Whip It

Sweet without being sticky and funny without getting silly, Whip It introduces Barrymore as a director with a keen eye, a good ear for tone and an inspired touch with actors.

It's that happiest of surprises: a multiplex movie that genuinely respects its young audience.

For all the hip checks and bloody noses, it doesn't have a mean bone in its body.

What Barrymore brings is good-natured, girl-powered subversion, a sense of when to flaunt clichés and when to flip them over the rails.

The result is a film that is equal parts fluff and tough.

It’s virtually impossible to hate the film, but Barrymore’s presence behind the camera suggests more calculation than vision; like a lot of actors who direct, she tends to the performances, but her style never rises above bland proficiency.

Highlights: Andrew Wilson as the roller girls' coach (ah, so there's the Wilson brother who can act) and the roller-derby vets (played especially well by Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig) about whom we learn just enough to wish the movie was focused on them instead.

I can't pinpoint why this is exactly an amazing movie; besides the amazing acting, compelling and interesting story and of course the amazing characters. Sure, it may be a bit cliché and it certainly isn't the best, but for some reason that makes it work so well. 89%

C’est des nanas qui font du rollerball ! non, j’exagère mais ça y ressemble, car les Américains aiment toujours les sports brutaux, indéniablement. Mais aussi la parité (quand même, des fois) et donc les meufs aussi ont le droit de se mettre sur la gueule ou de se castagner un brin, lors de leurs sessions de « roller derby » (sic !). C’est d’ailleurs un peu comme du ‘destruction derby’ mais avec des patins à roulettes ! et la petit cocotte Ellen Page, telle une jolie souris, se faufile dans la meute dans ce qui n’est en fait qu’une course de poursuite (comme le cyclisme en salle chez nous, par exemple). C’est spectaculaire et amusant (car même au Texas, on aime s’amuser… sans arme, des fois) et l’ambiance est bien rendue, avec une réalisation tout à fait solide dans l’ensemble. Cependant (évidemment), un psychodrame s’est invité au milieu de tout ça : les parents sont psychorigides (surtout la maman possessive) et ne voient certainement pas d’un bon oeil ce ‘sport’ (?) de dégénérées à roulettes… En outre, la mignonne Ellen s’entiche d’un jeune con de **** (expression locale) qui a toujours l’air d’avoir la tête au fond du cul (encore un drogué, à n’en pas douter). Et donc, ça aussi, on s’en fout en fait. Le film reste assez drôle et très sympathique quand même (et gentiment féministe -forcément) mais a le défaut de se traîner en longueurs indésirables (cette guimauve à deux dollars, forcément, ça se traîne le cul !).

a vigorous and loud whipping.. Whip It The game is intriguing and layered enough to invest in it and fortunately the maker too goes deep into it, keeping it a bit mellow and breezy alongside it. The structure of the script is rudimentary yet thoroughly pleasing and entertaining where each tiny factor is serving a greater purpose than it seems. The adaptation for screen by Shauna Cross (who wrote the original novel) isn't smart as it lacked better editing in it. For a debut director of a major motion picture, Drew Barrymore is a talent in her own depiction; offering a promising potential for future projects, she has done an adequate job. Drew plays it safe in here and follows the typical formula and embarks upon it step by step and reaches for the goal swiftly with confidence. It certainly is not your typical teenage feature but definitely leans towards it in some sequences but all of it is allowed as far as the audience is enjoying it and no one minds it. The feature is strong on performance level by the protagonist Ellen Page and her brilliant supporting cast like Kirsten Wiig, Drew Barrymore and even Jimmy Fallon on occasions; he is hilarious in here. Whip It has a vigorous and loud whipping coming from all the sides where the makers do raise appropriate questions through a fun nail-biting game sequences that keeps the audience on the edge of the seat.

Feels like a whole bunch of executives had a meeting and decided to pack as many indie stereotypes in to one movie as possible. Their market research was accurate, but still, it didn't feel right. I bet the actresses had a good time on set though and I am jealous of that! Ellen Paige is a babe.

It's a crying shame such an amazing cast of incredible female actresses somehow ended up in this. So much potential but so poorly directed, delivered. 2D at best and of course they had to try and play the "sexy" card. It couldn't just be a film about a badass team who happens to be all female kicking ass.