WHIP IT
A funny coming-of-age derby with adult-only content.
Should You Watch It?
Whip It is a funny and surprisingly effective directing debut by Drew Barrymore. Its strongest material concerns growing up, parenting, and the painful distance that can open between a teenager and her parents. The story also offers touching scenes of reconciliation after the protagonist’s rebellion and dishonesty are confronted.
The movie is not wholly inspiring. Its Christian and biblical references, including a positive reference to John 3:16, do not carry enough weight to shape the film. Foul language, alcohol use, smoking, an implied sexual encounter, and other mixed content also make this unsuitable for children and young teens.
If you are a discerning adult willing to engage those concerns, Whip It is worth watching for its humor and family themes. For a family movie night with younger viewers, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESBliss Cavendar longs to escape her small Texas town, but her mother believes she should compete in the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant. After discovering women’s roller derby, Bliss secretly tries out for a team in Austin, lies about her age, and takes the name Babe Ruthless.
Her new life brings competition, friendship, and difficult choices. When her parents discover the secret, Bliss and her angry family must face what growing up—and parenting—will require.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means Whip It is fairly appealing entertainment with real strengths, though it is not totally successful. The film is funny and surprisingly effective as Drew Barrymore’s directing debut. It deals credibly with growing up, teenage rebellion, parenting, and the joys and pitfalls of family life.
The emotional payoff comes through the touching reconciliation scenes between Bliss and her parents. The film’s Christian and biblical references are positive, but they would have been more inspiring if they had carried greater weight. Overall, this is an entertaining coming-of-age movie that stops short of being fully satisfying.
The Worldview
Whip It presents a light mixed pagan worldview with Romantic and moral elements, along with a couple of positive references to Christianity and the Bible. It exalts independence, athletic ability, friendship, and the process of finding one’s own direction. The roller derby team’s name, the Holy Rollers, adds a religious reference without giving Christianity a central role.
The film recognizes that rebellion and dishonesty have consequences. Bliss is rebuked for lying to her parents, and she later apologizes. Her parents’ anger is not the end of the story; reconciliation remains possible. However, teenage rebellion is not entirely rebuked, and the film’s positive Christian references do not substantially shape its conclusions.
The story’s central longing is to grow up without losing the bonds of family. Scripture calls children to honor their parents while also pointing every person toward wisdom and maturity: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light mixed pagan worldview with Romantic and moral elements, plus a couple positive references to Christianity and the Bible verse John 3:16; 18 or 19 mostly light obscenities, four GDs and four light profanities such as My God; brief strong roller derby violence with some blood such as a couple bloody noses and female athletes hit steel bar on roller derby rink or are punched or blocked hard, plus a lot of light roller derby violence involving blocking, tripping, light punching, falling, etc.; implied fornication scene between 17-year-old and slightly older boyfriend includes couple taking off shirts and kissing while swimming in pool, plus some other kissing; upper male nudity and 17-year-old character shown in bra; alcohol use and protagonists underage friend is caught drinking, which is rebuked; smoking; and, 17-year-old lies to parents (which is rebuked at one crucial point) and sneaks out of house, 17-year-old talks back to parents and later apologizes, a roller derby team is called the Holy Rollers, and teenage rebellion not entirely rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Bliss lies to her parents and later apologizes. What makes an apology sincere, and how should families respond when trust has been broken?
Proverbs 28:13 · Ephesians 4:25Bliss wants to choose her own path, while her mother has different hopes for her. How can parents guide their children without treating them as projects?
Ephesians 6:4 · Proverbs 22:6The film presents independence as exciting but also costly. What does healthy freedom look like, and how is it different from simply doing whatever we want?
Galatians 5:13 · 1 Peter 2:16The movie includes a positive reference to John 3:16, but the review finds that its biblical ideas do not carry much weight. What would it look like for God’s love to shape the choices of a character—or of us?
John 3:16 · 1 John 4:9–11The Final Word
Whip It is funny, appealing, and thoughtful about growing up, parenting, and reconciliation. Its mixed content and limited spiritual depth make it a poor choice for children or young teens, but discerning adults may find its strengths worthwhile. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family-friendly alternative, see.
