Whip It (2009) on Netflix
Bliss Cavendar, a teenager in Bodeen, Texas, has no patience for the beauty pageants her mother pushes her toward. A roller derby league in Austin catches her attention.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.9/1072,669 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes84%
Trailer
Plot summary
Bliss Cavendar's mother, Brooke, a former beauty queen, believes pageants are the road to a happy life for her daughter, but Bliss, who lives in Bodeen, Texas, wants nothing to do with them. She waits tables at a diner with her friend Pash, and the two of them travel to Austin, where Bliss watches a roller derby bout. Bliss lies about her age and wins a place on the Hurl Scouts, taking the name Babe Ruthless. The team loses more than it wins and chants that it is number two, to the frustration of its coach, Razor. Bliss grows close to teammates Maggie Mayhem, Bloody Holly and Smashley Simpson, while Iron Maven of the rival Holy Rollers resents her youth and talent. She also begins seeing Oliver, a musician, and keeps her twice-weekly trips secret from her parents.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Whip It (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Members of the local league Toronto Roller Derby held an exhibition bout at Yonge-Dundas Square during Whip It's premiere festivities at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, and skaters in costume promoted the film around town. The league credits the exposure with expanding its fanbase and skater rosters.
- Once Drew Barrymore joined Whip It, she and screenwriter Shauna Cross worked for months on script revisions, with Barrymore pushing Cross to make the story "more raw and open-ended" instead of tidier.
- Real roller derby players from local Michigan teams, including the Detroit Derby Girls and the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls, were selected to appear in Whip It.
