Movie: Whip It * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Oct. 2, 2009
Runtime: 111 minutes	Directed by: Drew Barrymore
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, including crude dialogue, language and drug material	Gecko Rating:

I’m a big fan of both Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page, so I’ve been looking forward to seeing “Whip It.” It delivers in all the right areas – warmth, action, empowerment, and family – despite a few cliché storylines you can see coming a mile away.

The story follows Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), a teenager living in the small town of Bodeen, Texas with her mom (Marcia Gay Harden), dad (Daniel Stern), and little sister. Bliss is an indie-rocker girl who works at a local barbecue diner, but her mom has never left behind her own experiences on the beauty pageant circuit. Thus, she wants her own daughters to follow in her footsteps.

Unfortunately, Bliss is the exact opposite of a beauty pageant girl. She’d rather wear army boots and Stryper t-shirts. While out shopping one day, she sees a group of girls wearing roller skates come into a store, and learns about the roller derby crowd in Austin. So Bliss sneaks away to Austin with her old Barbie skates and best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat), and ends up making the “Hurl Scouts” team and becoming “Babe Ruthless.”

The girls’ names are part of the whole roller derby game – including Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), and Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis).

When Bliss suddenly becomes a star on the team, it causes some major anxiety because her parents don’t know about her secret life, and her teammates don’t know she’s underage (team members are supposed to be 21).

Ellen Page has the same quirky aura of her pregnant teen character in “Juno,” and you’re instantly rooting for her to “be her own hero” as the other Hurl Scouts tell her, and break free of her mother’s dreams.

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is a great first, and while she hammers a few things home just a little too hard (including the drama of Bliss’ parents not wanting her to skate), she still manages to keep things loose. She has a great supporting cast to work with, including Alia Shawkat’s cool best friend character, Kristen Wiig’s sensitive tough-girl who helps Bliss through the rough spots, Jimmy Fallon’s ring announcer, and Landon Pigg’s bad-boy rocker Oliver, Bliss’ first lover (she’s 17).

NOTE TO PARENTS: Because of some of the adult-oriented material, this movie is best for kids 14 and older. But it’s a great girl-power flick, and the roller derby action makes you want to pick up some skates on your way home from the theater.

Sex/Nudity: Teens make out and kiss. Bliss and Oliver have sex, but it’s not shown (you see them stripping down in a swimming pool and kissing underneath the water). Bliss later discusses the experience with her mom. References to “crabs,” STDs, and penis size.

Violence/Gore: Much of the movie takes place in an aggressive roller derby setting, so there’s lots of pushing, shoving, elbowing, fighting, punching, and a few bruises and bloody body parts.

Profanity: Includes “sh*t,” “bitch,” “screw,” “ass,” “balls,” “hell,” “jackass,” and one use of “f*ck.” A character gives another the finger.

Images: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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Check out the trailer here, and a behind-the-scenes clip here. Here’s more from MTV: Ellen Page talking about what her roller derby name would be.

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Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a rebellious Texas teen who trades in her small town beauty pageant crown for the wild and rowdy world of roller derby.

Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live") and Juliette Lewis ("Old School") play roller-derby stars. Eve, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Stern are also featured in the movie, as is Marcia Gay Harden, who plays Bliss’ straight-laced mom.

Check out the trailer here; “Whip It” rolls into theaters on Oct. 9, 2009. 

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“Whip It” is the colorful directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, and stars Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar, a rebellious Texas teen who trades in her small town beauty pageant crown for the wild and rowdy world of roller derby!

That doesn’t sit well with her straight-laced mom Marcia Gay Harden.  Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live") and Juliette Lewis ("Old School") play roller-derby stars, and Eve, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Stern are also featured in the movie.

Check out the trailer and see if you agree that it looks like freakin’ amazing fun. “Whip It” rolls into theaters on Oct. 9, 2009.

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Not many details are known about “Inception,” but it’s being called “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." I’ve also heard that it’s about a businessman who becomes involved in a blackmailing scheme. Perfect DiCaprio vehicle, because he does these types of movies really well. 

Christopher Nolan is directing the flick, scheduled for a July 16, 2010 release. The all-star cast also includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Tom Berenger, Lukas Haas, and Ken Watanabe.

Image: Fame Pictures

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A cloak of secrecy surrounds the film, but it’s described as “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.” Well, that really spells it out.

Whatever the plot, these three will be a great addition. Loved Ellen Page in “Hard Candy” and “Juno,” and there’s a reason why Marion Cotillard won a Best Actress Oscar award for La Vie en rose. Cillian Murphy is a favorite of Nolan’s, having played Scarecrow in “The Dark Knight.”

Nolan and company are looking at beginning shooting this summer, with a 2010 release date.

Photo Credit: Miramax Films; Source: Hollywood Reporter.com

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