After all the credits for Whip It have rolled, the film ends with the words “To all the girls who believe you can… You can.” It is hard not to like a film with this message, especially when this point is made twice. First time director Drew Barrymore seems like a seasoned pro and is aided by Shauna Cross ‘s tight screenplay based on Cross’s 2007 book Derby Girl.  The film boasts strong performances from women ranging in age from twenty to fifty. Oh yeah, this female fest also has exciting action sequences, believable characters, a good story and it is fun.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) spends her after school hours entering beauty pageants and working in a pig themed diner with best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat). But Bliss is only on the pageant circuit to please her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), and longs for more than her small Texas town can offer. When Bliss and Pash sneak away to Austin to see a roller derby match, Bliss is captivated. She lies about her age, joins the team and tells her parents she is taking an SAT prep course.  When on skates, Bliss becomes Babe Ruthless and this losing team starts winning. Bliss also finds romance with musician Oliver (Landon Pigg) and life is good, until the secret gets out.

Although 22, Ellen Page is a convincing high school senior. She shows the same vulnerability and charm she did in Juno, as she stands up (verbally and physically) to the snobby girls at school. When she has to take the order of a high school clique at the diner, they comment on her blue streaked hair by asking if she is now alternative.  Bliss counters, “Alternative to what?” The strongest scenes in the film are the female bonding scenes, especially the scenes of Bliss and Pash.  Page and Shawkat have great chemistry and seem like real high school friends. Shawkat (hilarious in Arrested Development) is quirky and sincere, as Pash supports Bliss by screaming and cheering at Bliss’s roller derby match. Marcia Gay Harden (has she ever turned in a less than stellar performance in anything?) makes Bliss’s uptight mother complex and sympathetic.  Even when this mother seems not to understand her daughter, she clearly wants what is best for Bliss.

The roller derby players are all lively and energetic, and Drew Barrymore is a hoot as Smashley Simpson. Kristen Wiig is warm and tough as teammate Maggie Mayhem, and Juliette Lewis is deliciously evil as bad girl Iron Maven. Andrew Wilson (brother of Luke and Owen) may be my new favorite Wilson Brother, as his Razor coaches the team with commitment and treats the women like athletes, not girls.  This sport has never interested me, but I found myself rooting for Bliss and her roller derby cohorts. The scenes on the track are exciting, and knowing that Page and the other women did most of their own skating added to the thrill. I was equally interested in the scenes of Bliss living and working in her home town as well as the scenes of Bliss skating with her team. Barrymore really had me feeling the slow pace and warmth of the small Texas town and the high energy and excitement of the Austin roller derby. The hot tub party hosted by “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket (Jimmy Fallon) shows the rough camaraderie of the players, as well as their wild side.

What I liked most about Whip It, (aside from the Devo song not being played or mentioned) is that the romance between Bliss and Oliver is only a minor part of the story. The real love affair is between Bliss and roller derby. The title of the film refers to a particularly exciting move, and it is gratifying to see Bliss excel at the sport, and gain both physical and emotional strength. The relationships most important to Bliss are both old and new; parents, best friend Pash and her new roller derby friends.  Whip It has a resolution that is both believable and satisfying. For those sorely in need of a respite from the serious business of life, Whip It is that film that makes you feel good. And these days, that is no small accomplishment.
 

Whip It. Directed by Drew Barrymore. Ellen Page (Bliss Cavendar), Alia Shawkat (Pash), Marcia Gay Harden (Brooke Cavendar), Daniel Stern (Earl Cavendar), Landon Pigg (Oliver), Kristen Wiig, (Maggie Mayhem), Juliette Lewis (Iron Maven), Jimmy Fallon (‘Hot Tub’ Johnny Rocket ),Andrew Wilson (Razor) and Drew Barrymore (Smashley Simpson).  Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2009.

 Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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