As far as quirky sports go, it’s hard to top roller derby. Anybody who’s seen it will tell you that the mix of women on skates blazing around a banked track, beating the hell out of each other is oddly watchable and engaging. I wish I could say the same for Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It, which centers on the transformation of confused, geeky indie-rock teenager Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) into a brutal roller derby star dubbed Babe Ruthless.
‘ ‘ ‘ The set-up is familiar. Bliss, pressured into beauty pageants by her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), stumbles upon a flyer for a roller derby night in nearby Austin. Sneaking out with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat), she discovers her higher calling- on the track. After successfully trying out and making the last place ‘Hurl Scouts,’ (alongside Kristen Wiig, Eve, and Barrymore) Bliss’ unmatched speed on skates help her save the season, and, rather predictably, find herself, all while keeping her activities a secret from her mother and starting up a romance with a rocker named Oliver (Landon Pigg).
‘ ‘ ‘ To Barrymore’s credit, she attempts to buck the natural clich’eacute;s and stereotypical characters at every turn, but somehow, this only makes the story more of a clich’eacute;. Every attempt to be quirky and indie only reminds the audience of how desperately quirky and indie the movie tries to be. Since the success of films like Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, ‘independent’ has become a marketing tool, and the suits must have salivated upon seeing Whip It. It preaches to a demographic like everything else. And the presence of Page in the lead role all just make it feel like Juno with roller skates instead of a baby.
‘ ‘ ‘ There do seem to be a few moments of true honesty in the film, especially between Bliss and her mother, who can’t seem to find a connection. But they are overshadowed by what amounts to a very average story. Comedically, the film never really hits its stride, and the mistaken casting of Jimmy Fallon as the roller derby announcer kills any momentum the track scenes may have had. Whip It isn’t downright awful, and there’s a certain charm to it, but there’s also nothing that sets it apart, beyond the big hits thrown by girls on skates.
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