Review: Whip It (Barrymore, 2009)
March 3rd 2010 01:03
Whip It (Barrymore, 2009)
Written March 2, 2010
Whip It is the charming directorial debut from Drew Barrymore and stars Ellen Paige as a small town Texas girl named Bliss Cavender. Bliss is a 17 year old high school student, as well as reluctant beauty pageant contestant. The film begins at a perfect point in Bliss’s life as she and her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development fame) accidentally dye her hair half blue right before a pageant. Bliss’s mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is not pleased, to say the least; she has pushed competing on Bliss for most likely her entire adolescence.
Bliss and Pash live in the small town of Bodeen, Texas (in one memorable scene they replace Dolly Pardon’s Joleen chorus with Bodeen, singing self-reflexive lyrics about their town and lives). They are both good students and have their minds set on life outside of Bodeen. Pash’s plan is get into an Ivy League school; Bliss has other plans, which are apparent when she sees some roller derby girls in an alternative shop. What’s great about Whip It is our protagonist isn’t some secret skating prodigy who’s repressed her talent. On the contrary, she hasn’t roller bladed since childhood days as proved by her Barbie skates. Bliss simply decides to give it a try and it turns out she has raw talent. Once in Austin, Texas for Derby practices, Bliss falls in love with the sport, the town, her teammates, and a derby groupie and singer named Oliver (played by real-life singer Landon Pigg, making his acting debut).
Whip It does descend into many clichés; in fact, the late second act into the third is laden with them. Nevertheless, even the clichés are still superbly executed. Barrymore has been in the business for decades and it really shows in her command of the camera. The roller derby scenes were perfectly set-up and there’s this amazing, if unrealistic, swimming pool scene that is almost too beautiful for words. The film’s soundtrack also excels in submerging us into the character’s emotions and personalities (keep your eyes pealed for quite a few nods to Daniel Johnston). Whip It is incredibly authentic in its tone and mood; the film almost feels like it could have been set in the 70’s or 80’s and it’s impressive that it actually isn’t; this is current day but we, as an audience, almost don’t feel that way as we are being shown a part of America we normally don’t see. Right now there are girls in small towns, just like Pash and Bliss, who are trying to distinguish themselves with personalities and differences. They’re trying to break away from the burden of small town life and anonymity and actually set themselves apart from the pack. It’s refreshing to see this.
It’s also refreshing to see a scene like Bliss and her mother have, late in the film, when Bliss admits she slept with Oliver. Her wording of the events is one of the most unique phrasings in modern day cinema. And again, tons of girls are probably having conversations just like this one; we just don’t know about. The film is actually a very positive influence for young girls, which brings us to something rather perplexing: while well-received by critics (83% on rotten tomatoes), Whip It tanked at the box office. This is rather confusing. The film should have gained a lot of the Juno audience (it’s more refreshing and much more positive than Juno, by the way) yet it didn’t. It’s surprising that young teenage girls did not latch onto this film.
The film does not go exactly where you would expect and again this is why it’s unique even amongst the clichés that exist within. The cast is wonderful, especially Kristin Wiig, finally being used to her potential rather than just comic relief and the sorely missed Juliette Lewis. Ellen Paige again proves she can carry a film and is very touching and earnest in the lead role. She distinguishes herself from the other characters she’s played and we never once feel like we’re watching Juno MaGuff, which could have hindered the film. Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern as Bliss’s parents are note perfect. Andrew Wilson, the older brother of Owen and Luke, is hilarious yet incredibly intense as the coach of the consistently losing and at times infuriating Hurl Scouts. Jimmy Fallon is also amusing as the roller derby announcer.
In short, Whip It is not to be missed. It’s fun, entertaining, and utterly charming. Definitely an under-appreciated gem of 2009.
Author’s Note: Whip It is based on a book titled Derby Girl by Shauna Cross. Sadly, Bodeen is a fictional town, but I have no doubt many exist like it in and around Texas and the lower United States.
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