"Whip It" was worth the time

I am always on the lookout for a film that is upbeat, spends more time on character development than special effects, and has a good soundtrack. "Whip It", released October 2, is one of those in my book.
It portrays the budding dreams of a Texas teenager who is struggling to emerge from the hopes of her well meaning mother. It reminded me a great deal of "Juno", which I also liked a great deal. There is no pregnancy, but it does deal with the main character losing her virginity to a seemingly caring older boyfriend. Life does not go as planned, and she must struggle to move beyond herself to see how her actions impact all those who care about her.
I took my daughter, but I would not recommend it for the folks under 13. Dare to watch it with your teen daughter and let it lead you into talking about this stuff. For the most part, it's pretty real in a Hollywood kind of way.