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WHIP ITMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a girl who finds herself when she finds roller derby. Cast:Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette LewisDirector:Drew BarrymoreRelease Date:October 2, 2009DVD Release:January 26, 2010From:Fox SearchlightRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 51 min
Whip It played to good reviews. • Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...good-natured, girl-powered subversion, with a sense of when to flaunt clichés and when to flip them over the rails." • And Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "...ridiculously, utterly entertaining.... Barrymore infuses the film with her natural, effusive personality..." More Reviews Below...
Whip It Positive Reviews (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...breaks no new ground but has a jolly time skating over familiar territory: first love, mother-daughter differences and following a dream..."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 10/01/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Even Juliette Lewis, playing the film's designated bad girl and Bliss/Babe's nemesis on the rink, is more of a cute bee-yotch than a real threat."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 10/02/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...funny without trying too hard to be wacky, sweet without being overly sentimental. It has an appealing sort of low-budget, '70s-style kitsch."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 10/01/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...rolls along joyfully on Page's charm and accessibility, a script that expresses Barrymore's funky big-heartedness and a supporting cast led by Wiig, Fallon, Eve and Lewis..."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 137 words, 10/01/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...the skating action sequences are lackluster, and the story unfolds at a leaden pace.... Strangely, Barrymore's tribute to girl power lacks exuberance."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 10/02/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...if the script, by Shauna Cross, piles sports movie and coming-of-age touchstones into a veritable cairn of clichés, the cast shows enough agility and conviction..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 10/02/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...faithfully follows the age-old structure of the sports movie, but what a sport, and how much the Derby girls love it."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 10/01/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...there are many sly satisfactions to be found... smartly done... Barrymore proves steady on her feet, able to handle curves and straightaways with equal grace."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 10/02/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Sweet without being sticky and funny without getting silly... introduces Barrymore as a director with a keen eye, a good ear for tone and an inspired touch with actors."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 10/02/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an easygoing mixture of cliches and grrrl-power or, rather, younnnng-womannn power, and its cast operates on a very high hangout factor... They're good company."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 10/02/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "The only thing that keeps Barrymore's effort from playing like an American Movie Classics rerun is the soundtrack, an alternarock all-skate..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 09/30/09
Christopher Kelly, Orange County Register: VERY GOOD(cg) "...plugs into an intriguing, real-life milieu: The roller derby leagues that sprang up in Austin in the early 2000s, and inspired a derby renaissance across the country."(See all of Christopher Kelly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 10/02/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: VERY GOOD(cg) "Barrymore gets good work from Harden, of course, and from Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig and Eve... [but] gimme a break, are there no dykes out there in roller derby land?"(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 10/01/09
KEY CITIES (16 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "As a director -- well, Drew Barrymore's off to a sweet-natured, if uneven start.... 'Whip It' sags when it should skedaddle along..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 10/02/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tough-chick vim and spunky humor keep things rolling along with a fun, bruising energy. And it's sweet.... it doesn't have a mean bone in its body."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 574 words, 10/02/09
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...for all the raunchy jokes and bloody noses, almost everything about this movie feels tentative. The action sequences are oddly lacking in adrenaline..."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 10/02/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a roller derby comedy, adapted with intelligence, heart, fairness, and some wit by Shauna Cross from her novel 'Derby Girl.' "(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 959 words, 10/02/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Real good.... Scene for scene and beat for beat, this roller derby crowd-pleaser crackles with joy and jubilation."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 10/02/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "Ellen Page is so charming and likable she could carry just about any movie enterprise.... a sweet and funny film that never takes itself too seriously..."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 10/02/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...funny, joyful and humane. It gives women actual dialogue to say instead of just having them dither about boys for a couple of hours."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 10/02/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...good-natured, girl-powered subversion, with a sense of when to flaunt clichés and when to flip them over the rails."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 10/02/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "...the comedy is left mostly to the insufferable Jimmy Fallon... But between the games is a sweet movie with a sassy hero not content to spin her wheels in a tiny Texas town."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 10/01/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a well-directed, well-cast romp that doesn't quite transcend its worn formula but is still the best female-powered sports film since 'Bend It Like Beckham.' "(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 10/02/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...completely predictable from the first frame. It also is ridiculously, utterly entertaining.... Barrymore infuses the film with her natural, effusive personality..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 10/02/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...like spending roughly two hours with a frisky group of girls in a female empowerment camp.... isn't fresh, but it sure is fun."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 10/02/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "The only thing that keeps Barrymore's effort from playing like an American Movie Classics rerun is the soundtrack, an alternarock all-skate..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 09/30/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Screenwriter Shauna Cross dulls the edges of her novel... Barrymore shows real directing chops. But in 'Whip It' she's painting inside the box."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 10/02/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: VERY GOOD(cg) "Barrymore gets good work from Harden, of course, and from Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig and Eve... [but] gimme a break, are there no dykes out there in roller derby land?"(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 10/01/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...sweet and -- more important -- sufficiently rescues itself in the third act to stand as a bow Barrymore can be proud of."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 10/01/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...if the script, by Shauna Cross, piles sports movie and coming-of-age touchstones into a veritable cairn of clichés, the cast shows enough agility and conviction..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 10/02/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...there are many sly satisfactions to be found... smartly done... Barrymore proves steady on her feet, able to handle curves and straightaways with equal grace."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 10/02/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...sizable credit for the film's winning ways belongs to Ellen Page, whose performance -- complete with her own skating -- is one of grit, grace and speed."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 803 words, 09/14/09
Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "With her remarkable debut as a director, Drew Barrymore proves that she is just as perky, quirky and talented behind the camera as in front of it."(See all of Peter Brunette's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 09/16/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...there are many sly satisfactions to be found... smartly done... Barrymore proves steady on her feet, able to handle curves and straightaways with equal grace."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 10/02/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...if the script, by Shauna Cross, piles sports movie and coming-of-age touchstones into a veritable cairn of clichés, the cast shows enough agility and conviction..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 10/02/09
15.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Whip It's reviews are separated by an average 15.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Whip It (42 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Whip It's reviews cover 81.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 20,002 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 476 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Whip It Coverage, Volume & Length (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 10.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Whip It's reviews on average broke 10.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Whip It's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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