Extremely predictable but still entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (16 December 2010)

It doesn't take long into Whip It until one knows pretty much how the story will turn out in the end. The story is one that has been told many many times before. The conflict between mother and daughter, bad team that manages to become the best and so on. Still I enjoyed this film so perhaps this kind of plot type hasn't been done to many times yet and not yet with roller derby theme at least. Actually there was maybe one thing that I didn't see coming but it still is not enough to make Whip It it's own kind, definitely not, sadly. This is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut and she has done a very good job. So even though the plot is very simple it is executed greatly. The scenes are brilliantly done both how directed and acted. Ellen Page is great and perfect in the lead roll as the cute shy girl. All the acting is so well performed that one doesn't care that much that some of the stuff is pretty silly overly emotional and way to sweet. There are some scenes were the acting is so hyperactive but still one feels the overacting is meant to be so and not that it's badly done. The music which is a bunch of popular songs by various artists is well chosen for the feel of the film. Even if I get the feeling that the script is kind of thin the characters are really good, which is probably thanks to the good acting. Of course Ellen Page is the one who shines and not just because she is in the main role. The whole tone of the film is kind of hyper but they also manage to create a sense of substance thanks to the strong feeling the viewer gets for the heroine. The humor works well with some really great hints to some classic films that everybody knows. Still I feel the humor doesn't take such a big place, but that is fine because if it had it would risk to take focus away from the other important positive aspects. Whip It is a simple, foreseeable but somewhat funny movie. But I'm not disappointed because for me it didn't seem like a film to have very big expectations on just simple entertainment. After reading some other reviews I found that it had received very positive verdicts but I felt they were a bit overrated, it is good but not that good. Whip It is a fun feel good comedy, worth seeing 6/10.