Drew Barrymore can do so much more than acting....

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2011)

When I first saw this film I found it hard to believe it was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, it is such a very good film in so different many ways. Great story, well told, well shot, and well acted. It has tremendous energy in the action sequences, deals with the underlying "coming of age" theme in a way that demonstrates how we have to accommodate change as we come to treasure all those who participate in our journey through life. And Drew Barrymore uses all her personal experience in drawing the best out of Shauna Cross's excellent screenplay.
The extremes at play are the "Blue Bonnet Pageant" trophy or a roller derby league in which various 'girls' find something they can really do. And girls at play can be really scary as Drew Barrymore touchingly asks us to remember, as bitchiness enters the pageant scene.
This is a movie that flies past you in a series of well timed scenes, so the almost two hours seems like it is much shorter. And, not one character is wasted on the journey.
Enjoyable and recommended.