I walked out of the preview screening of Whip It! feeling everything that I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be feeling: empowered, exhilarated, and wishing I could kick as much ass as a derby girl. Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a feel-good story that focuses not on romance, but on being satisfied in your own achievements.
Ellen Page stars as Bliss, an earnest teenager who wants to break away from her overbearing mother, who believes that the best way to get out of their small town is to become a beauty pageant queen. It's an underdog story, yes, but who doesn't love an underdog story? Her ticket to freedom comes from joining a roller derby team in and being surrounded by mold-breaking people who are unlike anyone she has ever met before. The laughs come one after another, the skating scenes are sharply edited, and, the soundtrack features hits from the Strokes, MGMT, Jens Lekman, and Kings Of Leon. (For the record, the Kings Of Leon song is "Knocked Up," not any of the tripe from Only By The Night.)
This is a film by women, starring women. It also showcases female capability; the tagline is "Be Your Own Hero," after all. While there is a romantic subplot featuring a local indie rocker, getting the guy is nowhere near as important as being strong and independent. Best friend Pash and derby team the Hurl Scouts provide Bliss with the support that she needs to come into her own. The lively cast propels the story, with plenty of humor along the way. It's not a movie that takes itself too seriously, though it would be difficult to, considering that it features characters who give themselves monikers such as "Bloody Holly," "Iron Maven," and "Smashley Simpson." What it does do is present a great message in a hilarious, well-crafted package. Whip It! is exactly what's needed to combat the frail, powerless version of femininity that is perpetuated in Twilight.
In the words of the Hurl Scouts’ Coach Razor, "Go getcha some."
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