Whip It (movie)
Oct. 14th, 2009 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sub_dividedOr, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a film about the Roller Derby. In case you never heard of this, here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cA2ngjW0YQ
Since it's a movie about the Roller Derby you expect tons of camp excess, but the movie is actually played straight... in both senses, XD. Outright lesbianism is confined to one girl-girl hot tub scene, blink and you'll miss it (I did). There are however lots of girl-girl bonding moments and lots of tough women. Who are cool, because they're tough. If you watch this movie you'll learn lots of important moral lessons -- about friends, family, boyfriends, and being true to yourself -- and also, the rules of the Austin Roller Derby.
In other words, Drew Barrymore doesn't just act earnest; she is earnest. XD
(As a matter of fact, Barrymore's character in the movie is The Psychotic Team Mate -- e.g. in a surprise move, her coach invents a play that calls for her to not beat up a member of the other team, and instead score some points. Surprise!!! I told R, "Awww, she's just violent because she likes skin-on-skin contact, give her a hug!" and "LOL Drew Barrymore can only escape typecasting as the sweet demure one when she casts herself".)
Whip It is part sports movie (the team that always loses tries to make it to the championship), part coming of age movie (Ellen Page learns about herself and the world), and part scene movie (Austin Roller Derby!!!) It is set in the present day, although no one has a cellphone or a home computer, which is why they have to go all the way to Austin to escape their small Texan hometowns. On the one hand, it feels a lot more like Drew Barrymore's childhood than mine; on the other hand, the heroine's family is working-class -- her father delivers furniture and her mother delivers mail -- so it makes sense that they are less well connected, maybe. At least, the Derby has a website, and the school computer has Wikipedia.
Plot: Ellen Page plays a 17 year old high school student who decides that she'd rather play sports (roller derby) than dress up (for beauty pageants). You get to watch her slow transformation from shy awkward outcast to confident baddass athlete, by degrees. R and I were both very impressed by Page's graduated acting. There's no one moment where she stops being awkward and becomes cool, instead there's a moment about 2/3 of the way through the movie when you suddenly realize that she's changed completely, and wonder when it happened.
(Actually, because I'm attuned to awkward body language, I did notice the gradual change -- but it's very subtle, great acting.)
Along the way, Page learns many important lessons, like that you shouldn't forget about your smart and sassy best friend just because you've met a cute guy in a band, and that you should be nice to your Mom because she loves you even if she IS wrong about what's best for you. Plus some other lessons, which I won't spoil for you. Honestly, the lessons are predictable... but Barrymore means them. XD It's cute, affirming, and genuine. I especially liked the scene where Page is being dropped off at school by a teammate who's also a single mother: the single Mom decides to give the teenager Page a short talk, but it's not like one of those movie talks, where the music swells and the camera zooms in on an actress trying very hard to look sincere. It's a normal talk like something a real person might give, with little jokes to deflect the tension because the lecturer is not sure how well the lecturee is going to receive her advice.
R, on the other hand, really liked the scene where Page body-checks the mean girl at school over the stairway railing. She liked it because, "That's exactly how it works! When you learn to hit the bullies, they learn leave you alone! Violence DOES solve problems!"
...Maybe the moral lessons aren't so predictable, after all. *g*
In conclusion, this is a rec: please support Whip It while it's still in theaters, and send a message to Hollywood that mainstream movies by, for, and about girls can succeed financially.
Since it's a movie about the Roller Derby you expect tons of camp excess, but the movie is actually played straight... in both senses, XD. Outright lesbianism is confined to one girl-girl hot tub scene, blink and you'll miss it (I did). There are however lots of girl-girl bonding moments and lots of tough women. Who are cool, because they're tough. If you watch this movie you'll learn lots of important moral lessons -- about friends, family, boyfriends, and being true to yourself -- and also, the rules of the Austin Roller Derby.
In other words, Drew Barrymore doesn't just act earnest; she is earnest. XD
(As a matter of fact, Barrymore's character in the movie is The Psychotic Team Mate -- e.g. in a surprise move, her coach invents a play that calls for her to not beat up a member of the other team, and instead score some points. Surprise!!! I told R, "Awww, she's just violent because she likes skin-on-skin contact, give her a hug!" and "LOL Drew Barrymore can only escape typecasting as the sweet demure one when she casts herself".)
Whip It is part sports movie (the team that always loses tries to make it to the championship), part coming of age movie (Ellen Page learns about herself and the world), and part scene movie (Austin Roller Derby!!!) It is set in the present day, although no one has a cellphone or a home computer, which is why they have to go all the way to Austin to escape their small Texan hometowns. On the one hand, it feels a lot more like Drew Barrymore's childhood than mine; on the other hand, the heroine's family is working-class -- her father delivers furniture and her mother delivers mail -- so it makes sense that they are less well connected, maybe. At least, the Derby has a website, and the school computer has Wikipedia.
Plot: Ellen Page plays a 17 year old high school student who decides that she'd rather play sports (roller derby) than dress up (for beauty pageants). You get to watch her slow transformation from shy awkward outcast to confident baddass athlete, by degrees. R and I were both very impressed by Page's graduated acting. There's no one moment where she stops being awkward and becomes cool, instead there's a moment about 2/3 of the way through the movie when you suddenly realize that she's changed completely, and wonder when it happened.
(Actually, because I'm attuned to awkward body language, I did notice the gradual change -- but it's very subtle, great acting.)
Along the way, Page learns many important lessons, like that you shouldn't forget about your smart and sassy best friend just because you've met a cute guy in a band, and that you should be nice to your Mom because she loves you even if she IS wrong about what's best for you. Plus some other lessons, which I won't spoil for you. Honestly, the lessons are predictable... but Barrymore means them. XD It's cute, affirming, and genuine. I especially liked the scene where Page is being dropped off at school by a teammate who's also a single mother: the single Mom decides to give the teenager Page a short talk, but it's not like one of those movie talks, where the music swells and the camera zooms in on an actress trying very hard to look sincere. It's a normal talk like something a real person might give, with little jokes to deflect the tension because the lecturer is not sure how well the lecturee is going to receive her advice.
R, on the other hand, really liked the scene where Page body-checks the mean girl at school over the stairway railing. She liked it because, "That's exactly how it works! When you learn to hit the bullies, they learn leave you alone! Violence DOES solve problems!"
...Maybe the moral lessons aren't so predictable, after all. *g*
In conclusion, this is a rec: please support Whip It while it's still in theaters, and send a message to Hollywood that mainstream movies by, for, and about girls can succeed financially.