''Whip It'' is a 2009 American

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

in her

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

and written by

Shauna Cross Shauna Cross is an American screenwriter, novelist and former roller derby athlete. She skated for the Los Angeles Derby Dolls under the pseudonym "Maggie Mayhem", and subsequently wrote the 2007 novel ''Derby Girl'', a fictionalized version of ...

, based on her 2007 novel ''

Derby Girl ''Derby Girl'' is a 2007 novel by Shauna Cross. It tells the story of Bliss Cavendar, a girl from the fictional town of Bodeen, Texas, whose mother wants her to compete in beauty pageants, and seeks escape in the world of roller derby. The book wa ...

''. The film is co-produced by Barrymore and

Barry Mendel Barry Mendel (born 1963) is an American film producer. Mendel first produced Wes Anderson’s ''Rushmore (film), Rushmore'' starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, which won two Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards for Inde ...

. It stars

Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...

as a teenager from the fictional town of Bodeen,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, who joins a

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

team. The film also stars Barrymore,

Alia Shawkat Alia Martine Shawkat ( ; ar, عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Old Man'', '' State of Grace'', Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom ''Arrested Develop ...

Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. She is the recipient of accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards. Born ...

, Daniel Stern,

Carlo Alban Carlo Mauricio Alban (born October 3, 1979) is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from ''Sesame Street'' (1993–98). He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on ''Prison Break'' (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a varie ...

Landon Pigg Landon Pigg (born August 6, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Early life, education and childhood career Pigg was born in Nashville, Tennessee. When he was a child, his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago ...

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

Kristen Wiig Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...

Zoë Bell Zoë E. Bell (born November 17, 1978) is a New Zealand stuntwoman and actress. Some of her most notable stunt-work includes doubling for Lucy Lawless in '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and for Uma Thurman in ''Kill Bill''. As an actress, Bell has ap ...

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, Andrew Wilson,

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress and alternative rock singer. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark themes. Lewis became an "it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s, ...

, and

Ari Graynor Ariel Geltman Graynor (born April 27, 1983) is an American actress, known for her roles in TV series such as ''I'm Dying Up Here'', ''The Sopranos'' and ''Fringe'', in stage productions such as ''Brooklyn Boy'' and ''The Little Dog Laughed'', and ...

. The film premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

on September 13, 2009 and was theatrically released on October 2, 2009 in the United States by

Fox Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century St ...

. It received positive reviews from critics but was a box office disappointment, grossing $16.6 million worldwide against its $15 million budget. It received two WIN Award nominations for Outstanding Actress, as well as Feature Film for Page and Barrymore, respectively. ''Whip It'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2010 by

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...

Plot

Bliss Cavendar is a teenager in the small town of Bodeen,

. She has lost interest in the beauty pageants her mother, former beauty queen Brooke, pressures her to win. While shopping in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

with her mother, Bliss is intrigued by three

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 A derby name, roller derby name or skater name is a nickname used by a skater while playing or officiating roller derby. Derby names can be seen as an opportunity to adopt an alternative on-track persona. Many derby names are puns, and in some c ...

"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. The Hurl Scouts narrowly lose the championship match to the Holy Rollers, but they still happily come together and chant, "We're number two!" Afterward, she is approached by Oliver, who denies cheating on Bliss, but she dumps him anyway for never calling her while he was away. 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

as Bliss Cavendar (Babe Ruthless) *

as Pash *

as Brooke Cavendar * Daniel Stern as Earl Cavendar *

as Dwayne (Birdman) *

as Oliver *

as 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket *

as Maggie Mayhem *

as Bloody Holly *

as Rosa Sparks *

as Smashley Simpson * Andrew Wilson as Razor *

as Iron Maven *

as Eva Destruction *

Har Mar Superstar Sean Tillmann (born February 6, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has performed and released studio albums as Sean Na Na and as a member of hardcore band Calvin Krime, but is best known for his work under the name Har Mar Super ...

as Fight Attendants Coach

Production

Production and filming

Screenwriter

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

her 2007

young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

'' for the screen and pitched the script to different production companies while simultaneously pitching its source material to various publishers. Once Barrymore got involved, she and Cross worked for months on script revisions, with Barrymore pushing her to "avoid her story's tidier prospects, to make things 'more raw and open-ended.'" The film project was initially to be handled by

Warner Independent Pictures Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros., itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, which then was known as TimeWarner. Established in August 2003, its first release was 2004's ''B ...

