I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Blistering performances.

I got curious about this movie because I've been interested in roller derby (while the last time I roller skated was around time when I was 7-10, oops), because the movie has so many women on it, and lastly because Zoë Bell is in the film. It's always a pleasure to see her work on screen, whether it's acting or stunts.While I've never been into sports, or sport films, I loved Whip It! The matches between the leagues were so intense and thrilling! I'm so delighted because of how many women were in this film, not just the characters but the director and writer as well. And there are so many different kind of female characters in the story, all having their own ideologies, all having different personalities. There are characters who are so typical good characters, but they are still interesting. There are assertive women, violent women, competitive women, mean women, nice women, mothers, daughters... So many different kind of characters. It's almost rare, because so many films have around 80 % male characters. The structure of this film may be quite predictable, but the other qualities of Whip It make up for that - the story is emotional in many different ways, and it's just fun to watch. And after all, isn't most of Hollywood pretty predictable these days? And the story has many different levels, it's not just about the sport. It's about the main character Bliss growing up, it's about her relationships with her parents, her friends, the friends and rivals she makes while playing roller derby. And while the main point of the film is Bliss finding her passion and what makes her happy, the story doesn't forget all the other details that push her forward or pull her back.The music was well chosen. It keeps the viewer psyched, and the songs work when you're listening to them outside of the movie. I have several of them on my playlists.Simply put, Whip It is an amazing movie. It touches, thrills and delights. There's only one thing I'd change, and it would be deleting most of the useless heterosexual romances and add some women loving women there. It would suit the film and make it so much more better, but I'm happy with what I got.

Whip It follows Bliss, a teen who is looking to get away from her mother's idee fixe of the débutante lifestyle, who finds herself accepted into a roller derby team. The film is inspiring, amusing, and has a rebellious yet warm spirit. All of the characters were very well developed,especially as it shows the change in relationship between Bliss and her parents, as they both come around to each other's viewpoints. Kristen Wiig was phenomenal as Maggie Mayhem, a positive role model and friend to Bliss, and Ellen Page showed off her great as usual acting ability as she reacted to the actions of those around her. Whip It was incredible in every way, from plot to characters to directing to acting. While not the film would not necessarily fit right into the 'chick flick' genre, the focus on a mostly female cast does a wonderful job of portraying girl power, and emphasizes the fact that females don't need "that special man" in their life to succeed or be happy. This hidden gem of a movie is well worth a watch.

For every sport there's surely a movie, and that's pretty cool. This movie has the typical "child wants to do something that parents don't approve of" plot so I can't really say it's anything new, but it is well-made and has a good cast. Ellen Page is the apex of faux high school actresses, but she gives up here "Juno" snark for actual passion (which is quite ironic as Alia Shawkat's character is named "Pash"). The roller derby is fun to watch, especially with Jimmy Fallon as the announcer. I was kinda ticked to see another movie about beauty pageants, but oh well. Marcia Gay Harden was very good as a mother who wants her kids to be like she was, but I just didn't feel any love between her and Page. Overall, it's an interesting movie but I wouldn't really want to watch it again.

I saw the names of the actors and had high hopes, especially since I talked with a roller derby skater a few months ago and learned how into the sport she was. I'm a fan of Juliette Lewis and Drew Barrymore and thought Ellen Page was impressive in Juno. All of the acting was good, but how much can be done with a weak script? A food fight straight out of Animal House, with Drew Barrymore (seemingly Animal from the Muppets) shouting John Bellushi's line; an underwater make-out scene borrowed from Children of a Lesser God with 1/10 the intensity; these are homages, perhaps, and that's o.k., but I find it hard to believe that new viewers actually buy these scenes. (In Children of a Lesser God, the female lead is known to swim by herself at night, and the male lead confronts her there after they've had a bunch of serious arguments and misunderstandings. Here, the pool comes out of nowhere. The two sneak in and it's hard not to notice all the paddling/kicking necessary for them to stay under water while they eke out this and that kiss. The food fight scene comes out of nowhere, too.) I can't agree with reviews that call this a feminist film. Seems like every character besides Juliette Lewis is gaga after some guy. Not that lesbianism need be in a feminist film, but it's as if the film wants to pound you over the head with the idea that roller derby is feverishly hetero in every way, and feminism (if that's what this is) seems to be defined as women wanting to be boxers and women having no interest in coordinating themselves (learning plays) until their male coach convinces them they should. Because roller derby is cool and promises to be interesting, you can see why good actors would want to get involved. But there was very little by way of chemistry. Lots of forced scenes: "You're not getting it. I love this." Some moments are good, but mostly it's a teenager film, the kind where the 17 year old girl, in addition to being the fastest skater in the league straight after she was barely able to skate, also is infinitely wiser than everyone. A couple of teenagers I saw it with say they liked it a lot, but perhaps they've already put their ratings here.