REVIEW: ‘Whip It’
It’s no shock that Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut would be a paean to “girl power.” It shouldn’t be a shock that “Whip It” would be a lot of fun. What might shock viewers is how good the movie winds up being.
“Whip It”Rated PG-13 • 111 minutes |
Ellen Page is trapped in small-town Central Texan hell, with a mother (Marcia Gay Harden) who wants to see her beauty queen youth revived in her daughter. Freedom comes in the form of a flyer that Page picks up advertising a Texas Rollergirls roller derby match in nearby Austin, where she falls in love with the sport. An audition for the league pairs her up with the Hurl Scouts, perennial league cellar-dwellers coached by the super-serious burnout Razor (Andrew Wilson).
The script was written by Shauna Cross, a veteran of the LA derby scene who adapted her book for the big screen. Translation: this wasn’t some Tinseltown wonk who saw roller derby and decided to glitz it up for the movies. The characters in “Whip It” are fully fleshed out, and the dialogue is bouncy without being too smart for its own good (see: Diablo Cody). The sport is not only explained in enough detail where derby neophytes should be able to follow along in the action, but treated with the same reverence that a football or hockey movie might employ for its sport.
Three of the Hurl Scouts: Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page and Kristin Wiig
For her first movie in the director’s chair, Barrymore decides to take a lighter touch than most. She keeps the cinematic tricks to a minimum, so when there’s a crane shot or a nifty action sequence in the roller derby arena, it works as a good change of pace. She’s got a good “scene framing” eye, and it’s not an easy skill to develop (just ask Kevin Smith).
The casting choices are spot-on, and pretty fearless in some instances. Take Juliette Lewis, who makes no bones about the fact that she’s not 19 anymore. (Lewis states her character is older than she is in real life, which might be a first for Hollywood.) Seeing Zoe Bell in a dramatic role in the States makes me giddy, and she’s got enough grit for any derby team to want to draft her immediately. The majority of the skating is done by the actresses, and none takes more abuse than Barrymore – perhaps a way of showing the audience that she’s willing to take her lumps, bloody noses and concussions on this movie.
Most of all, “Whip It” is a big ball of fun. Sure, there’s a message of empowerment and individuality running as an undercurrent for the whole shebang, but it’s all done in context and not shoved down the audience’s collective throat. “Whip It” entertains without pandering, and makes for a raucous good time.
