More Ladies are Ready to 'Whip It!'
At the beginning of this year, there was news that Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page were setting their sights on Whip It! -- a flick about snarky chicks, toughness, and roller derby action. It sounded like a whole wackload of fun. The rumored March start date came and went without a sound, but now, luckily, things are on track for this summer. Even better: The Hollywood Reporter posts that joining Page and Barrymore on-screen will be Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, and Zoe Bell.Page is playing Bliss Cavendar, a beauty queen who runs away to join the roller derby league in Austin, Texas. Harden will play her mom, an ex-beauty queen herself who wants her daughter out of the skates and back on the beauty circuit. Meanwhile, Wiig will play Bliss' rolling mentor, Malice in Wonderland, Lewis will be top star Dinah Might, and Bell will be "a medical technician moonlighting as derby star Bloody Holly." With first-time feature director Drew Barrymore taking on a role as Page's teammate, that's one heck of a roller roster.
I wonder if 5'1" Page will have to take on 5'8" Bell? Hell, I'm trying to imagine how she'd do against anyone, being as teeny as she is. We should find out soon enough -- the film heads into production this summer in Texas and Michigan.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-30-2008 @ 10:05AM
Christopher Campbell said...
From what I can tell from attending bouts for NYC's Gotham Girls league, it's the short girls that perform best on the track. At least in the jammer (scoring) position.
Reply
6-30-2008 @ 2:12PM
Monika said...
Short, but are they also as slight? I just imagine Page getting whipped around and smushed by the other women.
6-30-2008 @ 4:34PM
Christopher Campbell said...
Actually, she may be a little small, even for Roller Derby. She'd definitely have to watch out for everyone's favorite Gotham Girl, Beyonslay. But yeah, many of the girls are small, but not slight, though I can still see Page as one of 'em.
By the way, I'm just going to use this opportunity to throw out my chosen nickname if I was to be involved in Roller Derby: "Corey Maim", in reference to Prayer of the Roller Boys. Because that's one of the favorite things to do while at the bouts, make up names.
7-01-2008 @ 1:14AM
dc said...
Man, if the SAG strike happens, this film is toast, for the duration.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Re Page's slight frame: she's been training with one of the best in Hollywood (the guy who trained Hillary Swank for Million Dollar Baby), so I reckon she'd hold her own. Besides, she's a jock. She played competitive football in 2 teams until a few years ago, when her work schedule put a dent on it.
Reply
7-11-2008 @ 3:39PM
Hell on Wheels said...
“Hell on Wheels is a fascinating story and a fun movie.”
- Cinematical
the documentary film "Hell on Wheels" is the riveting tale of the group of women who resurrected roller derby and revived the sporting craze in Austin, Texas in the early 2000s. It's supposed to be on DVD in a few months and is currently screening in various cities across the US and abroad. Check out more info here: http://www.HellOnWheelsTheMovie.com
The film "Whip It!" is set in the same Austin roller derby scene that is chronicled in "Hell on Wheels."
also:
“Hell on Wheels is an epic doc. It's fast, fun, and inspiring.”
- Chris Gore (founder, Film Threat Magazine)
“…the kind of twists, drama, cat fights and compound fractures that only happen in real life. …the story is extremely compelling, sometimes laugh-out-loud outrageous and above all inspiring.”
- Ain't It Cool News
"Hell on Wheels is full of adrenaline-fueled highs, heartbreaking lows,
and lots of chicks in short skirts kicking the *beep* out of each other."
- The Onion's A.V. Club
“Part rock 'em, sock 'em sports doc (cue Trail of Dead) and part behind-the-scenes exposé, the film is blessedly free of A&E-style jiggle and melodramatic pandering, and it makes clear the value of Derby for misfit girls who like to clothesline people. Best of all is the film's coda, which tracks the subsequent formation of Roller Derby leagues across the U.S. and the globe.”
- The Austin Chronicle
“Hell on Wheels is a killer documentary about the Austin all-women's roller-derby
leagues that inadvertently launched a worldwide revival of the sport.”
- Salt Lake City Weekly
Reply