Reviews of Whip It
Displaying all 5 reviews
MR. Universe
9Jun11
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is much like her personality. It’s cute, fun, funny and surprising. With a career in front of the camera for almost all of her life and working with so many talented directors and running her own production company. It really goes to show that while she was working, she was taking notes and paying attention because she definitely picked the right story to direct and is more successful then I believe most people would have thought.
The film based on the young adult novel by the same name it’s the story of a teenage girl whose mother always enters her in beauty pageants and doesn’t really fit in too much in her town then she discovers a all female roller derby league and enters into it and finally blooms and bonds with people.
This is the type of film you usually discover you see the advertisements and think it’s going to be one way but then when you actually sees it. It is totally different and it has an energy and mood that is infectious that you can’t help but find yourself smiling throughout.
It has a bunch of cliché filled scenes but the difference is they end in a totally different way. I’m not going to lie this film is a chick flick but not the typical one where the guys will be eyeing the exit and checking there watches. It has a girl power theme but can be entertaining to both sexes
The performances are all good but special Mention goes to Andrew Wilson as the girls coach. Juliette Lewis who whenever she is on screen in most movies puts a smile on my face and usually makes me laugh as bliss’s rival on another team and Kristen Wiig as bliss’s surrogate mother on the team. Drew Barrymore has a supporting role that is more comedic then anything and she really throws herself into as the member of the team who is always getting injured. Ellen page has seemed to corner the market on this type of role not exactly JUNO here not as wisecracking and more shy. But I can see why she choose this over the film DRAG ME TO HELL which she dropped out of to be in this film. This seems to speak more to her sensibilities and resume.
At heart the film is a coming of age film told from a female’s perspective. The film doesn’t clearly define exactly if the film takes place in the 90’s or the 2000’s. It also has her mother have the least likely job for a woman who is so obsessed with Pageant’s and being a lady.
It also has a very good soundtrack. This is a must see
GRADE: B
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
Amir Syarif Siregar
21Apr10
Malang melintang di dunia hiburan sebagai seorang aktris semenjak usia belia telah memberikan Drew Barrymore banyak pengalaman hidup. Barrymore, yang sempat memiliki banyak masalah pribadi ketika masa transformasinya menuju kedewasaan, kini menjelma menjadi salah satu aktris yang paling banyak disukai di Amerika Serikat, kebanyakan karena kemampuan komedinya.
Di tahun 2009, Barrymore mencoba kesempatan untuk menjadi seorang sutradara, sebuah tantangan yang, seperti diungkapkan Barrymore, telah dinanti-nantikannya sejak dahulu. Untuk langkah perdananya ini, Barrymore memilih sebuah genre film yang sepertinya sesuai dengan kepribadiannya selama ini.
Whip It sendiri merupakan sebuah adaptasi dari novel karya Shauna Cross, Derby Girl. Untuk pengerjaan naskah, Cross jugalah yang mengadaptasi novel tersebut menjadi naskah film. Sebagai bintang utama, Barrymore memilih Ellen Page, bintang muda yang mungkin banyak dikenal setelah menerima nominasi Academy Awards untuk perannya sebagai Juno di film yang berjudul sama, beberapa tahun yang lalu.
Bercerita mengenai Bliss Cavendar (Page), seorang gadis remaja yang merasa bahwa kehidupannya telag terlalu banyak diatur oleh sang ibu (Gay Harden) yang secara terus menerus memaksanya untuk mengikuti berbagai kontes kecantikan. Suatu hari, Bliss berkenalan dengan sebuah dunia lain, dunia roller derby, yang dia anggap sebagai sesuatu yang baru dan sangat menantang. Setelah secara nekat mencoba, benar saja, ternyata Bliss merasa roller derby adalah dunia baru yang sangat sesuai untuknya. Kini, Bliss bersama teman satu timnya, Hurl Scouts, harus berjuang untuk memenangkan timnya untuk melawan tim juara bertahan, Holy Rollers, yang dipimpin Iron Maven (Lewis).
