Ryan McNeil
There’s a certain subculture of women who get what they’re looking for via a pseudonym, fishnets, and excessive eyeliner. Actually there’s more than one subculture that involves those details, but this one takes the whole package and puts it on eight wheels. The subculture is the somewhat insane life of roller derby girls, and WHIP IT is their story.
The story introduces us to Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page). Bliss has the soul of a riot grrrl, but the lot in life of a small town beauty contestant. That curious combintaion is stoked by her mom Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden), a former beauty queen herself who is getting a second vicarious kick at the can by way of Bliss. Bliss doesn’t date, is a bit of an outcast, but gets by just fine by way of her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat).
While visiting Austin, Bliss is given a leaflet for a roller derby match. Knowing her parents won’t approve, she lies and sneaks away with Pash to watch the action. For Bliss, it’s love at first sight. After the match, she meets Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), who tells her that tryouts are being held soon for new girls. Bliss dusts off a pair of skates with Barbie on the sides, and takes a swing at being her own hero. Gifted with some unexpected raw talent, coach Razor (Andrew Wilson) informs her that she has made the squad. She is now a member of The Hurl Scouts, competing as Babe Ruthless.
At the heart of WHIP IT, is a balance of individuality and team work. Individualism is key of course, echoed by the mantra to “Be Your Own Hero”. How many of us watch a rock band perform, or support someone running a marathon, and think to ourselves “I wish I could do that”? What WHIP IT points out, is that we could…perhaps even, that we should. There is nothing stopping us from being whatever we want to be but our own inhibitions. Getting over inhibitions isn’t enough though, and that’s WHIP IT’s second point – to get off the ground in any of life’s adventures, we need to depend on a team. Be they family, friends, or tattooed freaks, few of us can get anywhere alone.
As Razor point’s out, derby isn’t just about wearing fishnets and picking out a cool name. It’s only when they learn to work together that they can get anywhere on the track. Bliss does indeed break away from the pack when she starts competing, but it’s only when she understands how to trust her family and friends that she’s able to take her achievements to the next level.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of Ellen Page’s acting, since many moments felt like Juno McGuff with skates on. She’s as good as she needs to be, and time will have to tell whether we’ve seen the best of Page, or whether she has something more layered to offer. Conversely, Kristen Wiig’s performance really stood out for me. Kristen’s known for her subversive snarkiness…or her over-the-top wackiness. As Maggie Mayhem, she was clever as always, but clever with a genuine caring that I haven’t seen from her yet. I was pleasantly surprised by Wiig’s range, and can’t wait to see her in something like this again.
WHIP IT is far more sweet, smart, and empowering than it needs to be – and that’s a good thing. It’s a celebration of individuality and some very strong women. It’s a promising directorial debut by Drew Barrymore, who hopefully won’t wait too long to follow it up.
Back during TIFF, I took the time to go to the roller derby expo put on in honour of WHIP IT. Managing to score myself a trackside vantage point gave me a true appreciation of how intense this sport can be. It’s fast, tough, and takes a slight degree of insanity. Every one of the women who take part in it are indeed their own hero, and WHIP IT is a fitting love letter to each of them.
I've had a good feeling about Kristen Wiig since the first time I saw her performing on SNL. She's one of the best comedic actresses I've seen in recent years, but you can tell that she's perfectly capable of dramatic work too. Can't wait to see more from her.
I probably won't get to see this until it hits the cheapo theaters but I'm anxiously looking forward to it! Good review!
As I keep on reiterating I'm going to watch this whenever for Marcia Gay Harden. Not to offend the fans of her, but I don't think Ellen Page has anything new to offer. But time will tell.
@ Joel… No kidding, SNL is pretty much the KW show these days! Right with ya in wanting to see what she can do dramatically.
@ Univarn… Not quite a must-see, so I can't fault you for your patience. Give it a look when it hits the "B" screens.
@ Andrew… MGH is one of the best things about this movie (Daniel Stern too, who I now realize I didn't even mention!). She'll do ya proud.
Yaaaaaaaay!
yup, nothing more to add.
@ Alex… Thanks for the feedback. Now I'm off to read your reaction to WHIP IT.
I really enjoyed the film – not only was it a lot of fun, but it had some heart, too.
The presence of Ellen Page + the soundtrack + the silly premise got me interested in this movie, and I wasn't disappointed. Juliette Lewis was amazing, and surprisingly, Kristen Wiig was also excellent, straying from her annoying nervous character that she always seems to do.
Still, the highlight of the film for me is the music, especially since Drew Barrymore used “Unattainable” by Little Joy – that was my favorite song of 2008, and it really fit the party scene after Bliss’ first roller derby performance perfectly.
I completely agree with you that I felt like watching Juno McGuff with skates – it is going to take quite some time for Page to move past that role. I agree with Darci – the soundtrack was fantastic.