"Whip It" excludes lesbians and doesn't show well at the box office

I saw it, but I caught a free preview screening.  I really enjoyed it, so it's a shame it didn't do better!

For everyone complaining about the lack of lesbian content, I have to ask: was there any in the source novel?

I watched Whip It opening weekend and it was great. 

Here's the thing, I think Drew Barrymoore did a remarkable job of taking a twist on a traditional heterosexual plot and making it into a subtle coded coming out story, in addition to making non-traditional choices within the plot regarding relationship dynamics and movie endings.  The movie is highly empowering to women and shows people of different races/classes, a working mom who struggles to be accepting...  This movie is an honest effort towards a postmodern view of the female in society.

More importantly, just because a movie does not have girls making out in it does not mean that it is not queer. 

 The text of the film is self-aware and coded queer in which is in some ways more productive because straight people can go see this and see a cute and intelligent movie about a non-heteronormative girl coming of age and making choices toward the formation of her character in the Midwest... and queer folk can go see it and see the intentional and hilarious coding. 

Could it have been gayer?  Yes.  But since it's marketed to a teen/20s crowd with the hope of bringing in older folk it had to appeal to a broad demographic, and if something like this does well, movies that are perhaps equally witty but more overt will be produced.  This is a great step, and people should recognize that.  There's nothing anti-gay or anti-queer about it.

I saw it, way hot, Ellen is so gay (the decision in my head has been made for a long time now) and Juliette is a bitch I loved to hate.  When we left the theatre, there were real derby girls in Union Square and we got sweet Whip It sweatbands.  Then we went to a lesbian bar.  Best.  Friday.  Ever.

Makes me want to watch Deathproof for Zoe.

see it this wednesday which is my birthday, Ellen and Drew, who wouldn't want to watch. There should have been more lesbians.

Oh yeah, I saw it last night!

Love it! That movie covered so many aspects of life and was interesting in every way.

I want to buy the DVD and watch the behind the scenes stuff :)

Oh and Eve was in the hot tub with Ari Graynor, pictured up top, and that was definately some pending lesbian action. They were getting close and didnt want any men in the tub with them...oh how I wish they showed more of that. Besides it was rumored that Eve has been with women, and had a lil soemthing with Alicia Keys when they did "Gangsta Lovin", and oh I loved to believe that  lol

Oh well, my facebook profile status message praises WHIP IT so hopefully my friends see that and go see the movie. :)

I wanna see this move soo bad, i don't even know if they are gonna show it in cinemas here in sweden.  

http://ikkegoesblogging.blogspot.com/

I was in the theater next to it watching Zombieland...

Which was awesome!

This might be a dvd movie for me, as much as I love Drew, the trailers didn't work for me. And something about when it said, "Juno's Ellen Page" put me off. 

i went, i loved it. i really love the characters that ellen page plays, shes a really good actress. and cute too :)

and there was a scene at a party with 2 of the derby girls in a hot tub, i thought it was gonna go somewhere but they skipped over it :/

Saw it Saturday night and there were tons of empty seats.  The small audience really liked it and so have a lot of critics, so it is disturbing that it had so low numbers.  I had not seen any trailers on tv, and I almost forgot it was coming out this past weekend.  Maybe the lack of marketing is the reason I did not see anybody that looked younger than 20 in the theater.  Or maybe people are apprehensive about a movie directed by Drew Barrymore. 

I am addicted to film blogs and podcasts and I keep on hearing that producers believe that female directors and female main characters won't bring in the bucks.  Therefore, the female-driven movies tend to be romantic comedies that insult the female audience.  I really believed that the producers' own bigotry was the basis for this belief, but sitting in a half-empty theater, I wondered if it was true.  Maybe audiences won't watch movies that don't star men or that don't star women desparately seeking men's affection.

I saw the movie on opening night with my best guy friend.  His opinion was that the movie was great, but it could have done without the Pigg/Page subplot.  I definitely could have done without it too, but I'm pretty biased.  The movie was genuinely funny and had sweet moments.  Plus, it was filled with bad-ass roller derby!

I honestly thought the movie was pretty queer.  Bliss and her friend being made fun of in high school?  Girls in the hot tub?  I mean, a kiss would have made the hot tub scene better, but would have also been pretty random in the plot.  (It's a roller derby movie, you can't get much queerer than that, huh?)

The movie theater was packed when I saw it...I'm surprised it didn't do that well opening weekend.  Bummer.

My friend and I saw it opening night and completely loved it!  That was the most fun I've had at the movies in a really long time.  It was a blast that I might go see again just to check out Ellen Page again.

While the film itself didn't have a queer focus, I think it had a lot of queer elements/things that gay girls appreciate (i.e. girls in hottubs, Ellen Page shirtless, ROLLER DERBY!).  I wish there would've been more overtly gay things, but I agree that adding it just to add it wouldn't have done anything for the plot (just my eyes ;)

"No problem is insoluble, given a big enough plastic bag."

Saw it this weekend and loved it! Everything from the music to the rockin' derby scenes were fantastic. Barrymore did a great job of giving this coming-of-age story a spicy twist. 

It's a bummer that it didn't do so well in the box office, but it's gotten some decent reviews! :) 

I highly recommend it, and it will definitely be a movie that I buy when it's out on dvd.  

