Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Watch Whip It Online

By Van Rushberg

You should watch Whip It online because it is a coming of age story with a twist. Author Shauna Cross wrote a young adult novel titled Derby Girl, from which she adapted the screenplay for Whip It.

Drew Barrymore directs this inspiring movie that stars Ellen Page as a roller derby enthusiast named Bliss Cavendar. At a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival Barrymore said she cast Page before she was cast in the 2007 sleeper hit Juno.

Watch Whip It online to see not only Barrymore (in a small supporting role) and Page, but a cast that also includes Kristin Wiig as Malice in Wonderland, and Juliette Lewis as rival Iron Maven. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss's pageant-loving mother, who is exasperated over Bliss' lack of enthusiasm for entering beauty pageants, and Daniel Stern, Bliss' father who is more understanding.

The movie was filmed in the summer of 2008, mostly on location in Michigan. But parts of the film were made in Texas. Watch Whip It online carefully to see if you can pick out parts of Detroit, Michigan and Austin, Texas.

In the novel the movie was based on, Bliss is a reluctant beauty pageant contestant pushed by her mother to participate in pageants she despises. So without her mother's knowledge, she joins a roller derby league.

Barrymore not only directs, but co-produces along with Barry Mendel in this joint production of Barrymore's Flower Films and Mandate Pictures. Barrymore didn't know how to skate at first, and so she gave herself a small, supporting role where she wouldn't have to do much skating.

You can watch Whip It online to see how Barrymore does on skates. Whip It is Barrymore's debut as a director.

Barrymore is an experienced producer, however, having produced movies since the mid-1990s, including Charlie's Angels with Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Demi Moore and 50 First Dates, in which she starred opposite Adam Sandler. She looked for a director for Whip It, but couldn't find exactly what she wanted, so she decided she would direct the movie herself.

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