Sunday, February 4, 2007

Cool-Whipped

Is is cool to be "whipped," as in "pussywhipped"? That’s certainly one of the minor messages imparted in the girls' gymnastics movie, Stick It (2006). My 12-year-old daughter liked the movie in the theater and now is renting the DVD.

A couple of young guys, one blonde, the other dark-haired, friends of the main-character gymnast, hang around the periphery of the story, cracking wise, but also cheering wholeheartedly during the girls' competitions. One of these boys is clearly smitten with one of the other girls, a prototypical bitch (as played by Vanessa Lengies; the boy is played John Patrick Amedori, see photo).


In fact, the blond boy calls her a bitch to her face. She asks the other one, the dark-haired boy who’s smitten with her, “Do you think I’m a bitch?” He answers, “No, I mean, yeah, but I don’t have a problem with that, unlike some other guys.” (Glancing at his buddy.)

The girl proceeds to invite herself to his prom, tells him when and where to pick her up and not to forget to buy her a corsage, then turns on her heel, gymnastically, and prances away. Blonde guy tells his friend, “Dude, you are so whipped!”

His friend answers, “What is wrong with that—ever?”

And blonde guy, as if actually thinking over this macho putdown for the first time in his life, nods his head in agreement, like, Yeah, what is wrong with being whipped?

Just a question. Any comments?