Whip It (2009)

It's been so long since I wrote in my little blog about movies. Why was I so amiss? Well school is a major factor but mainly I had decided to take part in National Writing Month (a.k.a NaNo Wrimo) this past month. The goal is write a story of of 50,000 words in one month. It was HARD. For a new writer it was the ultimate purging out the first draft that had been stewing in my mind for years. And I did! Thanks to all my friends , coworkers, and very supportive boyfriend. They were all supportive in giving me as much time and opportunity to write. I achieved a personal achievement.

Which brings me to my inspiration for this blog entry. It is a movie that echoes personal achievement and fighting your own personal obstacles. Everyone has their own scapegoat they want to point to when they can't achieve their goals. Oh it's lack of time, my boss is keeping me down, I'm too old, I'm too different, I have obligations to fill, blah blah blah. No one is keeping you from achieving your goals except for yourself. You are your own worst enemy.Partipating in Nanowrimo echoed that, an inspiring ranch hand echoed this, and this movie really shows this.

This is a movie that really speaks to all the females out there in the world. It;s also a movie for the males who just want to see females beat the crap out of each other.

"Whip It" is a movie directed by Drew Barrymore (oh yeah, Drew Barrymore! Whoo!). It centers around a young female named Bliss Cavender(played by Ellen Paige) who is just breezing listlessly through life. She only puts up a mild rebellion with her mothers overbearing forcing her into pageants and working her dull life in a diner. She has no known goal or desires.

Until she finds a flier for a roller derby exhibition match.If your not familar with roller derby, then you should be! It's an amazing all contact female sport. ALL CONTACT!lemme reiterate, these are girls that will punch you, kick you, trip you, bruise you , all on roller skates! You should check out the LA Derby Dolls if your curious to know more.

Bliss attends and is completely dazzled by the whole world. Hell I want to be an LA Derby Doll. Only two things stands in my way : 1. my glasses, 2. my teeth (my mom spent a helluva alot of money to fix my teeth, I ain't wrecking it!).

Here are Bliss's problem: 1. she is underage (it's 18+ to join) 2. her mother would not permit her to engage in such an activity ( no surprise- what mother would?) 3. she hasn't skated since she was very very young.

So what's a young slightly rebellious teen to do? Lie to the Derbys and her mom in order to participate. She goes through carefully crafted lies, alot of bruising and training to get what she wants.

The story flows pretty much as anticipated. She becomes great, inspires jealousy, gets found, overcomes more adversity. The story isn't original but it's the content of the story that makes this movie so much fun.

Paige pretty much plays a role that doesn't seem to deviate so far from her other movie roles. She almost reminds me of a female form of Michael Cera. Only difference is that she established as a pretty good actress in "Inception".

Like I mentioned before, Drew Barrymore directed this movie. So there's a great rock vibe throughout the movie. It's more an indie-rock vibe with all the music and characters. I don't have a problem with that since I pretty enjoy indie-rock music. Some people may find fault with this since I've been noticing a backlash against indie-rock music and hipsters. I just shrug at all the negative response. If I'm going to enjoy the music, then I'm going to enjoy the music regardless of whatever stigma is attached.

I'm also a fan of Drew Barrymore. She may not make the greatest movies but she's a great role model overall. She does her own thing, she is who she is. She made alot of mistakes in her past but she is her own time line of overcoming personal obstacles. Hoorah!

The ultimate enjoyment for this movie is what attracts both males and females to this movie. The roller derby parts are just AWESOME! I watched this in the theater with some girlfriends and we ran out of that theater just pumped with energy. We were just going crazy running around, trying to make up our own Derby names.

It's a simple movie for anyone who is looking for a pick me up. It's motivational in it's own way It's funny, charming, and just awesome.

Till next time, toodles!