Director Drew does very well

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2011)

Having been involved in movies all her life Drew Barrymore finally gets the chance to direct one. And she does a very good job. Whip It is not any kind of all-time classic movie. But it is very entertaining and enjoyable. Barrymore draws out excellent performances from her cast, most notably the undisputed star of the show, Ellen Page. With Page in the lead role there's a temptation to call this Juno on Skates. But while Whip It does at times have an unmistakable Juno vibe this movie manages to differentiate itself, to stand on its own two feet. It has an energy all its own.
You have to give Barrymore credit for the way she immerses us in the rather bizarre roller derby world. Maybe most people are aware of roller derby but how many people really know anything about the sport, how it even works? Barrymore quickly makes sense out of the chaos, explaining the rules of the game without dragging the movie to a screeching halt. And once we actually understand what's going on the fun can really begin. And there is plenty of fun to be had in this story of the rollicking roller derby girls and the newcomer to the sport who is determined to be her own hero.
While Barrymore deserves due credit for her directing work the movie is largely Page's to carry and she is certainly up to the task. Sweet young beauty pageant contestant Bliss Cavendar, who shows up to roller derby tryouts in Barbie skates, is transformed into Babe Ruthless, star of the Hurl Scouts. What a thrilling journey for Bliss and Page captures the character's evolution perfectly. For as good as Page is you do wish we got to spend a little bit more time with some of the other roller girls. Eve and Zoe Bell are given practically nothing to do with their roles. Barrymore understandably was focused on her work behind the camera but that means her on-screen character, Smashley Simpson, gets a bit of the short shrift. Smashley seems to have great personality, and great potential as a character, but we only get fleeting glimpses. The only one of the Hurl Scouts aside from Babe Ruthless to get any significant attention is Maggie Mayhem, played by Kristen Wiig. She acts as somewhat of a surrogate mother to Bliss whose real mother, though well-intentioned, leaves much to be desired in the way she raises her daughter. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss's mom and she has some very good moments along with Daniel Stern as the dad. There has to be a roller derby villain and Juliette Lewis does very well with that role. Alia Shawkat as Bliss's best friend and Jimmy Fallon as the wildly enthusiastic derby announcer are also very good. And perhaps the best supporting performance comes from Andrew Wilson as the exceedingly eccentric coach of the Hurl Scouts. Who even knew roller derby had coaches?
From Page on down everyone in the cast plays their parts very well. You have to credit Barrymore for that. Then again, she should know acting right? But she also shows a keen visual sense, especially when she gets us right up in the middle of the thrilling derby action. At times the movie seems very predictable. You've seen plenty of coming-of-age movies like this one. You've seen plenty of sports underdog movies like this one. But while the movie does play out in an at times very familiar fashion there are a few curveballs, some pleasant surprises, thrown in. You may think you have the movie completely figured out but maybe you don't. All in all, it's a very promising directorial debut, a movie which leaves you with a smile on your face and looking forward to what Barrymore might do next.