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Drew Barrymore's
directorial debut is
"Whip It". Starring
Ellen Page, the
movie is about Bliss Cavender, your
typical somewhat
lost teenager who
finds a new passion
in life when she
discovers the
rebirth of roller
derby in Texas. The
only problem is that
her parents,
particularly her mom,
are fairly strict
and keep her on a
tight leash. Her
mother would rather
have Bliss involved
in her passion...
beauty pageants.
Still, Bliss comes
out of her shell
through the course
of the movie, she
falls in love, and
she gains acceptance
from her parents.
The movie is
predictably
predictable as far
as a story goes.
That's not as a knock
as much as it is a
fact. This movie is
about Bliss gaining
her strength and
independence in her
last real year of
childhood. All of
the characters that
are in her life
throughout the movie
are standard. Her
mother is a control
freak. Her father is
a little bit
spineless with her
mother but he loves
her and his family.
Her little sister is
what her mother
wants her to be. And
her best friend both
supports her and
struggles to accept
her new life as she
digs deeper into it.
As for the roller
derby girls... she's
on the Hurl Scouts
team and they are a
bunch of laid back
but tough chicks who
have their own
traits and quirks.
Whenever some kind
of sport is filmed
it can be pretty
tricky. Football
movies are done
correctly only about
25% the time. A
sports movie can be
especially difficult
for a first time
director. Drew
Barrymore drilled
"Whip It." Especially
for something that's
as simple as skating around in a
track over and over,
she captured
different angles and
no action shot
looked the same.
The
roller derby scenes
alone make
Barrymore's
directorial debut a
success. When
coupled with this
being a great movie
Drew
Barrymore could
direct films full
time.
"Whip It's" bonus
features aren't
great. There's a
soundtrack spot and
a making of featurete. That's
really about it. You
would like to get a
more in depth
interview with
Barrymore on why
she's getting into
directing and why
she chose this to
get started, etc.
but it is what it
is.
Whip It is a flick
with a lot of heart.
It's a dramatic
comedy with a fun
story. Ellen Page is
awesome as Bliss and
Drew Barrymore's
directorial debut is
great. Special
features are
slightly
disappointing but
the movie itself is
fun and fun to
watch.
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