, but

Mandate Pictures Mandate Pictures was a full-service film production company acquired by Lionsgate in 2007. History In 2005, Mandate Pictures was officially formed when the Los Angeles–based Senator International completed a management buyout from German indie ...

took over after it was put into a turnaround.

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

began summer 2008 in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

;

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on July 26, taking place in and around

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Saline,

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

and Birch Run. Real roller derby players were selected from local Michigan teams such as the

Detroit Derby Girls Detroit Roller Derby (DRD) is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Detroit, Michigan. The league was formed as Detroit Derby Girls in January 2005 and held their first bouts in February 2006. In November 2016, the league announced ...

, and the

Grand Raggidy Roller Girls Grand Raggidy Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 2005, the league is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History The league was founded as "Gra ...

. Several scenes were also shot in Austin,

. Some scenes were also shot in Hamtramck, Michigan at Hamtramck High School as well as Ferndale, Michigan at Ferndale High School. ''Whip It'' was produced by

and

; a co-production between

and Barrymore's

Flower Films Flower Films is an American production company owned by Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen. Filmography Film * ''Never Been Kissed'' (1999) * '' Charlie's Angels'' (2000) * ''Donnie Darko'' (2001) * '' Duplex'' (2003) * '' Charlie's Angels: Fu ...

. The film was distributed by

Casting

On August 12, 2007, it was announced that

would play the lead role in the film, while

, Daniel Stern and

were in early talks to join the cast. On August 14, 2007,

and Andrew Wilson were also in final talks to join the film,

was added to the cast, playing Iron Maven (a play on

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

) and on August 18, 2007,

and

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

The Section Quartet The Section Quartet is a string quartet founded by Eric Gorfain that performs cover versions of rock songs. History Eric Gorfain founded the quartet after working for the 1996 tour of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. He said the quartet fulfilled h ...

scored the music for the film and on its soundtrack. The soundtrack also contains "Knocked Up" performed by Kings Of Leon, "Pot Kettle Black" performed by

Tilly and the Wall Tilly and the Wall was an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called ''Tillie and the Wall'', written by Leo Lionni. They are particularly noted for having a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, provide pe ...

, "

Sheena Is a Punk Rocker "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released in 1977 through Sire Records. Written by front man and lead vocalist Joey Ramone it appears on the band's third studio album '' Rocket to Russia'' (1977). The song ...

" performed by

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, "What's the Altitude" performed by

Cut Chemist Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects. Early life Cut Chemist grad ...

and Hymnal, "Bang On" performed by

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ...

, "Dead Sound" performed by

The Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Bro ...

, "Blue Turning Grey" performed by

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (sometimes abbreviated to CYHSY) is the musical project of American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alec Ounsworth, active since the early 2000s in and out of Philadelphia. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have rel ...

, "Your Arms Around Me" performed by

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ric ...

, " Learnalilgivinanlovin" performed by

Gotye Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known by his stage name Gotye ( ), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognat ...

, " Boys Wanna Be Her" performed by

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...

, " Jolene" performed by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, "

Caught Up in You "Caught Up in You" is the first single released from Southern rock band 38 Special's 1982 album, '' Special Forces''. It became their first #1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Tracks Classic Vinyl is a Sirius XM Radio channel focusing on classic rock ...

" performed by

38 Special 38 Special may refer to: * .38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, cent ...

, "

Never My Love "Never My Love" is a pop standard written by American siblings Don and Dick Addrisi, and best known from a hit 1967 recording by the Association. The Addrisi Brothers had two Top 40 hits as recording artists, but their biggest success as songwri ...

" performed by

and Adam Green, "Black Gloves" performed by

Goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

, "Crown of Age" performed by

The Ettes The Ettes is a garage rock revival band consisting of Lindsay "Coco" Hames, Maria "Poni" Silver, and Jeremy "Jem" Cohen. The band formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The Ettes released ...

, "High Times" performed by

and Turbo Fruits, "Unattainable" performed by

Little Joy Little Joy is a Brazilian/American rock supergroup formed in 2007 by Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, and Binki Shapiro. They released their only album in 2008. History Formation and begi ...

, "Doing it Right" performed by

The Go! Team The Go! Team are an English six-piece band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of The Go! Team's debut album, '' Thunder, Lightning, Strike'', Parton r ...

