I remember watching roller derby on TV back in the Sixties, but I never had much interest in it because it made absolutely no sense to me. Unlike INVICTUS and rugby, WHIP IT does a pretty good job of explaining the basics of roller derby. And while I’m still unlikely to actually watch any real roller derby contests, it makes a really interesting background for what turns out to be a fine film.
Ellen Page (still adorably cute but less snarky than usual) plays a high school senior in a small town in Texas who is being pressured by her mother to compete in beauty pageants. She has no real interest in the pageants, but during a trip to Austin she discovers something that does appeal to her: roller derby. Lying about her age and sneaking around, she tries out for one of the semi-pro teams, finds out she has a real talent for it, and not only makes the team but becomes one of its stars. She even gets a boyfriend out of the deal. But naturally, complications ensue, some of them comedic, some considerably less so.
This is a really smartly written film with a good mix of laughs and drama, and it does a fine job of capturing the mundane small town life Page’s character wants to escape from. The cast is excellent, with Drew Barrymore (who also directed) and Kristen Wiig playing a couple of Page’s teammates and Juliette Lewis as the arch-villain from another team. Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern are Page’s parents. There’s also an extensive soundtrack that works very well.
My only real complaint falls into the quibble category. For a film that’s set in Texas and that tries very hard to capture a Texas atmosphere, why in the world did they shoot it in Michigan? Some authentic Texas scenery would have helped nail down the setting, which turns out to be a little generic.
But like I said, that’s a quibble. I liked WHIP IT a lot. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s well worth watching.
Got To Have Some Fun
4 hours ago
10 comments:
I've been to a couple roller derby bouts in Tucson, and that was some of the most fun I've had at a sporting event, ever. Just a gas.
But man, I really didn't like this movie, mostly because I didn't like the Ellen Page character, her hipster boyfriend, and the whole "love story" element. I wanted to see her friend more.
But it had Zoe Bell in it. I LOVE Zoe Bell.
Living in Michigan, I would guess they shot it here because in the last couple years the state's been giving filmmakers massive tax breaks in order to encourage filmmakers to work here. It's working, apparently, although I think the economic impact falls rather far short of having car companies that dominate the market. But those days are probably gone forever, so bring on the filmmaking. It's okay, Jim, really. I've seen several movies that were supposed to take place in Michigan that clearly weren't. There was a Star Trek: Enterprise episode where they went back to Detroit and unless Detroit's geography changes significantly in the next 200 years or so, there are no mountains anywhere to be found, unlike, say, in a backlot in Los Angeles. Same goes for Bird On A Wire, with Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, where they did the real trick of taking a ferry out of Detroit to Wisconsin, I believe. Filmmakers take liberties, but they should consult a map occasionally.
Hey, because we pay them to make movies here. We've got nothing else going on so let us have this. Seriously, I've been wanting to see this. There are more movies rolling off the assembly line than cars though.
Texas is becoming a center for TV production. We've got FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS in Austin and THE GOOD GUYS (which is a great series, by the way) and the upcoming CHASE being shot in Dallas. Those are just the ones that I know of. There may be more.
Of course, a few years ago we had both BARNEY THE DINOSAUR and WALKER, TEXAS RANGER being made down here, so maybe it hasn't changed that much.
And yeah, I'm sure the tax breaks have a lot to do with it. Money always trumps accuracy, which is why so many U.S.-set shows look oddly like Vancouver . . .
when I saw the title of the post, I thought of Devo
James: I also liked the film, and it was made locally-- not only because of the tax deal (which had a lot to do with it) but also there is a great Roller Derby scene in Detroit, many of the derby girls were in the film. I know that Austin also has a great derby culture, however they have been a bit over exposed with the Roller Girls series on A&E and Austin girls showing up in the film Death Proof.
As for the film, I could have done without the whole romance subplot, but I liked the twin focus on Derby and the relationship between Ellen Page and her mother.
I should also point out I have been a Derby fan for a couple of years and while most sports make me yawn, seeing bouts not only here in Michigan but other places, has replaced seeing live music for me. I highly recommend checking out a local bout sometime.
For whatever reason, as a child, I liked roller derby, and hated pro wrasslin'. Perhaps the pulchritude. You'd've picked up the rules, such as they are, pretty quickly, James.
This, too, is a Decent film, Patti.
I loved pro wrasslin' as a kid and can still enjoy it when I watch occasionally, although I think the WWE now is only a shadow of what the WWF was ten years ago. The characters and the writing were better then. Or maybe that's just the curmudgeon in me.
We had our first roller derby bout ever in Missoula this past weekend, courtesy of the Hellgate Rollergirls. It was a lot of fun, and had a great turnout.
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