My brother Steven and N and I went to a sneak peek of Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, over the weekend. The plot arc is pretty standard to coming-of-age films and so at times it feels predictable but I still enjoyed it. Even though I knew where it was going it was still fun getting there. The movie has a good cast: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development), Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, etc…. I thought Kristen Wiig did a nice job in particular.
The roller derby scenes are shot well enough that I think most people (including guys) will enjoy them. After all, cute girls in fishnets body-checking each other are pretty easy on the eyes. And it’s a riot to hear the punny roller derby names (e.g. Smashley Simpson, Dinah Might, Malice In Wonderland, etc…).
Overall, Whip It, is a smart, sweet, offbeat movie that works well for a date movie or for a night out with the girls. If you get the chance, check it out.
A couple of my ex co-workers were derbygirls. (Actually, one of them was in her 40's but you wouldn't know by looking at her OR her derbygirl profile.) It looks like a fun movie! I shared the link with one of the aforementioned co-workers and she said that she and the other derbygirls were going to see it on Wednesday… 🙂
I've seen the preview and wondered how dirty it is… is it pretty clean? I really like the "Juno" girl, so I want to see it.
Looks like it could be really cute. Glad you liked it.
Jamie, it's not bad. There's some creative swearing but no f-words and a make-out scene but no nudity.
Glad to hear you liked it. I thought it was just going to be some vehicle for Ellen Page to look ironic and bored, so I'm happy to hear it's a fun way to spend an evening. I love derby girls! There's a team here that I always see flyers for at Food 4 Less – shocker!