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Whip It

Play trailer Poster for Whip It PG-13 2009 1h 51m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 189 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Bliss Cavendar lives in small-town Texas and yearns to break free of her mother's world of beauty pageants and conformity. She sees her chance when she meets the Hurl Scouts, a roller-derby team; she tries out for the team and wins a slot, lying to her parents about her new hobby. Bliss finds friendship and freedom with her teammates, but a conflict between a championship game and the Bluebonnet beauty pageant threatens to spill her secret.
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Whip It

Whip It

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Critics Consensus

While made from overly familiar ingredients, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many cliches.

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Critics Reviews

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Xan Brooks Guardian 04/09/2010
3/5
Drew Barrymore makes her directing debut with a join-the-dots sports outing that's so brightly played - and so essentially sweet-natured - that its manifest cliches come up smelling of fresh paint. Go to Full Review
Sukhdev Sandhu Daily Telegraph (UK) 04/08/2010
3/5
Although there's nothing original about it, and although it's handled competently rather than with breathtaking élan, it's almost impossible to dislike... Go to Full Review
Kim Newman Empire Magazine 04/08/2010
4/5
As a sports movie and as a mixed-up teen flick, it keeps taking unexpected turns, and unlike so many in the former genre, remembers there's more to sport dramas than just winning. Go to Full Review
Joe Lipsett Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast 05/06/2022
3.5/5
An enjoyable directorial debut from Barrymore, carried by the charm of a very game cast and anchored by a rock solid lead performance by Page. Whip It is just plain fun Go to Full Review
Alex Behan The Post NZ 10/01/2021
It's a funny, feel good, feminist film that throws elbows, pulls no punches and features a fantastic food fight. Go to Full Review
Yasmin Omar Harper's Bazaar 06/25/2021
3/5
Whip It blends training montages, team spirit and retro glamour. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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kevenquinlan Jul 25 Ok, I remember this movie when it dropped but never saw it- watching in 2025. It's good. Nothing mind-bending but pretty good dialogue, expected tropes and nicely acted. I'm gonna keep it for sure, It's easily worth a watch just for it's pluck and charm. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 8 Funny in 1 hour and 51 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Drug Material, Crude Dialogue, Language and Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $13,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Cynthia t Jul 2 Literally my favorite movie!! It has everything! Ellen was so fab, Kristen was badass! Alia did her thing! All of the girls and the entire feels I got from watching this movie gave me goosebumps... it's like they KNEW me and my experience! I also feel like this movie doesn't get the shine it deserves because its made to be some girl power trip but to me its just a raw and real coming of age story! Drew Barrymore really outdid herself with this one! I think its so amazing that she was able to direct a movie like this. She clearly just got the material and it resonated throughout the film. I'll always defend this film to my friends or naysayers, this is real, this is life, this is truth! See more Dave C 09/22/2024 A fresh and energetic melee betwixt teen comedy and sports drama, with a lot of teen angst, provocative comedy, and a rebellious spirit running through its core. DB has managed to present something that feels borderless, whilst delivering strong characters, and an enjoyable story - impressive feats given none of this is new material See more Mason M 09/08/2024 Though I think of myself as a sophisticated film lover, whip it is one of my personal favorite movies ever made and the ultimate guilty pleasure watch for me. But what I love about Whip It is how it makes me feel. Drew Barrymore does a great job in her first and last directorial effort, and Shauna Cross's writing was both riveting and hilarious. This film definitely has one of my favorite casts of characters in a film, Ellen Page gives one of my favorite performances ever and many of the supporting characters such as Razor, Hot Tub Johnny, and Birdman are better than leads in many other movies. My personal favorite filmmaking aspect of this film was definitely the cinematography by Robert Yeoman (the best cinematographer ever). His unique style of natural looking lighting, beautifully done framing, and elaborate shot ideas give this film a ton of life and individual personality. Though this film may not be one of the greatest in any classical sense, what makes this one of my favorites is how it great makes me feel. I watch movies to feel emotion, emotion that I don't often feel in my real life. And Whip It does such a great job with its world-building, it feels like I know these people, like I've lived in this town, like I've had this risky and endlessly fun roller derby adventure, when I've never done anything that even remotely resembles any of those films. The world and characters it sets up make me feel so great and so much joy, and that's why Whip It is one of my favorite films ever made. See more Will K 05/02/2024 Took a while to get into it. But stuck with it and glad I did! See more Read all reviews
Whip It

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis Bliss Cavendar lives in small-town Texas and yearns to break free of her mother's world of beauty pageants and conformity. She sees her chance when she meets the Hurl Scouts, a roller-derby team; she tries out for the team and wins a slot, lying to her parents about her new hobby. Bliss finds friendship and freedom with her teammates, but a conflict between a championship game and the Bluebonnet beauty pageant threatens to spill her secret.
Director
Drew Barrymore
Producer
Barry Mendel, Drew Barrymore
Screenwriter
Shauna Cross
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Flower Films, Rye Road, Vincent Films
Rating
PG-13 (Drug Material|Crude Dialogue|Language|Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 2, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.0M
Runtime
1h 51m
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