Welcome to the world of roller derby!

Rating: 7/10 (22 April 2010)

"Whip It" takes you into the sport of roller derby, which can be quite intense for the participants, and for the spectators. However, the movie is more than that.
Ellen Page is likable as Bliss Cavendar, a seventeen-year-old who is a regular at teen pageants in the state of Texas. While her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and little sister enjoy the pageant circuit, it is not for Bliss.
One day, the trio are at a store, and as Bliss pays for a pair of shoes, she sees three women come in, all on roller skates. They leave behind fliers for a roller derby in Austin. Bliss and her best friend Pash go to the event, and Bliss is immediately interested in the sport. After the match, she meets one of the skaters, Maggie Mayhem (SNL's Kristen Wiig, who does a good job with the role). Maggie tells Bliss she should try out, despite the fact that Bliss has not skated in years. Bliss says she'll attend the tryout, lying about her age during the conversation (the minimum age to participate is twenty-one).
Bliss returns home and starts skating. She shows up to the tryout, and earns a spot on the Hurl Scouts team. The trouble is that the Hurl Scouts are the worst team on the circuit. Bliss also makes an enemy in the form of Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis, who was well cast), the obligatory arrogant athlete who also happens to be the best on the track. In her debut, Bliss, who is now Babe Ruthless (you have to love the name), draws praise from her teammates, and the head coach, Razor (Andrew Wilson, who is a crackup in this movie).
Time passes, and Bliss gets better at roller derby, and so do the Hurl Scouts. While this is going on, Bliss has a developing romance with Oliver, a musician.
The Hurl Scouts continue to tear up the circuit, reaching the title game to take on the team led by Iron Maven. What will happen?
This was Drew Barrymore's first film as a director, and she deserves praise for the job she did. Drew also deserves a nod for her turn as Smashley Simpson, who is the goofiest member of the Hurl Scouts. The movie works as a comedy and drama. It is really a coming-of-age tale, and it is a good one. I recommend that you watch "Whip It."