Whipped

Neither Shaken, Nor Stirred
A Review of Whipped
by Bruce Nash

Pros: Amanda Peet
Cons: Everything else

Somewhere in Whipped there's a good movie trying to get out. It shows promise at the beginning, has some genuinely amusing moments, and Amanda Peet puts in another bright performance. But in the end the movie fails on every level.

The story - three friends falling for the same girl - is not entirely original, but it there are a few moments in the movie where the plot bristles with potential. Unfortunately these moments seemed to be the writers' cue to insert another joke about bodily functions, rather than develop some drama or give us insight into one of the characters.

Of the players, only Jonathan (a habitual masturbater well-played by Jonathan Abrahams) is given any chance to display his, err, inner self to the audience. His buddies Brad (Brian Van Holt) and Eric (Judah Domke) are cardboard cutout characters who serve little purpose other than to make up the numbers. Amanda Peet's Mia somehow remains central to the story without ever once revealing a single meaningful piece of information about herself. It's a terrible waste of her talents.

My guess is that the determined under-development of the characters is an attempt to keep the plot held together. After all, we are meant to believe that Mia continues to date three men simultaneously for 6 weeks while being conflicted over who she likes most and constantly upbeat and charming to all of them.

This is a movie that you leave thinking of a dozen ways it could be improved. I imagine the scriptwriters were too scared of destroying the plot to make the necessary improvements. It's a shame.

Bruce Nash August 31, 2000