"Whip It" (two and a half stars out of four), director Drew Barrymore's crowd-pleasing roller derby comedy, is dedicated to "all the girls who believe you can," but the girl-power message is far from the only thing the movie has going for it. A pretty good family story and a convincing romance are also found in "Whip It," which thankfully resists the temptation to be condescending or smart-alecky toward its audience.
"Enjoyable" doesn't always equal "great" when it comes to the movies, though, and "Whip It" is a good example of this. Anyone who's seen a sports movie or a coming-of-age story can anticipate every moment in this film, and there's nothing here that will make you forget the corresponding scene from other, better movies. Barrymore, meanwhile, has an undeniable talent for directing actors, but she has plenty to learn about the visual side of her new profession. Still, "Whip It," which is based on a novel by Shauna Cross, is a sweet, extremely entertaining movie, and that goes a long way. It also boasts what is, for my money, the best performance yet by Ellen Page, who's given the freedom to act more naturally and speak more realistically than she did in "Juno" and "Smart People."
Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a 17-year-old living in a small Texas town who's forced to enter beauty pageants by her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). (Bliss' father, played by Daniel Stern, cares about his daughter, but also knows he's powerless to change his wife's mind about the pageants.) Bliss and her friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) find out about a roller derby league in Austin, a town with a hipster scene that appeals to them, and Bliss decides she wants to be a part of the rough-and-tumble sport -- specifically, a member of the team that calls itself the Hurl Scouts.
Bliss wins a spot on the Hurl Scouts by lying about her age, since all the players in the league have to be 21 -- not to mention adopt a clever, tough-girl nickname. Bliss calls herself Babe Ruthless and teams up with Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), Rosa Sparks (Eve) and Smashley Simpson (Barrymore) to take on teams like the Fight Attendants and vicious rivals like Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis). Her new hobby also allows her to meet a cute musician (Landon Pigg).
It shouldn't surprise you to learn that all this tests Bliss' friendship with Pash, who doesn't like being pushed to second-banana status, and it's a metaphysical certainty from the first frame that Bliss' parents are going to find out that she's playing roller derby. And wouldn't you know it? The championship match is scheduled for the same day as the big Bluebonnet Pageant!
"Whip It," which goes on a little too long, spends much of its final half hour wrapping up all of its conflicts quickly and, for the most part, realistically. Page, Harden and Stern form an especially believable family; there's love there, of course, but they don't always get along. (The one false note is when Bliss accuses her mother of making her enter pageants to indoctrinate her into a "psychotic idea of '50s womanhood," though even then you can imagine a 17-year-old being that overdramatic.) Harden is especially good as a mother who realizes her daughter isn't making the same choices she would make, but also knows it's almost time to let her go. It's a stereotypical role, but she makes the most of it.
"Whip It" never really transcends all of its clichés, but it's so much fun that you'll be willing to roll with it.
DOUBLE FEATURE
Daniel Stern, who plays roller derby ingenue Ellen Page's father in "Whip it," was also in a good coming-of-age sports movie that was released 30 years ago -- Peter Yates' heart-warming cycling drama "Breaking Away" (three and a half stars). Stern is one of the four local "cutters" -- the others are played by Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid and Jackie Earle Haley -- in Bloomington who race against Indiana University students in the annual "Little 500" race. "Breaking Away" was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards, and Steve Tisch won an Oscar for his screenplay.