Not only an 80's hit single by Devo, but apparently also a good chick flick.

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2010)

This weekend on a whim I popped in a DVD of Whip It, which is Drew Barrymore's debut as a director. I must say that it surprised me. A movie about roller derby?! Really?
First and foremost, it's a movie about a girl named Bliss who's tired of living her mother's fantasies and is looking for a way out of her small town of Bodeen, Texas. Bliss's mother, Brooke Cavendar, is a US Postal Woman whose days of beauty pageants are long gone. This doesn't stop her from trying to live vicariously through Bliss. But despite doing quite well at these pageants, Bliss is actually a tomboy and indie rock fan at heart and after picking up a roller derby flyer on a shopping trip in Austin, she becomes a roller derby fan as well. After her first roller derby soiree, Bliss is intent on trying out for the Hurl Scouts, but couldn't find the courage without a short pep talk with her best friend Pash:
Pash: But you don't have the balls.
Bliss: I can grow the balls
And she does grow the balls. Bliss takes a bus back into Austin to try out and with her sheer speed she makes the team and an enemy, Iron Maven. Iron Maven is the poster-child of roller derby and is the leader of the Holy Rollers, a gang of bad ass chicks clad in Catholic schoolgirl uniforms. The bouts are tough. The Hurl Scouts fight their way to the top with frequent usage of "The Whip" and a slew of "plays", which actually means "beat the crap out of the other team". The different plays and special moves keep the movie entertaining.
One of my favorite things about this movie is all the creative skater names: Maggie Mayhem, Smashley Simpson, Rosa Sparks, Eva Destruction, Bloody Holly, Iron Maven, and of course Babe Ruthless are fantastic names. I browsed a list of actual roller derby names online, and these are pretty good in comparison. Under these fancy skater names are interesting characters also. Ellen Page fits the role of Bliss Cavendar perfectly. Beneath her shy and quirky exterior lies a great reservoir of spunk, which she unleashes on the skating rink. I also liked Drew Barrymore's character, Smashley Simpson. She's really rowdy. She throws punches first and asks questions later. Maybe my favorite is Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), a skater and single mother who threatens to break her son's legs if he ever lies to her – jokingly of course.
It has a bit of girl-power and a bit of the can-do spirit. If you've ever felt a little bored of your daily life and crave a dose of excitement, then give Whip It a try. It might just inspire you to get off your butt and do something about it. Whip it good.
Bro-Approved
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