www.theredrighthand.co.uk
| The Red Right Hand www.theredrighthand.co.uk |
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WHIP IT Drew Barrymore Starring Ellen Page Marcia Gay Harden Kristen Wiig Juliette Lewis Stuck in Bodeen, Texas living a life of forced beauty pageants and tedium, Bliss [Page] and her friend Pash[Shawkat] head off to Austin to sample a night of the moderately entertaining, underground contact sport of Roller Derby. The best way to describe this 'sport' is to compare it to Nascar - just ladies on roller skates going round in a circle, trying to pass each other. After experiencing a different lifestyle, Bliss tries out for the team and low-and-behold she's really fast and amazing and everyone loves her and ohmygod she simply has to do it and she's not sure what her totally unfair controlling mother will think but it's ok 'cause it'll all pan out alright. Yey! As far as acting goes, our lead is an excessively unsure, slightly shy, hormonal teenager trying to find her place in the world and accompanying Bliss in her trials is a host of 2D supporting characters with a few decent one-liners but deliriously simple drives/goals - if any. There's the sports loving dad, who just wants the best for his daughter; the dominating mother who also wants what's best but has difficulty showing it; the quirky best friend; the plucky, accepting team-mates; the evil MVP for the other team; and finally, the perfect love interest who may not be completely on the level but thanks to her newfound confidence, Bliss can sort him out. Whatever originality or unique attributes the source material (the book Derby Girl by Shauna Cross) possessed, it hasn't transferred well to cinema. Having said that, I'm quietly convinced Ms. Cross adapted her own novel, so I could be wrong, it could be a crappy book too. From a production aspect (bar the shoddy editing and ADR work) this film is technically sound. Barrymore's directorial debut houses a lot of potential; for the most part, it's tolerable and on occasion, even commendable. However, the story is so tired, derivative and paint-by-numbers that I could see the entire plot unfolding before me, one predictable predicament at a time. That and every ten minutes we're forced to witness another bloody montage, as if Barrymore wasn't sure how to film a complex sequence, so just intercut a few shots detailing moderate progression and improvement. Overall, the film feels a great deal more intelligent than the average teen coming-of-age drama and despite all the terrible clichés I can't damn it. I realise that may sound odd (especially coming from me). I can't recommend it and there's no way in hell I'll ever watch it again but I certainly cannot begrudge others seeing it because there's little malice underneath its sappy exterior. Unlike truly monstrous films that no one should ever be forced to see (see my Bottom 5 of the year for a few), Whip It could be much more damaging. So, in conclusion, if you're looking for a wet, useless hour and a half escapist piece, then by all means give this film a go; if not, don't. Release Date: 7th April 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: It was difficult to focus, actually. I kept reminding myself of my brief stint in Texas and muttering how very few of the actors/actresses sounded like they were from Texas. Anyway, I suppose the scene that genuinely amused me was Bliss' moment to stand up to her high school bully. The bullying was never really extensive, just a bit of a stuck-up bitch rivalry thing but either way, watching a young lady getting shunted off a banister by the tiny Ms. Page brought a smile to my face. Notable Characters: I didn't really care much for any of the roller derby girls simply because their characters were so bland; the only one that came close was Zoe Bell. On the other hand, the lesser-known Wilson brother (other than Owen and Luke) played the girl's coach, Razor, reasonably well. His character was no more fleshed out than the others but Andrew Wilson's performance was rather enjoyable. I should also point out Ellen Page's performance, solely for the fact that she is a very talented actress, I'm just not overly sure about the roles she ends up accepting. Oh! Did I mention that her dad is Daniel Stern!? What happened to him!? Highlighted Quote: PASH: You don't have the balls BLISS: I can grow the balls In A Few Words: "Certainly not my thing but a reasonably well-made film (with an utterly hackneyed and banal plot) that will no doubt entertain some" Total Score: 
5/10Matthew Stogdon |
