Whip It (film)

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Whip It
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 13, 2009 (2009-9-13) (TIFF)
  • October 2, 2009 (2009-10-2) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[1]
Box office$16.6 million[1]

Whip It is a 2009 American

comedy drama film co-produced and directed by Drew Barrymore from a screenplay by Shauna Cross, based on her 2007 novel Derby Girl. It stars Elliot Page[a] as a teenage girl from the fictional town of Bodeen, Texas, who joins a roller derby team. The film also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Stern
.

Whip It premiered at the

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
.

Plot

Bliss Cavendar is a teenager in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. She has lost interest in the beauty pageants her mother, former beauty queen Brooke, pressures her to win.

While shopping in Austin with her mother, Bliss is intrigued by three roller derby team members she encounters. She and her friend Pash attend a roller derby bout where they see the "Holy Rollers" defeat the "Hurl Scouts". Bliss lies about her age and tries out for the Hurl Scouts, who give her the derby name "Babe Ruthless", and she becomes friendly with teammates "Maggie Mayhem", "Bloody Holly" and "Smashley Simpson". The Hurl Scouts, while enthusiastic and close knit, rarely win, but chant, "We're number two!" after losing a match, to the frustration of their coach, Razor.

"Iron Maven" of the Holy Rollers resents Bliss's talent and youth. Bliss soon realizes she needs to be merciless in roller derby, which also changes other aspects of her life. She stands up to a bully at school and starts dating a lanky musician named Oliver, to whom she loses her virginity before he leaves on a tour, taking a T-shirt Bliss gave him to remember her by, in exchange for his jacket.

The Hurl Scouts continue to lose. Razor convinces them to change their ways after paying their rivals to use one of his plays against them, showing them how much better they could be. The team begins rising in the ranks, soon heading for a championship match against the Holy Rollers.

Bliss's parents discover her involvement in roller derby when Pash is arrested at the arena for underage drinking. Pash is furious with Bliss for leaving her alone, which led to her arrest. When Bliss's parents demand she give up roller derby, she runs away from home and stays with Maggie, discovering she has a young son. Maggie gives Bliss perspective on the difficulties of being a parent.

Bliss sees a picture of Oliver on social media with another girl, who is wearing her t-shirt. Heartbroken, she goes home to her mother, who comforts her. Bliss gives up roller derby and resumes her pageant career so as not to hurt her family or friends any further, and reconciles with Pash.

On the day of the pageant, which is the same day as the roller derby championship, Bliss's father convinces his wife to let Bliss abandon the pageant and go join the Hurl Scouts in their championship game.

Before the game begins, Bliss is approached by Oliver, who denies cheating on her, but she dumps him anyway for never calling her while he was away. The Hurl Scouts narrowly lose the championship match to the Holy Rollers, but they still happily come together and chant, "We're number two!" She and Iron Maven come to a mutual respect. Bliss's mother is still not entirely supportive of roller derby, but accepts that Bliss now knows what makes her happy and is charting her own course in life.

Cast

Production

Production and filming

Screenwriter

Fox Searchlight Pictures
.

Casting

On August 12, 2007, it was announced that Elliot Page would play the lead role in the film, while Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern and Carlo Alban were in early talks to join the cast. On August 14, 2007, Landon Pigg, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig, Zoë Bell, Eve, Drew Barrymore and Andrew Wilson were also in final talks to join the film, Juliette Lewis was added to the cast, playing Iron Maven (a play on Iron Maiden) and on August 18, 2007, Ari Graynor and Har Mar Superstar joined the cast of the film, playing Eva Destruction (a play on Eve of Destruction) and the Fight Attendants Coach. Whip it is the feature-film debut of Pigg.

Music

Squeak E. Clean
and Desert Eagles and other songs performed by other song performers.

Release

Theatrical release

Whip It was theatrically released on October 2, 2009 in the United States.

Fox Searchlight Pictures distributed the film to 1,721 screens in the United States.[1]

Premiere

Toronto Roller Derby skaters play an exhibition bout at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Whip It, September 13, 2009

The world premiere of the film was held at the 2009

Yonge Dundas Square in downtown Toronto.[8] Toronto Roller Derby skaters, like those in other cities with major roller derby leagues, also helped promote the film in advance of the screening by wearing costumes from the film and skating around town and performing stunts while handing out flyers and giveaway items. Toronto Roller Derby credits their luck in being able to skate at the festival for helping expand their fanbase as well as their skater rosters.[9]

Home media

Whip It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2010 by

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
.

Reception

Critical response

Eve was praised by critics for her performance.

