Roller derby movie 'Whip It' actually a sweet mother-daughter dramedy

By STEVE PERSALL

Times Film Critic

A good sign for Drew Barrymore's roller derby movie Whip It is that, a few days after seeing it, I don't recall who wins the big match.

That's a nice change from nearly every other sports movie hinging upon who scores the last touchdown, hits a basket at the buzzer or smacks a walk-off home run. Whip It is set among she-devils on wheels throwing elbows, but it isn't really about them.

Instead, Whip It is a mother-daughter dramedy — aided immensely by our favorite faux teen, Ellen Page, who got an Oscar nod for 2007's Juno — with a nice dollop of tenderness between the roller grrrrl antics. Barrymore's directing debut isn't anything special (except being the first roller derby flick since 1973's Kansas City Bomber) but it's sincere about sisterhood.

Page is adorkable as Bliss Cavendar, a small-town Texas teen slinging barbecue after school, and entering cheesy beauty pageants at the urging of her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). Bliss has no patience for any of this but there aren't any alternatives in town. During a shopping trip to Austin, Bliss finds one, when a crew of derby wildcats rolls into the store. They're the Hurl Scouts, her future.

Bliss and her BFF Pash (Alia Shawkat) sneak away to the next match and are mesmerized. The Hurl Scouts never win and never mind. They're having too much fun doing things guys usually do, under pseudonyms like Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore in a small, goofy role) and Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell). The rival Holy Rollers are led by Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis), who doesn't miss a dirty trick.

The Hurl Scouts invite Bliss to try out, and her skating speed earns a roster spot, nicknamed Babe Ruthless. The team starts winning, Bliss/Babe becomes a star — to Iron Maiden's chagrin — but can't tell her parents, who think she's taking an SAT prep course at night. She also can't tell the team she's underage to play. Everything works out okay, in a fashion that's different just enough to avoid seeming like a retread.

The key is Page's unerring knack for expressing teen agitation without angst. Bliss and Juno alike are wise beyond their years, chomping at the bit for the calendar to catch up to their brightness. Even without Diablo Cody's zinger dialogue, Bliss is the modern everyteen, underestimated at grownups' risk. Page casually captures the struggle between being naive and a know-it-all.

Harden is equally fine in a motherly role that doesn't make her a total spoilsport. Bliss' mom is trying to reach her rebellious child while clinging to the pageant routine for selfish reasons. What teen viewers could see entirely as an "us vs. them" situation becomes a "we" convincingly, thanks to Page and Harden's chemistry. Don't overlook a nice turn by Daniel Stern (where has he been?) as Bliss' dad.

Whip It actually loses steam when the Hurl Scouts are in action; Barrymore doesn't have her action directing chops yet, and the comedy is left mostly to the insufferable Jimmy Fallon, loving his own voice and lamely improvising as a game announcer. But between the games is a sweet movie with a sassy hero not content to spin her wheels in a tiny Texas town.

Steve Persall can be reached at persall@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8365. Read his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/movies.