Whirlygirl isn't terrible, but it's definitely not memorable. (It's not even engaging, had I not been working on some tedious hand tasks while it was on I would have shut it off.)
If I were 14 I might have thought Whirlygirl was pretty swell. At its core the film is essentially the standard fantasy storyline of a plain boy's life being transformed by an encounter with the exotic.
In Whirlygirl the exotic is the "whirlygirl" herself, an exotic dancer (she doesn't exactly strip) whose erotic dancing skills are legendary. (That seems a ridiculous plot device, even more so considering the film is set in contemporary times.) Boy goes after girl and adventures of one typical type and another ensue.
The adventures in Whirlygirl never really feel all that exciting. The various self discoveries don't feel revealing. The scenes of abandoning yourself to the moment feel like imitations of better films.
Whirlygirly doesn't feel like a story from someone's life, it feels like a film. Setup, plot device, plot device, plot device, cliché supposedly dramatic conclusion. The End.
Despite dipping its toes into drama Whirlygirl is really just a feel good film that's not sickeningly sweet. As such it's a fine film to watch while sick on the couch or stuck in a hotel room that has free HBO.
If I were 14 I might have thought Whirlygirl was pretty swell. At its core the film is essentially the standard fantasy storyline of a plain boy's life being transformed by an encounter with the exotic.
In Whirlygirl the exotic is the "whirlygirl" herself, an exotic dancer (she doesn't exactly strip) whose erotic dancing skills are legendary. (That seems a ridiculous plot device, even more so considering the film is set in contemporary times.) Boy goes after girl and adventures of one typical type and another ensue.
The adventures in Whirlygirl never really feel all that exciting. The various self discoveries don't feel revealing. The scenes of abandoning yourself to the moment feel like imitations of better films.
Whirlygirly doesn't feel like a story from someone's life, it feels like a film. Setup, plot device, plot device, plot device, cliché supposedly dramatic conclusion. The End.
Despite dipping its toes into drama Whirlygirl is really just a feel good film that's not sickeningly sweet. As such it's a fine film to watch while sick on the couch or stuck in a hotel room that has free HBO.