Teenage girls can kick-ass too.

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2010)

Every entry in an already tired indie formula, brings us closer to actually returning to the age of teenage-hood. Reverting mentally to the point where we were desperately seeking of our own, repressed inner-selves. Whip It does something differently though. It sparks a frightening nostalgia for that flaming youth that actually, might be still buried deep within and provokes a thought: why I don't remember my teenage years as being so much fun?
It might be a rite of passage, coming of age story in its purest form and Bliss (Ellen Page) is, inevitably, a troubled and too often embarrassed, teen stuck in Boden, Texas. She struggles between satisfying her demanding mother (Gay Harden) and managing a straight face in a pink apron of a diner where she works. It all changes when, god given, she attends a women's roller derby and joins the worst team in the league. Beauty peagents, she is forced to attend are replaced with bruises, sweat and, well...tight, green uniforms. But only until Bliss' parents learn of her daughter's new hobby.
Ellen Page, as you would expect, channels a lot of her Juno stamina here. And it's definitely a kind of a cocky and bright performance you would expect. But with Bliss, Page manages some new depths. This time around script allows her not to outwit everybody: 'Are you alternative now?' asks her bitchy, school nemesis. 'Alternative to what?'. This wonderful disillusionment and total confusion about one's place in life makes Whip It so special and so darn cute. Bliss is forced into her cynicism by her ambiguous habitat but she manages a believable vitality. Page's charisma grinds on both her skill and script's natural humour. Whip It's greatest strength lies perhaps in the way all of the characters come together. Juliette Lewis, Zoe Bell (of a Death Proof fame), Eve and Drew Barrymore herself in supporting roles, make this film feel like a genuine fun. Girl-power chemistry they spark, create a ground for unbelievably enjoyable story where nothing can really go wrong. Barrymore's début might often be formulaic but it never loses its charm. She firmly holds all the strings together and its difficult not to cheer those lousy skaters on. Once the competition reaches its climax it is your purest, edge of the seat, nail-biting drama.
It's ultimately a shame that Whip It never aspires to anything bigger and bolder. It's so good in its own game and Barrymore such a promising new-coming director, that you'll regret that she never tries anything more adventurous. Ultimately, the only other complaint is purely technical and if you're already planning to skip on the sports-induced excitement in favour of the spiritual journey, even irrelevant. But camera work way too often seems to stay well behind Page and other skating girls in the derby sequences and you might find yourself lost.
True, a lot of Whip It will sound like a broken, old record and parts of it reek of clichés. Bliss' strongly polarized family often balances on the edge of a ridiculous emotional mess that's just a tad too stereotypical even for an indie taste. And a rock-band singer love affair could be skipped altogether, without any harm to the film's outcome. But Barrymore approaches Cross's script (adapted from her semi-autobiographical novel) with a tenderness and adolescent wit. In the end it sounds real and is warm-hearted but is also pulsing with a rock'n'roll energy.
Verdict: Whip It might be of small proportions but highly substantial and thoroughly entertaining. Even if it won't make you grab your old skates and go embarrass yourself, it will definitely provoke a smile of deeply grounded satisfaction. Barrymore's follow up to this début is now much anticipated. Whip It in a tagline? Juno on skates. With a kick-ass boost.
4/5