Yesterday I indulged my inner teen with multiple viewings of the trailer for "Whip It," a.k.a. Drew Barrymore's new coming-of-age indie film starring Ellen Page. I have to admit I pretty much bought my ticket then and there. In the two minute teaser we follow Bliss, an outcast in her conservative family and small town, as she gets welcomed into the fold by a feisty bunch of roller derby chicks. Add to that flashes of a quirky supporting cast (SNL's Kristen Wiig and "Arrested Development's" Alia Shawkat) and a sampler for a soundtrack you know you'll have to buy and/or download, and there you have one solid primer for hooking teens (and former teens) with alternative sensibilities.

Obviously it's a little soon to get excited, but both the cast and the snippets of dialogue were promising. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of "Juno" and although the two will inevitably be compared with Page playing a similar angsty character, it looks and sounds like "Whip It" will lean more towards the "Nick and Norah" side of the realism spectrum in terms of the way teens talk and act.  All in all, it looks like a film that delivers a major dose of girl power. One commenter on YouTube even suggested that between this and the Joan Jett biopic starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, we might be in for a season of Grrl films.

I admit it's a lot of build up for a movie I haven't seen yet. But that's the power of a good trailer. Especially one you watch multiple times. A pastime I still indulge in, and one that is only becoming more popular with teens today and subsequently more important to movie marketers. Now excuse me, I'm going to go watch that trailer again. Feel free to take a look and agree and disagree with me in comments.

Analyzing Whip It's Comfortingly Familiar Teen Angst [Jezebel]

Categorized under: Movies & Music

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