"Whip It" Good!

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2010)

This was not a bad movie in the slightest. In fact, it was very good. I guess Drew Barrymore (in her directorial debut) has been around movies along enough that she could eventually try her hand at directing and be pretty good at it. "Whip It" is a pretty fun movie, even if you know where it's all going to go in the end.
Bliss Cavendar ("Juno" Ellen Page) is searching for direction in her life, stuck in a dead-end job as a waitress in Bodeen, Texas, and living under the misdirected beauty-pageant guidance of her loving but dominating mother (Marcia Gay Harden). By chance, Bliss discovers a flier for the roller derby league in nearby Austin and tries out. Much to her surprise (but not to ours), her speed on the track earns her a spot on the Hurl Scouts, who have a reputation for playing hard but also for not having won a single derby match in the entire time that they've been a team. Playing under the derby name "Babe Ruthless," she comes under the guidance of fellow player Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and Coach Razor (Andrew Wilson), and makes mortal enemies out of star, and rival player, Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis).
"Whip It" was wicked fun at the movies, made even more fun by its mix of comedy, drama and teen romance, plus its girl-power attitude and proto-feminist undertones. While I'm a guy, some of this stuff may seem lost on me, but I did enjoy myself.
Drew Barrymore proves that she's been in show business long enough that she knows her way both in front of the camera and behind the camera; she plays Bliss's roughhousing teammate Smashley Simpson, and I must say that Barrymore certainly knows how to poke fun at herself at great personal expense and take a few for the team. As far as her directing talents go, she could have made "Whip It" some kind of little artsy indie flick, but no. Instead, she goes for the gold and makes a fun little sports chick-flick that is confident, assured, emotional and above all, fun.
Page is also quite good, playing almost the exact opposite of her "Juno" character, because this time her Bliss Cavendar/"Babe Ruthless" is somewhat of a dork, quiet, and doesn't give off as much sass. I was able to better relate to her character here than I did in "Juno," even though I really like "Juno"; I just had a little bit more fun with Bliss than I did with her character three years ago.
"Whip It," which was adapted from the 2007 book "Derby Girl" by Shauna Cross (also the film's screenwriter), is an astoundingly fun and well-made little feature from Drew Barrymore, one of the industry's most seasoned pros under the age of 40. Since she's been in show business pretty much all of her life, you can guarantee that if she gives up acting, that directing is something that is right up her alley.
8/10