GFF 2010: Whip it

 

Whip it tells the story of 17 year old Bliss Cavendar who lives in a small town outside Austin, US. She spends her spare time reluctantly entering beauty pageants to please her mother and lamenting at the frustrations of suburban life with her best friend Pash. When one day she picks up a flyer for a local roller derby event she sees a chance for escape. The feisty world of roller derby, full of strong women unafraid of exerting their individuality, is fertile ground for a coming of age story about a teenage girl. However, despite this promising premise Whip It, which is actor Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, quickly falls into quirky teen cliché with a predictable story arc and a spectacularly cheesy swimming pool sex scene. That’s not to say that it’s not good fun - Juliette Lewis makes an excellent leader of the rival roller derby team and there’s a rousing soundtrack including The Breeders, Tilly and the Wall and The Go! Team - just don’t expect anything outside of the indie teen flick mould that we've seen in recent years.