whip it review

although i absolutely loved the movie juno, i felt very skeptical about the movie whip it. for some reason, it just struck me as a movie high school kids would like with some cheap romance, and girly athleticism.

i am here to confess that i was absolutely wrong.  bill and i both really enjoyed watching whip it.  in this movie, ellen page plays bliss cavendar, a misfit in her town and in her family.  unable to win the beauty pageants her mother has tried to groom her for, and outside of the "cool group" at school, bliss tries to find her identity in a tiny texas town.  when she discovers she has an ability for skating roller-derby style, things begin to take shape for her.  she keeps her derby identity secret from her family and her family identity secret from her derby friends for as long as she can, but soon her worlds collide.

i thought this movie had a great plot, a star-studded cast (including drew barrymore, marcia gay harden, juliette lewis, daniel stern and jimmy fallon), and some hilarious moments.  it was a much better exploration of the difficulties of coming-of-age than i expected to find.

i would be happy to recommend whip it.  if you are as skeptical as i was, you should give it a shot.  you may be as pleasantly surprised as i was!


i received a copy of this movie to review from 20th centry fox home entertainment through bender/helper impact.  the opinions expressed here are purely my own.  i do not get any compensation for this review unless you buy it using my link on amazon, who has promised to compensate me for giving you the link.