"Whipped"

by Thom Bennett

Can three friends living an existence of one-night stands and kiss and tell sessions all find the women of their dreams in the same week?

Well, yes and no. "Whipped" tells the story of three friends with equally low aspirations with the opposite sex. They meet every Sunday morning at a diner to recount and their sexual escapades and "scams" of the past week. Things become complicated when on one fateful Sunday, they each announce to the group that they have found "the one" they have been looking for only to discover that they have all fallen for the same woman (Amanda Peet). Of course, egos collide and lessons are learned with regards to true nature of love and friendship.

"Whipped" is the latest entry into the new genre of vulgar language films and like many of its predecessors, often almost trips over its own wordiness and perceived hipness. (I mean, how many penis euphemisms are truly necessary.) However, the film by first time writer / director Peter M. Cohen manages to move along rather nicely despite a paper thin premise and the overriding male swagger and cliché twenty something guys who think that they are God's gift to women.

While often quite funny, "Whipped" is the kind of film that evokes true appreciation for the talents of filmmakers the likes of Neil Labute and Kevin Smith who kind find that balance between biting, rather blue dialogue and a good story to tell. However, with a solid performance by Amanda Peet ("The Whole Nine Yards") and Cohen's knack for writing catchy dialogue, "Whipped" serves as a solid, catchy calling card film for the young filmmaker. At its best it is a satirical, biting study of what goes on in the shallow end of the dating pool. At its worst, it is a lot like sitting in some bar listening to a couple of loud mouth guys ramble on about their sexual prowess.