Barrymore whips it good as director of roller comedy
Every frame in the fun, breezy, coming-of-age roller derby dramedy "Whip It" oozes with the essence of Barrymore.
Drew Barrymore.
You know, the little girl who screamed her way into our hearts in "E.T.," then later wreaked havoc with other organs as the psychotic teen seductress in "Poison Ivy"?
Barrymore became a successful producer, and now she's directing her first feature. Like the actress, it's a rollicking, cute and sexy adventure, yet, sincere to a fault.
Barrymore clearly loves all of her characters, even Juliette Lewis' harsh roller warrior named Iron Maven. The director affectionately allows the scenes to last just a little bit longer for the sake of her characters, rather than cut them too short for ADD audiences brought up on "Bourne Ultimatum" flash edits.
The story, based on screenwriter Shauna Cross' own novel "Derby Girl," eschews a traditional villain. The conflict here remains between a young girl's true passion and her mother's grand plans for her future.
The amazing Ellen Page, star of Diablo Cody's sterling family comedy "Juno," plays Bliss Cavendar, a small-town Texas high school student struggling to conform to the world of beauty contests that her mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) deems as essential for young girls.
One night at an Austin store changes Bliss' life. A rowdy group of roller derby skaters catches her eye and captures her imagination.
Maggie Mayhem (SNL star Kristen Wiig) urges her to try out for the team. She does. She makes it because of her blinding roller-speed.
Now, if she can only pass herself off as much older than 17, keep Mom happy by competing in pageants, continue to work her job at a crummy diner, pursue the boy of her dreams and keep her grades up at school, she'll be happy.
Bliss struggles on the rink at first. Under the tutelage of Coach Razor (Andrew Wilson), her team the Hurl Scouts have more fun than wins. Her teammates Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Maggie and others help her face formidable foes, such as Iron Maven's nasty squad.
It would be quippy to call "Whip It" something like "Juno" meets "Kansas City Bomber," Raquel Welch's 1972 foray into the brutal roller sport.
Barrymore is more interested in a minimal cliché look at a girl's discovery of herself through sports, albeit an unusual sport.
Young "Breaking Away" star Daniel Stern (now with receding gray hair!) has a riot playing Bliss' laid-back father Earl, a man who normally stays out of his wife's way, except when there are lines being crossed that shouldn't be.
Landon Pigg, a real local Texas musician with no acting experience, projects mystery and vulnerability as, yes, a local Texas musician who falls for Bliss.
At 22, Page still pulls off the complicated internal mess of being a teenager. She appears to be a kindred spirit with her co-star and director.
Together, they take what could have been a slight and superficially entertaining idea and turn it into a winning and good-natured movie that refuses to sell either its audiences or its characters short.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"Whip It"</p> <p class="News">Three stars</p> <p class="News"><b>Starring:</b> Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Daniel Stern, Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis</p> <p class="News"><b>Directed by:</b> Drew Barrymore</p> <p class="News"><b>Other:</b> A Fox Searchlight release.Rated PG-13 (language, sexual situations) 113 minutes</p>