Darren Michaels / McClatchy Tribune
“Whip It,” the intelligent and authentic directorial debut from Drew Barrymore, tackles the raucous world of women’s roller derby and adolescence without breaking a sweat.
Kings of Leon’s “Knocked Up” would have been ideal in that other film Ellen Page starred in, but instead the booming drumrolls and echoing guitar open “Whip It.”
Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a soft-spoken high schooler living in the uneventful town of Bodeen, Texas. Bliss’ everyday wardrobe of monochromatic black duct-taped shoes is quite a contrast from the pastel gowns she sports while competing in beauty pageants at the urging of her mother.
Working at the Oink Joint, a barbecue restaurant complete with a gigantic roof-top pig figurine and serving a dish called “The Squealer,” Bliss’ life is unsatisfying.
As an intelligent teenager who is uncomfortable in her own skin, Bliss is a relatable character. Breaking the shallow high school girl mold, the character is more concerned with her future than deciding what miniskirt to wear each day of the week. Likewise, the always refreshing Page is note perfect portraying an unfulfilled youth looking for a way out of her small town.
Donning her childhood Barbie skates, Bliss tries out for the “Hurl Scouts,” a women’s roller derby team, after seeing them play. She makes the team, accepting the title of “Babe Ruthless” and joining the likes of “Maggie Mayhem” (Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig in all of her awesome awkwardness) and “Smashley Simpson” (Barrymore with multicolored hair and an affinity for fouling) on the often bloody track.
Bliss fits in almost instantly, with the exception of a few cuts and serious bruises. The more she embraces the newfound empowerment the sport affords her, the less she tries to please everyone else. However, as she starts to pursue a life she actually enjoys, Bliss begins to alienate those closest to her.
With all of its eccentric anecdotes and witty nicknames, “Whip It” effectively addresses the issues of growing up. Bliss’ real task is finding a balance between who she wants to be and who she once was. As Wiig explains it in the film, “just because you found a new family, doesn’t mean you throw the old one away.”
“Whip It” offers a new take on the ‘it’s hard growing up’ scenario, approaching it in an authentic and clever way. The cast of characters and at times goofy plotlines make it a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but whips up enough substance to keep the viewer entertained and intrigued.