If you go
‘Whip It’
3 out of 5 Stars
Stars:ÊEllen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore
Director: Drew Barrymore
Rated PG-13 for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material.
Running Time: 111 minutes
“Whip It” is a frothy treat. Although the promotional campaign plays up this roller derby romp as Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, most of the flavor comes from its jocular, endearing leading lady. Ellen Page proves here that her career-rocking star turn in “Juno” was no fluke. She continues to embody a laid-back but subversive brand of young, modern female strength. Her small-town Texas protagonist Bliss Cavendar makes the transition from reticent beauty pageant contestant to self-actualized skater grrrl not only plausible but also good fun.
Page is the soul of this hybrid piece. As produced and helmed by Barrymore from a script by Shauna Cross from her novel “Derby Girl,” it’s a blend of formulaic sports comedy, high school coming-of-age escapade, gal-pal chick flick and character-minded family drama. Some of these parts work better than others as certain cliche plot turns unfold.
Bliss is stuck in a working-class backwater. The 17-year-old part-time waitress only participates in pageants to please her ladylike mom, the postal worker and failed former beauty queen Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden, in overdone Southern accent). But one day while shopping in nearby Austin, a charismatic troupe of tattooed, miniskirted rowdies wheel into Bliss’s life.
Finding she has an unexpected aptitude for whipping around a banked track, she soon gets sucked into their shabby-chic world of bush league roller derby. Alas, in order to follow her bliss, Bliss must lie about her age to her Austin Hurl Scouts teammates; hide her new calling from her judgmental mom and weak dad (Daniel Stern); and, neglect her lifelong best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat). She also falls for a hot underground rocker (played by real-life indie singer Landon Pigg).
Of course, there are expected narrative consequences from all of that.
The ending does offer some surprises, though, especially for a movie that includes both a Big Game finale and a teenage girl’s first real romance. (SPOILER ALERT FOR PARENTS! Happily, the happily-ever-after is more about mother-daughter reconciliation than about unrealistic athletic miracles or fairy princess delusions.)
Barrymore casts herself as one of the skaters, exaggerated stoner “Smashley Simpson.” Otherwise, the ensemble is more offbeat than Hollywood-style slick, including Kristen Wiig’s sympathetic “Maggie Mayhem,” Juliette Lewis’ hostile “Iron Maven” and Jimmy Fallon as the ringmaster Johnny.
From the boisterous action of the high-speed catfights to Page’s quiet moments of dramatic realism, Barrymore keeps this cool “Whip” moving.