Critical reception for Whip It was generally positive. As of September 2023, the film holds an 85% approval rating on

average score of 7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "While made from overly familiar ingredients, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many clichés".[10] Metacritic calculated an average score of 68, based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

coming-of-age touchstones into a veritable cairn of clichés, the cast shows enough agility and conviction to make them seem almost fresh."[12] Roger Ebert said it's a "coming-together of two free spirits, Drew Barrymore and [Elliot] Page, and while it may not reflect the kind of female empowerment Gloria Steinem had in mind, it has guts, charm, and a black-and-blue sweetness."[13] According to the Miami Herald, "Whip It is completely predictable from the first frame. It also is ridiculously, utterly entertaining. Drew Barrymore's smashing directorial debut harkens back to an era in which Hollywood studio pictures could still move and enthrall the audience while plying in hoary cliches."[14]

Box office

Whip It was financially unsuccessful.[2][15][16] Initial studio estimates showed Whip It in a tie for #6 in its opening weekend, tying with the widely released Capitalism: A Love Story, and it wound up taking sixth place with $4,650,812.[17] The film grossed $13,043,363 in North America. It grossed $3,589,672 in foreign movie sales, for a grand total of $16,633,035 worldwide. Production cost of the film was $15 million.[1]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2009 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Perseverance Award Drew Barrymore Nominated
Stockholm Film Festival
Bronze Horse Award
 Drew Barrymore Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
 Best Comedic Actress Elliot Page Nominated
Women's Image Network Awards Outstanding Actress Feature Film Elliot Page Nominated
Drew Barrymore Nominated
2010 Dorian Awards Campy Film of the Year Whip It! Nominated

Soundtrack

Whip It
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2009
Recorded2009
GenreMovie Soundtrack
Length58:28
LabelRhino Entertainment
ProducerVarious Artists

The film has a 58-song playlist, with a wide range of styles and genres.

Allmusic, "The disc is a blend of familiar old standbys (including a glittering remix of the Chordettes' "Lollipop") and indie acts (among them Barrymore's ex-boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti's band Little Joy), achieving the kind of safely edgy balance that embodies the Fox Searchlight aesthetic (that is, it's quirky enough to appeal to the cool kids, but never strays too far from the mainstream)."[19]

Track listing

  1. Tilly and the Wall – "Pot Kettle Black"
  2. Ramones – "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"
  3. Cut Chemist featuring Hymnal – "What's the Altitude"
  4. The Breeders – "Bang On"
  5. The Raveonettes – "Dead Sound"
  6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – "Blue Turning Grey"
  7. Jens Lekman – "Your Arms Around Me"
  8. Gotye – "Learnalilgivinanlovin"
  9. Peaches – "Boys Wanna Be Her"
  10. Dolly Parton – "Jolene"
  11. 38 Special – "Caught Up in You"
  12. Har Mar Superstar featuring Adam Green – "Never My Love"
  13. Goose – "Black Gloves"
  14. The Ettes – "Crown of Age"
  15. Landon Pigg featuring Turbo Fruits – "High Times"
  16. Little Joy – "Unattainable"
  17. Squeak E. Clean
    & Desert Eagles remix)"
  18. The Go! Team – "Doing it Right"
  19. Apollo Sunshine – "Breeze"
  20. MGMT – "Kids"
  21. Turbo Fruits – "Fun Dream Love Dream" (Amazon MP3 version track)
  23. Young MC – "Know How" (iTunes version bonus track)
  24. The Section Quartet – "The Road to Austin" (iTunes version bonus track)
  25. Radiohead – "No Surprises"
  26. Gilberto Gil – "Domingo no Parque"

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Credited as Ellen Page

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Whip It (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Flint, Joe (26 October 2009). "Whip It' didn't need to get whipped at box office". LA Times. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  3. ^ Almereyda, Michael (September 23, 2009). "Stepping Into the Skates of the Director". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  4. ^ Swart, Sharon (2008-06-18). "Shauna Cross". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  5. ^ Serba, John (2008-08-10). "Grand Rapids skaters roll 'em in Drew Barrymore movie "Whip It!"". The Grand Rapids Press. MLive.com. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  6. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2008-01-15). "Ellen Page to 'Whip It!' for Barrymore". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  7. ^ Goldstein, Gregg & Kit, Borys (2008-06-30). "Cast ready to roll on 'Whip It!'". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  8. ^ a b Block, Sheri (13 September 2009). "Barrymore whips up excitement for roller derby flick". CTV News. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  9. ^ "2009 championship bout!". November 21, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  10. ^ "Whip It". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  11. ^ "Whip It Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. ^ Scott, A. O. (October 2, 2009). "Misfits With Big Hearts and Roller-Derby Grit". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger (September 30, 2009). "Whip It". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  14. ^ Rodriguez, Rene (September 30, 2009). "Review: Whip It". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  15. ^ Reynolds, Hurt (3 January 2010). "After Box Office Bummer, Whip It Heads Home". Derby News Network. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  16. ^ Gant, Charles (13 April 2010). "Sunny skies are a downer for UK box office". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 2-4, 2009 - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  18. ^ Whip It at what-song.com
  19. AllMusic
    . Retrieved 2011-06-30.
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