Drew Barrymore should stay in front of the camera

Rating: 5/10 (2 April 2010)

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut has all the makings of a cult classic, from the impeccable indie rock soundtrack to the impressive cast credentials, but unfortunately fails to deliver. Crude, unfunny jokes pepper a storyline chock full of clichés and corny dialogue, whilst the actresses struggle to bring life to the two-dimensional characters they are portraying.
The storyline focuses on a teenage misfit, Bliss Cavendar, coerced into performing at beauty pageants by her parents, whilst secretly yearning to explore the wilder side of life when she discovers a roller derby league not far from her home in Austin. As usual in these coming of age stories, Bliss meets a guy, falls out with her parents and flourishes within a new group of friends after overcoming a number of obstacles. This is all very pleasant but far from original, making it very easy to predict the outcome of the movie.
The inclusion of Ellen Page as the story's heroine is a wise move by Barrymore, fans of Juno desperate to see more of the star will certainly flock to the movie, if only to be disappointed. Despite this, Page puts in a fairly impressive performance, proving that she is a talented actor, even when presented with an average script.
I am sure that the target audience of twelve year old girls will get a lot out of Whip It but I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone else due to its lack of broad appeal. Whip it would definitely pass time during the April showers but I would prefer to get wet than suffer through this pre-teen chick flick once more.
5/10
If you liked this film you will also enjoy these:
Juno, Bend It Like Beckham, The Blind Side and Me Without You