I went with a whole bunch of my derby teammates and we LOVED IT....i mean the subplot w/the rocker guy was lame, but in terms of roller derby, drew got it....the whole attitude/ora was so there. i recommend everyone seeing it, then going out and supporting your local roller girls! 

www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net

rollin' rican #21

I loved it. I don't understand why the box office numbers are so low.

It was funny, after the movie the group of women sitting in front of me joined this table that was set up near the front doors, handing out Whip It posters and flyers for a roller derby bout. One of the women was like, "Come on people! Girls in fish nets and skirts on roller skates! Who doesn't want to see that?" Heh, can't argue with that... 

Very occasionally, if you pay attention, life doesn't suck.
-Joss Whedon

I saw a 4:30 matinee on Friday, was one of FIVE total people in the theater (two of whom were a dad and his young daughter, which was awesome). Loved the movie, walked out the door with a s**t- eating grin on my face, have recommended to many people. I'm pretty sure that this will be another one of those sleeper hits that takes a while to get the ball rolling.

  It's too good not to love!!

since they left out all the lesbians, which are a huge part of the roller derby scene, they didn't get box office hits

-MJ

Spread the RAINBOW!

http://mgayness.livejournal.com

I didn't go see Whip It this weekend. I saw Zombieland instead [which me and my friends had to ask some thirtyyear old dudes to sneak us in since we're under 17 :/] but it was totally fucking awesome, and I really recommend it to everyone. [the movie, not the thirty-something dudes].

But as soon as I get some money I'll totallly see Whip It...if the oppurtunity for Zombieland doesn't present itself again :D

I can't wait to see it, I love Drew Barrymore and Juliette Lewis. I wish it did have some sort of lesbian or bisexual charcater but it still seems great.

- Peace, love, vegan! -

Did no one else get the Antony hints?!  Damn it!

'You speak to me in italics slanting your thoughts deep into me' - Rilke

Over hearing co-workers talk about the film.

Tod: Zombieland was hit but Whip It flopped. Kim: Whip It? Dave: You know that lesbo flick starring Drew Barrymore. Kim: Drew plays a lesbian? Tod: No. Dave: No but there are lesbians in it. Kim: Oh the skater flick! Tod: Duh! Dave: yeah. 

Not their real names all though right now I'm wondering why I bothered changing their names? Kind of silly on my part.

Anyhow, Kind of funny that they thought it was a lesbian flick.

-I speak in random thoughts

Given that the roller derby scene/world is overwhelmingly pretty gay, it's very strange that they wouldn't be interested in a realistic portrayal of at least the relationships around them, but the movie didn't even have one glimpse of lesbian roller girls kissing or flirting, which is patently unrealistic.  Something doesn't have to be part of the storyline to be a part of the action, and the roller girls in the movie were clearly presented as straight and very uniform in size and shape, whereas I see a lot or variety in my Charm City Roller Girls here in B-more.(Though I bet a lot of the extras in thebout scenes are actual roller girls, just LA Roller Girls.)

Additionally, they always talked about girls in fishnets, but did we see many?  Nooo.  The roller girls in the movie were just a little less out there in many ways than they are in real life, which made the story less compelling in my book.

Given that the roller derby scene/world is overwhelmingly pretty gay, it's very strange that they wouldn't be interested in a realistic portrayal of at least the relationships around them, but the movie didn't even have one glimpse of lesbian roller girls kissing or flirting, which is patently unrealistic.  Something doesn't have to be part of the storyline to be a part of the action, and the roller girls in the movie were clearly presented as straight and very uniform in size and shape, whereas I see a lot or variety in my Charm City Roller Girls here in B-more.(Though I bet a lot of the extras in thebout scenes are actual roller girls, just LA Roller Girls.)

 Additionally, they always talked about girls in fishnets, but did we see many?  Nooo.  The roller girls in the movie were just a little less out there in many ways than they are in real life, which made the story less compelling in my book.

In 2009 and a film about Roller Derby, I think Drew Barrymore needs to answer the question why she did NOT include visible lesbians in the film. The answer can no longer be profit loss. Internalized homophobia seems more likely both for her as a director and Ellen Page as a major actor. Flirt with it in publicity stunts yes, but then show you were only kidding around once people see the film.

This is the worst kind of betrayal.

I don't mean to sound obtuse, but what is a good box office debut these days? Are blockbusters even possible in this "recession" (massive economic collapse) with $8 popcorn and $10 movie tickets? I am intrigued as to what makes a success now.

I know very little about roller derby, except for reading that it was on TV a short while in a book. That may be many people. And the film had a female directors and leads: in this bad economy and reactive culture of increasedly fragile egos, a likely source of unease and resentment.  Either way it is too bad. Things are devolving rather than improving; I wonder what would have been the box office gross of A League of Their Own if it were released in these days.

Unfortunately, I myself am not going to see this, if only because of the kind of prices listed above. For that same amount I could own this film in nine months or so.

IT WAS AWFUL

my girlfriend and i both hated it

the lack of gay really bothered me considering how gay roller derby culture is

i wanted more Alia Shawkat and less of that anorexic boyband member

the storyline between ellen and the boy was awful and made me want to puke in every scene.

coincidentally, the best scene was the puking in the bathroom scene. i really hope for more from drew's debut + roller derby storyline. its quite a shame and feel embarrassed i dragged my gf to go see it with me

I loved it!

all I kept hearing in my head was "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill

great actresses and great storyline