Drew & her cast whip it good!

Rating: 10/10 (6 September 2010)

Okay, finally I see why Ellen Page deserved an Oscar nomination for Juno. Her performance in that movie was pretty much obscured by its overwhelming dialogue, but here, she really shines in a similar role of a teenager growing up and discovering herself while facing adversity. It is a lovely story too, how she joins a very physical roller derby in Austin to get out of her little town and makes good friends while she's at it. And it's a nice balance of comedy and drama and action, with just enough of each genre to keep the movie going at a good pace.
There is a great supporting cast in this movie. Marcia Gay Harden is her usual perfection as Page's ex-beauty queen mom. Kristen Wiig gives a surprisingly tempered performance and even has a scene in which she shows that she's ready for a dramatic role. Juliette Lewis is more fun as the villainess than I've seen her in a long time. And Drew Barrymore is charming as usual in an otherwise small role, since she was the director of the movie as well. I hadn't even realized she was the director till the end credits and I was wondering a little about why her part was so small. Great first work, Drew!