Whip It (2009)

Directed by: Drew Barrymore 

Written by: Shauna Cross

A 17-year-old finds a way to escape from the misery caused by her small hometown by joining a roller derby league.

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I got curious about this movie because I've been interested in roller derby (while the last time I roller skated was around time when I was 7-10, oops), because the movie has so many women on it, and lastly because Zoë Bell is in the film. It's always a pleasure to see her work on screen, whether it's acting or stunts.

While I've never been into sports, or sport films, I loved Whip It! The matches between the leagues were so intense and thrilling! 

I'm so delighted because of how many women were in this film, not just the characters but the director and writer as well. And there are so many different kind of female characters in the story, all having their own ideologies, all having different personalities. There are characters who are so typical good characters, but they are still interesting. There are assertive women, violent women, competitive women, mean women, nice women, mothers, daughters... So many different kind of characters. It's almost rare, because so many films have around 80 % male characters. 

The structure of this film may be quite predictable, but the other qualities of Whip It make up for that - the story is emotional in many different ways, and it's just fun to watch. And after all, isn't most of Hollywood pretty predictable these days? And the story has many different levels, it's not just about the sport. It's about the main character Bliss growing up, it's about her relationships with her parents, her friends, the friends and rivals she makes while playing roller derby. And while the main point of the film is Bliss finding her passion and what makes her happy, the story doesn't forget all the other details that push her forward or pull her back.

The music was well chosen. It keeps the viewer psyched, and the songs work when you're listening to them outside of the movie. I have several of them on my playlists.

Simply put, Whip It is an amazing movie. It touches, thrills and delights. There's only one thing I'd change, and it would be deleting most of the useless heterosexual romances and add some women loving women there. It would suit the film and make it so much more better, but I'm happy with what I got.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10