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Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River) plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, while Kristen Wiig (the serial "cameo-ist" from Saturday Night Live) and Juliette Lewis (Old School) play roller-derby stars and round out one of the coolest and most bad-ass female casts assembled since Death Proof.
While the comparisons to Juno are unavoidable (and, yes, to an extent Whip It
does feel like a less wordy sequel / prequel to the Oscar cult hit),
Barrymore's uplifting tale about "finding purpose" and "understanding
who you are" does manage to stand on it's own two feet.
As is the case with most "mainstream-indie" flicks these days, Whip It
won me over early with it's simply awesome soundtrack selection (and
hot rock-chicks in mini's and fish nets... that also played a factor).
But, most importantly, not a My Chemical Romance track in sight!
In fact, as soon as a track from Australian artist, Gotye's Learnalilgivinanlovin’, busted out of the speakers... Whip It had me by the kahoonas - and had no intention of ever returning them.
Admittedly, there are some weak points (mostly stemming from scripting) with the dialogue not as strong as it probably should or could be.
However,
the strength of the cast (with some great turns from Daniel Stern,
Jimmy Fallon and the much forgotten Wilson brother, Andrew) and the
general sense of fun gets this one over the line quite comfortably.
And - for those wondering - yes Roller Derby does exist in Australia (check it out http://vrdl.wordpress.com)
so if you're inspired by the flick to chuck the old school skates on a
kick some butt (and if you're not, you're heartless) be sure to get
down and support the girls.
While it might not be for everyone and far from perfect, if you're the type of person who knows they will love it from simply watching the trailer... then you will love it.
Why?
Because Whip It is 2010's first great "cult classic in the waiting". And who ever expected that from Poison Ivy? DVD Special Features
The movie was never going to be a Box Office success
- and it wasn't, taking just over $13M at the US Box Office and barely
registering at the Australian Box Office - but it's bound to make an
impact on DVD. Sadly, there aren't many
special features floating around, which is a real shame. Surely there
is a doco floating around SOMEWHERE that follows the real life Roller
DErby league?
Oh well! Still, no extras shouldn't stop you from checking out this flick - well worth it. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: N/A
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