Sebagai sebuah debut penyutradaraan, Whip It sepertinya sangat sesuai dengan jiwa Barrymoore, bernuansa komedi dan menyuarakan pemberontakan. Dan terbukti, Barrymore mampu membawakan Whip It menjadi sebuah drama remaja sesuai dengan yang diharapkan, bukan sebuah tontonan berat yang mencoba mengajari, namun bukan pula sebuah tontonan yang terlalu ringan dan mudah dilupakan begitu saja.
Semangat pemberontakan yang dibawa oleh Barrymore juga tercermin pada jajaran pemeran film ini. Para aktris yang hadir mampu menghidupkan film ini; Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, Eve, Zoe Bell hingga Marcia Gay Harden sekalipun. Ellen Page sendiri, sekali lagi, mampu membuktikan kalau dia adalah salah satu aktris muda yang paling dapat diandalkan di Hollywood saat ini. Walaupun, mungkin, perannya di Whip It, sedikit tidak terlalu jauh dari peran Juno yang telah mempopulerkan namanya.
Secara keseluruhan, walaupun bukanlah sebuah pencapaian kelas atas atau spektakuler, Whip It mampu membuktikan bahwa Barrymore telah memiliki potensi dasar untuk menjadi seorang sutradara besar di waktu yang akan datang. Whip It sendiri terbukti mampu menjadi sebuah tontonan alternatif bagi penonton yang ingin mencari hiburan. Sederhana, namun berhasil dengan sukses dalam menyampaikan setiap pesan yang ingin disampaikan.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
- Currently 3.0/5 Stars.
Elvia Francis
19Oct09
Mostly, I just went to see this film because Landon Pigg stars in it! He’s playing Ellen Page’s guitar-playing love interest, Oliver.
Also, this is Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut!
But, after I saw the film, I absolutely fell in love with it – it’s a brilliant story/plot, the soundtrack is amazing, and for once in my life I actually fell in love with Ellen Page (only in this film). The film screams “Drew Barrymore” all over and I thought it was pretty sick how she kept using the Cover Girl Lash Blast product throughout the film (after all, she is the current celebrity spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics). Also, the entire cast was just great and it was super seeing Jimmy Fallon in the film! “Call Me!; STD Free”, haha. I loved that! If you saw the film, you know what I mean.
Definite must-see, feel-good film and I’m actually going to watch it again in the theaters with my other friend. Can’t wait!
- Currently 5.0/5 Stars.
Halim Cillov
8Oct09
What a great surprise to know that not only Drew Barrymore can direct, but she can do one hell of a job! Always amazing Ellen Page was great as the introverted outcast Bliss whose whole life changes as she discovers the aggressive and exciting world of roller-derby. The movie is packed with eccentric but likable characters, from Bliss’ fierce best-friend to the “Birdman” to the goofy roller-derby coach, every character makes their presence felt and unforgettable. This is probably the strongest of the movie. Even though, the story is predictable, the three-dimensional characters makes you forger about that fact. In addition to the great Brit-rock/80’s soundtrack that will guarantee to take you right in the middle of the fast and furious world of roller-derby!! If you want a heartfelt good-movie, Go see this movie! Today!
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
jaredmobarak
2Oct09
Bravo Drew Barrymore, who thought you had it in you? I am a self-proclaimed hater of this former child actress turned mediocre adult actress/producer. I did love Donnie Darko, though, and she did play a part in getting it made, but her role was atrocious. So, one may infer where my head was upon sitting down at the screening for Whip It—complete with Buffalo’s own roller derby girls in attendance—to see if she could pull an Affleck, (which isn’t fair since I think he’s a pretty good actor in his own rite, however, you can’t deny the brilliance of Gone Baby Gone). Even after hearing pretty much glowing mentions across the board, it was still Drew. While I think a lot of credit goes towards writer/novelist Shauna Cross for a witty and heartfelt script, you need to give kudos to the director for not only putting it all together, but also for using her clout to cull together a pretty stellar cast. It’s a who’s who of industry goodies, some B-listers on the rise and others just stalwart journeymen that do the job right and have for years. It’s a fascinating topic—the roller derby underground phenomenon itself—and touches on so much more than just that culture, but also growing up and accepting, not only who you are, but who your family is. I had a lot of fun with this thing.
