‘Whip It' is a fun yet predictable ride around the track

Flick

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Darren Michaels/Fox Searchlight Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Babe Ruthless (Ellen Page) and Maggie Mayhem (Kristin Wiig) skate for keeps in "Whip It." E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Everything about Drew Barrymore is cute, and just about every movie she has made can be described as such. It comes as no surprise, then, that her directorial debut, "Whip It," is the cutest film about butt-kicking and domestic strife ever made.

Adapted by writer Shauna Cross from her own novel, the movie follows Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page, "Juno"), a small-town Texas teen who grudgingly works the beauty pageant circuit to satisfy her mother (Marcia Gay Harden, "Pollock"). Rebelling, she drives to nearby Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat, "Arrested Development") to check out a roller derby. Bliss falls in love with the sport and earns a spot on the last place Hurl Scouts.

Relationships in "Whip It," especially between Bliss and her dad Earl (the underused Daniel Stern, "Diner"), are endearing without being saccharine, but the characters are too archetypal.

Though the film might be an ensemble piece, this is Ellen Page's show. Although the brainy, snarky fireplug shtick is running thin, apparently there's some gas left in the tank.

And while it could have been obnoxious, Jimmy Fallon's turn as announcer "Hot Tub" Johnny Rocket is a perfect supplement to the action. Not only does he provide explanations of the rules that meld nicely with the games (or bouts, as they're called), but his one-liners are usually funny. It's odd to say that a character provides comic relief in a movie billed as a comedy; still, that's exactly what he does.

Although mostly enjoyable, the script provides few laughs, and the running gags — Smashley getting into fights, the sexual tension between Pash and the Oink Joint manager — just aren't very funny.

But the on-track action is both thrilling and realistic. Every hit is brutal, every play is executed with precision and the final bout rivals the race at the end of "Breaking Away" in excitement. Barrymore does a nice job of going deep into the game without getting too technical. Beyond the girl power, this is a sports movie.

"Whip It," if nothing else, is fun. The cast members looks like they're having a blast, even when their thighs are bruised and noses bloodied. The roller derby renaissance is already big (Washington, D.C., has a league), and this movie should boost its popularity.

Whip It.

Comedy. Rated: PG13. Length: 111 minutes. Director: Drew Barrymore. Cast: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Alia Shawkat, Juliette Lewis, Eve, Daniel Stern, Jimmy Fallon, Landon Pigg, Zoe Bell