Whip It (2009)

Amy, Jack, and I enjoyed this entertaining piece about a girl becoming her "own hero." Based on the first novel by roller derby athlete Shauna Cross (who also wrote the screen adaptation), it is also the feature film directing debut of actress Drew Barrymore (I liked her in E.T. (1982), Boys on the Side (1995), and The Wedding Singer (1998), and want to see her Emmy-nominated performance in HBO's Grey Gardens (2009)), and she plays a small part in this one, as Smashley Simpson.

The roller derby names are priceless: Babe Ruthless, Maggie Mayhem (this was Cross' roller derby name), Iron Maven, Rosa Sparks, Bloody Holly, Eva Destruction, and, my personal favorite, Jaba the Slut (it's not a spoiler to tell you the names, in fact, better to see them in print because they are not revealed neatly). I liked Kristen Wiig's performance as Maggie better than anything else of hers I've seen. In Extract, Adventureland, and one episode of Flight of the Conchords (as "Brahbrah"), she did her deadpan thing to such an extreme that I longed for more spark. In this she has a fully developed character, acting as mentor to Babe AKA Bliss Cavender. Ellen Page (Bliss) at 22 can still play 17, as she did at 20 in Juno (2008) and 21 in Smart People (2009). Bliss knows she doesn't like her mother's (Marcia Gay Harden) beauty pageant scene in sleepy Bodeen, Texas, though she goes along with it, but doesn't know what she does want, until she has a chance encounter with some roller derby girls acting up in nearby Austin.

What ensues is fairly predictable, but, as Jack said, that doesn't make it any less fun. Harden gives a lot to the role of the mail-delivering mom who wants a life of elegance. The surfer-haired derby coach, Razor, is played by Andrew Wilson, Owen and Luke's older brother, who acted with Barrymore in both Charlie's Angels movies (2000 and 2003) and Fever Pitch (2005), among others. Also featured are Alia Shawkat, best known as Maeby Fünke on the Arrested Development series, as Bliss' friend Pash; Daniel Stern (Stardust Memories (1980), Diner (1982), the City Slickers movies (1991 and 94)) as Bliss' sweet dad (a character not unlike Juno's sweet dad); Eulala Scheel (Harden's real-life daughter) as the little sister; and musician Landon Pigg in his first recorded acting role as the love interest (in my opinion, he should stick with his day job, but it didn't detract too much from the movie).

Barrymore did a good job with compelling material that included coming of age, sports, first love, family relationships, outsiders, and plenty of humor and heart. Oh, and don't worry if you don't know the first thing about roller derbies; the rules are explained fully. The movie's title comes from a roller derby play, not the 1980 song by Devo.