I missed this one at the cinema though I was very keen to see it - Drew Barrymore directing and Ellen Page starring - hell yes. I forget how I missed it but I did, so was delighted when Lovefilm sent me the DVD to watch last weekend. It's about a 17-year old girl, Bliss (Page), who lives in BodeenTexas, works at a fast-food restaurant and indulges her mother's penchant for entering her in beauty pageants. However, Bliss's preferences lean more towards the alternative than the shallow world of pageantry. One day, when shopping at an indie clothes-store she spots a flyer advertising the local Roller-Derby league and takes her best friend Pash along for an evening out. While there she bumps into one of the skaters, Maggie Mayhem (Kirsten Wiig), and is persuaded to try out for Maggie's team. As she's drawn more into the world of the roller-derby she realises that she may have to accept disappointing her mother in order to do what she loves.
On paper this is a bog-standard coming of age story - the misfit in a small town, discovers a new world that she fits into and then discovers it clashes with something her family want her to do. However, I'm a big fan of the coming of age story. I love any tale of success against the odds, and rebellion against expectations. Whip It fits nicely in with my taste for such stories couched in an indie style, and is a genuinely sweet story. Admittedly there's nothing ground-breaking plot-wise, even down to the fact that Bliss falls for a more worldly-wise guy only to find out he's cheated on her. However, the roller-skating gives it an original perspective, and it's refreshing to see what is almost a sports film which stars mostly women. There is also a lot of gentle humour to enjoy, mostly around the girls teasing their coach, Razor, about his training style and his reliance on faded blue denim shorts.
I wasn't sure about True Grit. I've not seen the original and also haven't seen No Country For Old Men, the Coen's most recent big-hitter. However I found myself with a spare Sunday afternoon and as it was the BAFTAs that night and this was up for Best Film I thought I'd give it a try. The plot, apparently, is an adaptation of the original novel by Charles Portis rather than simply a retreading of the 1969 film. Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a forthright 14-year old, swings into town after her father is murdered by criminal Tom Cheney. She's out for revenge and hires the town's toughest Marshal, "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her track Cheney down when he escapes into Choctaw territory. They are accompanied by a Texas Ranger, LeBoeuf (Matt Damon), who has been chasing Cheney for months. The story follows Mattie's efforts to recruit Rooster, and then their quest into the Indian Nations.
There's the occasional Western I enjoy but for the most part I find them tiresome; I suspect because they contain so few good female characters. The ladies are hiding indoors whilst the men swagger around outside shooting at each other, spitting, and wearing hats. However, I was intrigued when I found out that the hero in this story is a teenage girl. And I wasn't disappointed. Hailee Steinfeld is brilliant as Matty, she speaks like a biblical lawyer and has just about as much 'grit' as you could want. I loved the contrast of watching her bantering with a local businessman one minute, full of steely determination that belies her age, and then the next grinning with childlike delight as she climbs onto the little pony who will take her out of town on her quest (don't ask me what becomes of the little pony, but it is not a happy ending). Besides Steinfeld, Bridges is on fine form as Cogburn, who has the usual laid back tones of the Dude, but accompanied by razor-sharp instincts and a cynical eye (just the one). I enjoyed watching the relationship between this odd couple, and especially when LeBoeuf joins them and ends up in a shooting match with Rooster.
It's not a film I'd buy on DVD but was compelling and enjoyable for an afternoon's viewing. Not my personal preference so my money is still on The King's Speech, but certainly a standout from the usual stable of horse operas. Also, follow this link for details of the hand-knitted socks that Rooster and LeBoeuf wear in the film (you know you want to): http://blog.timesunion.com/fiberarts/lights-cameras-socks/9375/
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