We haven’t followed the Drew Barrymore-directed/ Ellen Page-starring roller derby comedy “Whip It!” too closely for many reasons.
1) Barrymore is directing (yikes) and 2) the IMDB synopsis is: “In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.”
Now, dunno about you, but Ellen Page and “indie-rock loving misfit” sounds potentially abortion-worthy (pardon the pun) and drums up the worst parts of “Juno,” which in of itself is a good film, but it had some cringe-inducing parts and that idea (Page and indie-rock) could be a weapon of mass destruction in the wrong hands (it worked in Jason Reitman’s film, but just barely at times).
We digress, some good news. Former Devo founder/ film composer Mark Mothersbaugh (“Rushmore,” “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” “The Royal Tenenbaums”) has signed on to write the film’s music. Hopefully, this isn’t ‘Nick & Norah’ part II (which was cute, but not good and Mothersbaugh’s score was probably the most tolerable thing about it). Does this mean Devo’s titular track, “Whip It” will surely make it into the film? Probably, huh? Another Wes Anderson alum is also working on the film, music soundtrack supervisor Randall Poster.
The film also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Zoe Bell, rapper Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat (hello, Maeby from “Arrested Development”), and Barrymore herself and is due summer of 2009. Mothersbaugh is also scoring the animated feature, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
What’s on the soundtrack otherwise, since it’s an “indie-rock loving” character? (groan). Barrymore apparently once told Interview magazine that potty-mouthed electro rapper Peaches would be featured in the film and producer Jim Diamond of Detroit recording studio Ghetto Recorders is supposedly recording some songs (the film was shot in Detroit). Other groups whose songs will be featured in the movie include, the Nashville neo-soul rockers, the Turbo Fruits (evidently three songs are featured), Landon Pigg is also working on music and he will appear in the film as well as Ellen Page’s boyfriend who plays in a band. (he hints at this here). Update: Diamond wrote us back, he produced the Pigg tracks and the Turbo Fruits’ songs as well.
Apparently Lions Gate put on a search to find Page’s “music-playing love interest” and message board speculation suggests this might be Pigg’s role (according to Wikipedia this is true, so it must be fact). But he is on the movie’s IMDB page as well (as unreliable as that can be at times) and according to that site, Har Mar Superstar is also featured as a roller derby referee (he also had a small role in, “Lovely, Still” that appeared at TIFF earlier this year). And oh wait, there’s photographic evidence of Pigg, nevermind. 🙂
Seemingly implausible, the comedy is also evidently going to appear at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival (if so, surely not in competition, right??). Lastly, Justin Long dropped out of appearing in the film after he and Barrymore broke up.
