Whip It

There's no denying that Whip It is a completely conventional movie. There's not a single moment where we don't feel one step ahead of the characters, and figure out the solution to their problems long before they do. I also can't deny that the movie is well-made, and more entertaining than it probably has a right to be, thanks to a spirited cast. We may be one step ahead of the characters, but at least we like the characters.

The film marks the directing debut of Drew Barrymore, who also has a supporting role as a roller derby girl who goes by the name of "Smashley Simpson". The movie is built around roller derby, and it's a good thing the sport is easy to understand, as I walked in with very little knowledge. We get a brief overview of the layout of the game by a coach named Razor (Andrew Wilson), and then we're thrown head-first into the full-contact woman's sport. The players strap on roller skates, and then race and pummel each other around a large track in an effort to score as many points as possible by passing as many people from the opposing team. Like Barrymore's character, all the women have names that sound like rejected pro wrestlers, or maybe superheroes. These include "Bloody Holly" (Zoe Bell), "Rosa Sparks" (recording artist Eve), and "Maggie Mayhem" (Kristen Wiig). Outside of the arena, they're normal girls, with kids and families. But as soon as the competition kicks in, they take on the personality of their alter egos.

The central character is Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page from Juno), who becomes interested in roller derby while she's shoe shopping with her mother, Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). Bliss hails from a small Texas town outside of Austin, works at a local diner, and generally dreams of getting far away as possible from her going-nowhere-life. Her well-meaning, but very controlling, mother is constantly entering her in local teenage beauty pageants, which Bliss obviously has no interest in. Knowing her parents would not understand, she gets her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to drive her to Austin and try out for a spot on a last-place roller derby team known as the Hurl Scouts. She gets a spot on the team under the name "Babe Ruthless", all the while telling her parents that she's taking classes for the SATs when she's away and competing. Despite her slight build, Bliss quickly becomes a celebrity at the sport, due to her speed and her ability to dodge and weave through the competing players. The team starts winning, and may have a chance for the championship. There's a romantic interest for Bliss as well, in the form of a young musician named Oliver (Landon Pigg), and also some controversy when a player on an opposing team (Juliette Lewis) discovers that Bliss lied about her age in order to get on her team.

Whip It is a story we've heard many times before, but it's told with more energy than we expect. Even though the characters have predictable story arcs, I became attached to them. I liked the way that Bliss and Pash interacted with their young manager at work (Carlo Alban), and the close relationships that seem to form between Bliss and her teammates. This is a rare film where many of the supporting characters are just as interesting as the main one. Barrymore has gathered a fine ensemble cast for her first shot at directing, and gets strong performances out of all of them. I was especially impressed with the handling of Bliss' mother. I could picture her being very annoying and hard-headed in the wrong hands, but the screenplay by Shauna Cross (a real life former roller derby player who based this film on her own novel) gives the character actual human layers. She's not just there to stand in the way of her daughter every chance she gets, and her slow acceptance seems a little more natural than what we usually get in these kind of films. Harden gives the character the right amount of sturbbornness in her performance as Brooke, while at the same time, letting the character's weaknesses and softer side show through, so she never comes across as disagreeable.

What's most surprising to me, however, is that the movie manages to make roller derby exciting. From the looks of it, the sport revolves around skating around a large bowl-shaped arena, and trying to get ahead of your opponents any way possible. There's obviously much more to it than that, but it still doesn't sound very thrilling. The tournament sequences actually end up being a highlight, thanks to the fast but coherent editing, and an obvious understanding and love for the game that comes across in the movie. I'm sure screenwriter Cross' real life experiences helped a lot here. We care about the girls both off the track and on. There are moments where Whip It takes a wrong step, mostly with the romantic subplot, which could have been fleshed out a lot more. Barrymore keeps things moving, however, so we're never bored for too long.

This is a quiet and unassuming little movie without a lot of originality, but more than enough charm to squeak by with a recommendation. This is one of those rare films where I actually wished it was longer, as I wanted to spend more time with the characters. Before I close this review, it would be wrong not to mention Ellen Page, who continues to prove herself to be a strong young talent. Now that she is in her early 20s, I hope she can graduate to adult roles soon. Still, her sweet and unassuming performance here helps Whip It become a nice little surprise.

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