Whip It - 012610

Ellen Page plays a retro kid whose mother insists on enrolling her in beauty pageants. Ellen hates them but goes along with it because she doesn't want to deal with the conflict. Then she accidentally discovers roller derby. That's right, roller derby is still in existence. For the first time in her life, she's able to do something she enjoys and since it's a contact sport she gets a little tougher in the process.

This movie is a not much new teen movie. It's almost custom made for Ellen Page and is very similar to most of her other characters. I like her but it would be nice to see her branch out a little bit. The uniqueness of this story is the situation. Most of us know roller derby is pretty dumb but beyond that I didn't know anything about it. This movie makes it look fun both to watch and play. It rather excellently walks the line of picking on the people that are involved without really pointing and laughing at them.

The characters are very enjoyable. The father, the Home Alone crook who wasn't Joe Pesci, is goofy at times but not an idiot and while he is a bit hen-pecked he rebels in creative ways. The mother is, frankly, what you'd imagine young Marie Barone being like. You really don't like her despite the movie's numerous attempts for you to do so. Arrested Development fans will be more than happy to see Maybe on screen again and she does an excellent job of playing Ellen's best friend whose life is going down hill but catches herself before it's too late. The weakest point is the typical boyfriend character. You don't like him at all and not just because he's a jerk. He really has no point in existing. He's not tied to the story for any reason beyond making it more of a coming of age story.

The best parts though all involve the roller derby girls. All of them are unique but still similar characters. Most are nuts but normal enough to where you would want to befriend them. The team coach in particular is a highlight because he takes the game seriously enough for it to be funny but not serious enough to be sad.

For a first time behind camera, Drew Barrymore does a great job of making a witty, nicely paced comedy with enough heart to make it worth watching. Final grade: B+. You'll end up seeing it a lot because you'll watch it, then you'll make a couple of your friends watch it then you'll buy it next year on impulse and you'll watch it a few times after that.