WHIP IT

If you’ve ever been to a roller-derby bout, you know it’s a loud, raucous, colorful, grrrrl-power extravaganza filled with weird characters and plenty of injuries. Thankfully, Whip It delivers those key elements flawlessly in its tale of a mousy gal who finds her inner warrior when she laces her skates and steps on the track.

Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this big-screen adaptation of the novel Derby Girl by Shauna Cross (who also penned the script), which follows pint-sized Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) as she attempts to escape the monotony of her small-town Texas life – and her loving but concerned parents (Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern) – by becoming a rollergirl. Bliss and her best friend, Pash (Alia Shawkat), attend a bout one night and a dream is born. Before long, Bliss is skating laps around her neighborhood, learning what fishnet burns are, and suiting up as the newest member of Austin’s Hurl Scouts team.

Coached by a scruffy beach-bum named Razor (Andrew Wilson, aka “the other Wilson brother”), who could lead his girls to victory if they’d just pay attention, the team includes Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Rosa Sparks (Eve) and Bloody Holly (stuntwoman Zoe Bell). Their biggest foe is Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis, in the absolute perfect role for her), star skater for opposing team, The Holy Rollers.

Also circling the proceedings, but with a tragic lack of screen time, is Eva Destruction (Ari Graynor, who stole Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist out from under its stars), who seems like she might be the sole lesbian character but who winds up with little more than a suggestive hot-tub scene and a handful of one-liners. Actually, the film’s overall lack of lesbian characters was surprising, given that the sport of roller derby has a fair number of lady gays playing (and supporting) it.

What Barrymore and company do magnificently well with this film is recreate an authentic derby experience. I’ve been to bouts, and they nail every aspect of it, from the ramshackle venues to the rabidly devoted followings and, most importantly, the camaraderie and solidarity among the derby sisterhood. The frenetic energy of a derby gathering leaps right off the screen, and the bout footage – much of which features the actors doing their own stunts and taking real (shockingly hard) hits – is fantastic. Whenever the film’s action shifted to derby-related material, it soared.

Unfortunately, what the film does less well is maintain that momentum, because it frequently dwells too long on the subplot involving Bliss and her romance with emo-rocker Oliver (Landon Pigg). That storyline, while cute, gets too much attention and the film loses considerable steam each time it surfaces. At nearly two hours, Whip It could probably have been trimmed by about 10 or 15 minutes, and the Bliss/Oliver component might have served the film better in a smaller quantity.

With its underlying messages of girl power and tapping into inner resources you might never have dreamed were there, Whip It is a fun, lively and unexpectedly sweet film that will hopefully appeal to an audience broader than simply folks who already know what a “jammer” is.