Whip It - 3 out of 4 Stars

Who Would Love This Movie: People who like coming of age movies

Best Mood to Walk In With: Good-natured

Don't See This Movie If: You need more substance than charm

Whip It is a fun romp on wheels. What it lacks on depth, it makes up for in plain old likability.

Ellen Page brings her normal energy to the main role of Bliss, the indie high school outcast. For those that liked her in Juno, you'll enjoy her as this less trendy talking, more endearingly sweet version of the misfit stock character. If you preferred her in the darker, more disturbing film Hard Candy, you'll notice the same easy acting in a much more mainstream setting.

It's also easy to see how Drew Barrymore selected this film as her directorial debut after producing movies like the Charlie's Angels remakes. These films and Whip It are all feel good movies with an underlying themes of girl power. Whip It, however, is much less silly than Charlie's Angels, and with a broader audience that can relate to concurrent themes of wanting to make your parents proud and staying true to yourself.

Marcia Gay Harden steals many of the scenes as Bliss's good meaning, but uncompromising mother, and Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig are wonderful additions to the cast per usual. You'll definitely take more note of the relationship-driven storyline than accumulate any roller derby knowledge.

Keep Your Eyes Closed For: Nothing. It's an easy watch.
Keep Your EARS Open For: The incredible vocals of Landon Pigg who plays the love interest Oliver.

All in all, Whip It is a charming piece of formulaic fluff with good intentions. You'll easily be able to guess the ending, but like life, Whip It's enjoyability is more about the journey than the destination.

Movies Are Life. ~ K