Friday, April 9, 2010
Whip It! (Directed by Drew Barrymore)
IMDB PAGE
Starring:
Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat,Eve, Zoe Bell
She said:
This film was great fun; laugh out of loud funny, sexy, sassy and with a great soundtrack. Drew Barrymore (who, by the way, I LOVE) saw her directorial debut with this film and I have to say she did a wonderful job. The acting and pacing kept the balance of humour and sentiment really well. Her talent behind the camera is unsurprising though having been on film sets since she was a tiny 7 year old.
This is essentially a coming-of-age film. And I love those kind of films. They are not solely aimed at teens nor adults. I think some mums would enjoy this one and identify with a mother (played by the wonderful Marcia Gay Harden who is perfect for this 50s style housewife) who is finding it hard to let her daughter become an independent woman.
Although Ellen Page was the protagonist I did feel this was an ensemble film with the supporting characters all playing unique and individual roles. No one person stood out too much although I have to admit a soft spot for the best friend Pash. I found the friendship and the changes it undergoes both for the bad and good quite believable.
Overall I have to say - what a fantastic film! I came out of it wanting to don some skates, fishnets and hotpants and join the roller derby myself! I give it {{{4.5 out of 5}}}
He Said:
I really enjoyed this film. It has a solid story with an excellent pace. The soundtrack is perfect and even the subplots have a nice and even necessary feel. I never felt the side stories were diversions or fillers, as is common in so many films.
As Helen said this film marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and I really think that she did a stellar job. Ellen Page has proven once more that she is more than just "that witty pregnant girl" as this film has heart and wit in spades. Juliet Lewis is in a rare small role and I think she is one of my favorite sub-characters.
The screenplay was written by Shauna Cross the author of the original novel who was an actual Roller derby athlete in Los Angeles (the films Hurl Scouts are based on her team Tough Cookies which had the same girl scout theme and team colors.) I think this fact alone is the reason that the film never seems to drift from reality into campy fantasy.
This is another American Film that is just now reaching the UK shores and if you are on the other side of the pond you can find this film at your local DVD retailer and rental stores, as well as on NETFLIX. I give this film {{{{4.5 out of 5}}}}
They said:
Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page make a great director/actress duo. We really enjoyed this film but what about you? Let us know! We give it [[[[9 out of 10]]]]
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I saw this back in October, while I was in Vegas. LOVED it. Ellen Page is always a joy to watch, as is Drew Barrymore. The entire cast was wonderful, the script was great, and the direction...I'm not surprised Barrymore did such a good job with it. She's practically lived and breathed the world of film her whole life, and while she does a lot of bubblegum stuff, she puts a lot of effort into bringing truly unique, captivating stories and ideas to life (Donnie Darko, for instance, very likely wouldn't have been made without her).
ReplyDeleteAn added bonus, from a personal perspective, is that the larger cities of the Pacific Northwest - especially Portland, Tacoma and Seattle - have very active roller derby communities. In fact, my older sister just joined a roller derby team.
We'd love to see some real roller derby footage! We agree - Drew Barrymore is a lot more than meets the eye. She is a powerful person in cinema and also... you know... just a kick-ass woman.
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