Whip It
A most satisfying coming-of-age movie where girls rule,
with an unusual bonus of roller derby power-ups.
Never saw the sport before and I found myself glued to the screen and rooting for Babe Ruthless.
Loved the humor as they cheered "We're Second" - there are so many fun bits - it
has to be Drew Barrymore's sensitivity to the "girl finds herself" genre.
The story is a simple one.
Teenager rebels against her mother's pushing her into beauty pageants;
finds comrades and fulfillment as Babe Ruthless - Rookie of the Year.
There's more - an unusual underwater make-out scene, a wildly frustrated trainer Andrew Wilson,
trying to herd cats, a great team of roller derby players - all good young actresses,
Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor, Eve, Kristen Wiig and Drew Barrymore as the red-lipped eccentric.
Juliette Lewis as the opposing team's star with some great lines.
Marcia Gay Harden plays mother to perfection with exasperation and tight lips and Landon Pigg as the swimming companion.
Ellen Page plays the main character, Bliss, the teenager, who finds herself
through the raucous aggressive sport of roller derby.
Her acting is amazing as she moves her character from a drab waitress,
to petulant daughter, to rebellious hopeful, to the ecstatic Babe Ruthless as she races to win.
The roller derby scenes are riveting and there is enough instruction
in the movie so that newbies can follow the game.
There are about ten deleted scenes and when you see them, you realize how skilled Drew Barrymore is.
Reviewed by: Editor - 02/10
Ages: PG 13
Fun Factor: Whip it - when a skater gives a hand to the one behind and whips her ahead. We did it for fun.
Female Factor: Girls rule