously seen in Tarantino's Death Proof) among others.
Pacing issues, a myriad of clichés and too few laughs notwithstanding, Whip It is a tremendously enjoyable flick. It's a promising debut for Barrymore behind the camera - a slice of heartfelt, feel-good entertainment.
7.5/10
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Whip It
Posted : 14 years, 7 months ago on 9 October 2009 06:29I am not female, but by the end of this movie I felt like an empowered and strong female. Not because it bashes anything, but because it refuses to compromise and sink into clichés. Her cute alternative boyfriend turns out to not be perfect. In a lesser movie she’d make a different decision. Her parents give her permission to go to the big game at the last minute and cheer her on from the sidelines, and, once again, in a different movie the more obvious choice would have happened. This does follow the basic trajectory of a coming-of-age story, and a rookie-makes-it-big sports film, but it follows it with more brains, heart and spunk than I expected.
She doesn’t join roller derby to find herself, she joins roller derby because she thinks it looks like fun and that she’s found something which makes her happy. Along the way it happens to empower her, but she wasn’t a shrieking violet to begin with. I have said a lot about Ellen Page and her character and not much about anyone else. I just adore Ellen Page, and I think that she’s a great and promising talent. Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern are first-rate as her parents. Harden’s also capable of milking laughs as the pageant-obsessed mom by saying things in a super sweet southern voice. Drew Barrymore, a great first director performance by the way, Kristen Wiig, Zoe Bell and Juliette Lewis all deliver strong performances. Lewis in particular seems to be having a ball playing the biggest and baddest roller derby girl. I haven’t liked her this much in a film for a very, very long time. Maybe that Academy Award nomination wasn’t a fluke (I’m talking to you Jennifer Tilly).
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