CUT AND REEL PRESENTS – Whip It!
by Adriane Hoff
Drew Barrymore makes her directoral debut in “Whip It”, a story of a small town high school girl who becomes a roller derby star. Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, or Babe Ruthless, the roller derby rookie, who takes to skates like a fish to water.
I first heard about this movie a couple years back from a friend who skates with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls. My interest in this movie was instantly piqued, as I used to play roller derby. I was excited to see what Drew Barrymore’s take on the sport would be. Needless to say, I was at the theater opening night with a most critical eye. After all, the sport I love must be paid some justice!
As far as the roller derby element of the movie, Barrymore did a pretty decent job accurately portraying the sport. She actually had all her actresses skate themselves in the movie. Score one for Drew! The hits, blocks, and heads against the bank track are all the real deal.
I felt that Barrymore really captured the dedication to the sport that most skaters have, and as I found out during my time playing, that roller derby is not a hobby. It consumes every part of your life. “Rink-rash” and black eyes are seen as honorable battle wounds. Barrymore makes the viewer realize how vital this sport is to these women. The scene that portrays this best is when Iron Maven, played by Juliette Lewis, corners Bliss when she beings to see her as a threat. Maven says to Bliss that she didn’t start skating until her early 30s and it finally took her that long to find something she was good at. She threatened to reveal to the league that Bliss was too young to skate on the league if she didn’t let Maven reap the fruit of her work.
Barrymore does a fantastic job adding a human element to all the roller derby girls. People have their perceptions of what a roller derby girl must be. Some people think they must all be inked-up, promiscuous alcoholics. What I loved about this movie is that very wrong stereotype is shattered. We see the loving mother in Maggie Mayhem; the relentlessly competitive woman in Iron Maven; the blue collar woman, whose spirit remains strong, in Smashley Simpson; and the young woman with more potential than you can shake a barbecued pig snout at, in Bliss.
Behind the awesome, butt-kicking action in the movie, there is a great coming of age story. We first meet Bliss as she is dragged into the beauty pageant circuit by her mother. Bliss is at her wit’s end with living her life for other people when she stumbles across a flyer for the Lonestar Rollergirls. She drags her best friend, Pash (played by Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat), to the bout and becomes enamored with the entire experience. Bliss is recruited by Maggie Mayhem (played by Kristen Wiig) and manages to convince the league members that she’s 22 and legally old enough to “bout”.
Barrymore captures the spirit of being a frustrated youth who is hungry to create a life of her own. The dynamics between Bliss and her best friend, boyfriend, parents, and peers are portrayed in such a way that the viewer can empathize. Personally, I was able to relate to many of the same struggles portrayed in this movie. The relationship between Bliss and Pash even made me get sentimental and reminded me of my relationship with my best friend.
For her first crack behind the camera, Drew Barrymore does alright. “Whip It” is the next best thing to a Derby Dolls bout.
Cut and Reel says : REEL it on DVD