MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (10/2/09): WHIP IT
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Eve, Zoe Bell, Andrew Wilson, Carlo Alban, Landon Pigg and Daniel Stern
WRITER: Shauna Cross
DIRECTOR: Drew Barrymore
WEB SITE: FoxSearchlight.com/WhipIt
THE PLOT: Life in a small town often, at least according to most Hollywood movies, sucks. Everyone knows everyone else's business, there's not much to do and worse yet, the chances of escaping often seem - or at least feel - slim.
That is the life Bliss Cavendar (Academy Award® nominee Ellen Page) has known far too well. Living in Bodeen, Texas with her aloof dad (Daniel Stern) and beauty pageant-obsessed mother (Academy Award® winner Marcia Gay Harden). Spending most of her time away from high school working at a local barbecue hut with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat), Bliss' name is more than ironic considering how boring she finds her existence.
That all changes, however, when she sees a flyer at a store for an event she's never seen in person: The estrogen bash-meets-punk rock world of roller derby. Sneaking off to the big city of Austin, Bliss is inspired by the likes of its colorful characters like Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Rosa Sparks (Eve) and Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell). Fast-forward into the near future, Bliss finds an alter ego of her own - "Babe Ruthless" - a.k.a. the newest star in the Austin roller derby world.
But while her new found roller derby world brings Bliss a shot at falling for a local rock star (singer/songwriter Landon Pigg), it also brings a new rival in the form of Iron Maven (Academy Award® nominee Juliette Lewis) ... And the realization the time has come to quit living life for everyone but herself ...
THE TAKE: If you [1] Take MTV production qualities (and teen angst) [2] Add in a slight Spice Girls-ish level of girl power and [3] Mix in a Disney network-ready soundtrack and you have Whip It. The film has plenty of moments where a Jonas Brothers or Kelly Clarkson song would be able to sum up the entire scene you're watching, both in terms of what's happening and the emotional level conveyed on screen.
Other than a story that is presented in a fashion akin to a MTV take on an 80s John Hughes movie, Whip It also suffers when Lewis is a bit too cartoony as the film's antagonist . Likewise, Fallon's performance continues to show while he'll always be a poor man's Adam Sandler at best in anything he does cinematically.
That's not to completely knock the movie, though. Page does her best at extended her Juno-like qualities in making a Bliss a pretty well-rounded out character while Shawkat does her best to make her sidekick role palatable. What the film does best, however, is convey the sense of camaraderie the roller derby divas get from participating in the sport itself. The bumps and bruises are followed with plenty of beer and good times, the film's actual on-track sequences delivering up the best of the latter.
In short, if you're looking for the roller derby equivalent of The Wrestler or Bull Durham, you're not going to find it here. However, if you're looking for a (less funny even than the remake) Longest Yard type of experience mixed with some distinct Bring It On flair, you'll likely to enjoy Whip It.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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