Until I heard Ellen Page’s voice at the start, I thought they had started the wrong film. Our first look into a world of deviancy takes place at a beauty pageant? Odd at first, this story aspect becomes key to the growth of young Bliss Cavendar, leading her to become Babe Ruthless out on the rink. With a former beauty as a mother, controlling and living vicariously through her two daughters, Bliss is going through the motions with a touch of rebellion thrown in. Little sis loves the spotlight and creepy doll-like facades, but Bliss doesn’t have a problem taking a dare and dying her hair blue before the contest’s final event. She has a punk streak and living in a Podunk town like Bodeen, Texas would do that for anyone her age. Working with best friend Pash and recently promoted manager Birdman, (I really like Carlo Alban), at the Oink Joint just isn’t a teenage girl’s dream. At least Pash—Alia Shawkat breaking out of the Maeby Fünke mold—is a straight-A student looking to attend an Ivy League university, for Bliss a way out isn’t as clear cut. So, when she sees a flyer for the roller derby, handed out by a trio of tattooed chicks, her interest is piqued as you can’t get much further away from her mom’s clutches. It was time to dust off those old Barbie roller skates and become aggressive with her future.
Before I talk about the fun atmosphere and riotous time that is had in the old warehouse skate venue, I must mention the family life environment set up as a backbone to our lead. With an conservative mother trying to give her daughter a life to be proud of and a father that lets his wife rule the house as he hides in his van to watch the game in solitude, Bliss didn’t really have a choice but to do what she was told. Besides Pash, she really has no one else to confide in or hang out with. Her ex-best friend is now a popular girl out to make her high school life a living hell with her frat boy clique, pushing our lead further and further into oblivion. She needs the derby in order to make an identity for herself; you know the parents will eventually have to find out, so it becomes how the repercussions of that event occur that matters. Thankfully these adults are not portrayed in a clichéd, boring manner … for the most part. Marcia Gay Harden is a great actress, so you know that role is shored up. I loved watching her cut loose at moments, smacking her husband on the butt or smoking a cigarette, but Harden does uptight with the best of them. The real surprise was in Daniel Stern as Mr. Cavendar—where have you been, guy? Stern is really great, passively aggressive and always involved, although on the perimeter of most confrontations. His interaction with Bliss is real and his competition with his neighbor, having two athletically minded sons, adds some humor.
But the family at home isn’t Bliss’s only community; she has her sisters in padding as well. The roller derby sequences are shot very nicely, getting the audience into the action and seeing the physicality of it all. I wouldn’t mind attending an event myself, especially now knowing my city has a league. Barrymore even puts herself into the action by being the most ditzy competitor of the group, (and she plays stupid well—love the laugh). A short fuse and quick fist, Drew’s Smashley Simpson is thrown out of most games, but not until after getting her nose broken a few times. I almost found it weird to have some recognizable faces such as Eve and Zoe Bell filling out the roster since they have little to do, but one teammate does stand out, and her name is Kristen Wiig. Always the funny girl/sidekick, Wiig really steps out here in a dramatic turn with subtle humor, stealing some scenes and being a surrogate mother for our lead. Hell, I even thought Jimmy Fallon was pretty hysterical as the MC of the sport, trying to get with all the girls and striking out in good fashion; and I hate him. And who’s that coach that sounds just like Owen Wilson? Oh, his other brother Andrew; overshadowed by his successful siblings no more.
It’s an unconventional way to tell a coming of age story, but Barrymore gets everything working on Whip It. Definitely something unique to infuse into the genre while still keeping the heart and emotion necessary to be effective, one can’t deny the appeal of an all-female extreme sport—ladies, don’t feel bad about dragging the boyfriend/husband/etc, he secretly wanted to check it out anyways. Despite a pretty stereotypical love thread with band lead singer Oliver, played by Landon Pigg, bringing it back to Hollywood-type monotony—although the underwater sequence was beautifully shot and choreographed—everything seems fresh, hiding how simple and been-there-done-that the actual plotline is. Well acted, professionally constructed, and funny throughout, with a great soundtrack to boot, they even find room for everyone’s favorite “white-trash diva” in Juliette Lewis—the girl has a gift. Even the credit sequence keeps interest with its outtakes displayed between cast and crew, (who give themselves derby names). You can see how much fun everyone is having and it shows on film in a really good way.
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.