Whip It

Set in rural Texas, our focus is on Bliss (Ellen Page) a sharp but directionless teenager being pushed into the shallow and uncomfortable world of beauty pageants by her overbearing and conservative mother (Marcia Gay Harden). After a chance meeting with members of an all female roller-derby team, she discovers a whole new passion and lifestyle after joining the Hurl Scouts, the worst team in the league. However she must contend not only with her mother’s reactionary views but also the scheming of rival team captain Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis).

Whilst Whip It! is unashamedly targeted at young women, it doesn’t go about its business in a way that alienates the rest of the audience in the way that, say, the Twilight Saga could be accused of doing. Sure the story is written with an emphasis on female strength and togetherness, but scriptwriter Shauna Cross (here adapting her own novel, Derby Girl) doesn’t fall into the trap of making her male characters a) brain dead eye candy or b) lovable idiots. The two central male roles, Bliss’ father (Daniel Stern) and her coach (Andrew Wilson) serve as strong grounding forces for the more extrovert females, rather than just forgettable scenery furniture. Aside from the character development, there’s also some great one-liners and the dialogue snaps back and forth in a pleasingly brisk fashion.

In the central role Ellen Page is well…Ellen Page really. This is both a blessing and a curse in many respects. She’s good in the role, as it’s the type of role she thrives in, but take a sample of any scene in Whip It! that doesn’t directly involve skating and we might as well be watching Juno. Even with her career still in its early stages, looking back and saying her biggest stretch so far has been X-Men 3 is not an enviable boast. Fortunately she’s backed up by an excellent supporting cast. Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat is the real surprise treat as Bliss’ boisterous best friend and Kirsten Wiig proves once again why she deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Leslie Mann and Anna Farris when one lists America’s top female comic actresses.

Drew Barrymore in her first gig as a director shows plenty of promise – the roller-derby action is breathlessly exciting, whether you’re clear on the rules or not – and she does well in emphasising the honest and genuine nature of female bonding, as opposed to the glitzy cheerleader-y type that pollutes other movies of this ilk. Barrymore does make a few rookie errors however, as there’s an unevenness to the romantic element of the story and the pacing of some of the scenes leaves something to be desired, particularly when Bliss puts on her teen-angst hat.

Whip It! is an awful lot of fun to watch. It’s well balanced between comedy and drama, with a decent spoonful of excitement thrown in. There’s some room for improvement, but this is a film with a strong heart and a good message which provides a highly satisfying two hours of cinema.

Overall Verdict: An encouraging debut from Drew Barrymore. A highly enjoyable inspirational tale that’s definitely one for the girls, but with plenty of universal appeal as well.

Reviewer: Alex Hall