Whip It

Drew Barrymore is one of the few great Hollywood success stories. She began as a child actress and then had a dark period in her teens before emerging in her 20’s to great success. She began her behind the scenes work with producing and now moves onto directing.
Having worked most of her life on film sets it is bound to happen that Drew would pick up on a few things. If this film is anything to go by then she has certainly learned quite a lot from the various directors she has worked with. This film is an excellent piece of work featuring a great story and wonderful characters. It does have a certain amount of cliché in the story but when it is told this well you don’t really mind. It is not so much about the destination as the journey you take. One of the great things about the film is the world of the roller derby that is takes you into. It is not something you see much of. As most films usually take a more masculine view of the world it is great to see a more feminine world we don’t normally see. And it is a female sport which makes it even better. My only problem with the film was the look of it. From the trailer I thought this film was set in the 70’s and at the beginning of the film I thought that’s when it was set. It wasn’t until someone took out a mobile phone that I realised it was set today. This may have been because the film had such a low budget that the place they found to film it has that 70’s look about it. Plus I thought roller derby was only done in the 70’s and didn’t still exist.
Being an actress Drew certainly knows how to get an excellent performance out of her cast. She has certainly done a brilliant job in casting. Ellen Page is fast becoming a brilliant young actress. It is nice to see her not being a big smart allec in this film. She is someone who is a bit shy and vulnerable and learns to gain strength from doing roller derby. I do hope that she moves onto older roles soon though. Her support cast are excellent too. It is kind of hard to single out one as the best. Alia Shawkat is excellent as Ellen’s best friend. While Juliette Lewis and Marcia Gay Harden play to type they are still excellent in their roles. I also loved seeing Daniel Stern back on screen and in role that shows off his acting skills a bit better. I think we have also discovered another Wilson brother, Andrew with this film. To me he sounded like his voice was being dubbed by his brother Owen. Drew even makes a low key appearance herself in a very funny role.
I think Drew Barrymore has a great career ahead of her as a director if she wants to. This is an excellent film with a wonderful cast of characters and great performances to bring them to life.