Let me first say that I am in no way affiliated with Netflix. I just use their service to watch movies, and now, to review them.
The film on the stand tonight...
Whip It
Whip It is Drew Barrymore's big screen directorial debut. I have to admit that the idea of Drew Barrymore directing a movie kind of turned me off at first. Barrymore is one of the three hollywood hotties that I just hate. The other two are Drew's Charlie's Angels co-star Cameron Diaz, and Spiderman's Kirsten Dunst. I think the three are attractive, but when you see them in interviews they come off as annoying morons.
The Film stars Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar, a teen living in the small town of Bodeen Texas where her mom, obsessed with beauty pageants, forces Bliss to compete to live some kind of dream that Mrs. Cavendar had when she was a teen. The story is an old one where the teen hates the life that her parents are forcing her into then finds an alternative hobbie that they know their parents would not approve of. In this case, it's roller derby.
Ellen Page is another actress that turned me off at first. This is mostly because I absolutely hated the character she played in Juno. If I ever met that character in real life I wouldn't even make her a Facebook friend let alone follow her on Twitter. I didn't mind her in X-Men: The Last Stand probably because she wasn't a major character and there where several bigger problems with that movie and she was not one of them. Although, say what you will about X-Men 3, Kelsey Grammer was the PERFECT actor to cast as Beast.
Back to the matter at hand. Whip It was enjoyable. The cast was great. The roller derby ladies were very enjoyable. Drew Barrymore's character made me laugh on several occasions, and Kristen Wiig was awesome as usual. It was especially nice to see Wiig playing a character that didn't seem like it was a wacky SNL character. Daniel Stern plays a dad that you kind of love, and for somebody who is not a big fan of Jimmy Fallon, I gotta say I actually liked him and found him rather funny in this one.
The movie is easy to relate to, hence the typical storyline. I have to say bravo to Drew Barrymore. With everything riding against her in my mind she really came through with this one and changed my opinion on her directing. I recommend you check this one out. It was an enjoyable watch and a good laugh without going completely over the top. Also, a quick mention for Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development who played Bliss's best friend in the movie. You gotta love her.