, "Breeze" performed by

Apollo Sunshine Apollo Sunshine was an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. History Founding Sam Cohen, Jesse Gallagher, and Jeremy Black originally met in 1997 in Boston, where the three were attending a Berklee College of Music summer performan ...

, "

Kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...

" performed by

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

, "Fun Dream Love Dream" performed by Turbo Fruits, "Know How" performed by

Young MC Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is a British-born American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album ''Stone Cold Rhymin found international accla ...

, "The Road to Austin" performed by The Section Quartet, "

No Surprises "No Surprises" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, '' OK Computer'' (1997), on 12 January 1998. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. It featur ...

" performed by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

, "Domingo no Parque" performed by

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

, "Lollipop" performed by

Squeak E. Clean Sam Spiegel (born October 31, 1979), known by the stage name Sam i and previously as Squeak E. Clean, is an American DJ, Hip hop producer, producer, composer, and Music director, director from New York City. In addition to creating his own mat ...

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.

distributed the film to 1,721 screens in the United States.

Premiere

The world premiere of the film was held at the 2009

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada. The majority of the film's main cast attended the premiere. As part of the festivities, members of local league

Toronto Roller Derby Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD), is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2006, the league started play in 2007, and held its tenth season in 2016. Operated and managed by its skaters and members, ToRD has f ...

held an exhibition bout at

Yonge Dundas Square Yonge is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), English historian and translator of Philo of Alexandria * Charles Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), British marine biologist * Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823 ...

in downtown Toronto. 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.

Home media

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

Reception

Critical response

Critical reception for ''Whip It'' was generally positive. , the film holds an 85% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 193 reviews with an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

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".

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

calculated an average score of 68, based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". A. O. Scott called the film "predictable", but said "You might, nonetheless, want to see this movie, even—or maybe especially—if you have seen ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy wh ...

'' or ''

Bend It Like Beckham ''Bend It Like Beckham'' (also known as ''Kick It Like Beckham'') is a 2002 sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra. The film stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightle ...

''. Familiarity is not always a bad thing, and if the script, by Shauna Cross, piles sports movie and

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

touchstones into a veritable

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...

s, the cast shows enough agility and conviction to make them seem almost fresh."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

said it's a "coming-together of two free spirits, Drew Barrymore and lliotPage, and while it may not reflect the kind of female empowerment

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in ...

had in mind, it has guts, charm, and a black-and-blue sweetness." According to the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...

'', "''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."

Box office

''Whip It'' was financially unsuccessful. 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. 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.

Accolades

Soundtrack

The film has a 58-song playlist, with a wide range of styles and genres. Nineteen tracks appear on the CD of the soundtrack, with additional tracks at various MP3 stores. According to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, "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 Fabrizio Moretti (born June 2, 1980) is a Brazilian-American musician and visual artist best known as the drummer for American rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since 2001. A collaborative artist, he has been pa ...

'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)."

Track listing

– "Pot Kettle Black" #

– "

" #

featuring Hymnal – "What's the Altitude" #

– "Bang On" #

– "Dead Sound" #

– "Blue Turning Grey" #

– "Your Arms Around Me" #

– " Learnalilgivinanlovin" #

– " Boys Wanna Be Her" #

– " Jolene" #

– "

" #

featuring Adam Green – "

" #

– "Black Gloves" #

– "Crown of Age" #

featuring Turbo Fruits – "High Times" #

– "Unattainable" #

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

– "

Lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are availa ...

(

& Desert Eagles remix)" #

– "Doing it Right" #

– "Breeze" #

– "

" # Turbo Fruits – "Fun Dream Love Dream" (Amazon MP3 version track) #

– "Know How" (iTunes version bonus track) #

– "The Road to Austin" (iTunes version bonus track) #

– "

" #

– "Domingo no Parque"

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 2009 films 2000s buddy comedy-drama films 2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 2000s female buddy films 2000s sports comedy-drama films 2000s teen comedy-drama films American buddy comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American female buddy films American sports comedy-drama films American teen comedy-drama films Films about beauty pageants Dune Entertainment films 2000s English-language films Films about dysfunctional families Films about women's sports Films based on American novels Films based on young adult literature Films directed by Drew Barrymore Films produced by Barry Mendel Films produced by Drew Barrymore Films set in Austin, Texas Films shot in Austin, Texas Films shot in Detroit Films shot in Michigan Flower Films films Fox Searchlight Pictures films Mandate Pictures films Roller derby films Teen sports films 2009 directorial debut films 2000s American films