Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Sometimes you go to a film for deep and meaningful insight and sometimes you go to have fun--and every so often you get a whole lot of entertainment value out of a film that actually makes your heart swell and puts a big old dopey grin on your face as you watch gorgeous women wail on each other in a roller rink. Pain does indeed make some people beautiful. WHIP IT is more than just the directorial debut from actress Drew Barrymore (who has a supporting role in the film as a member of the Hurl Scouts roller derby franchise of Austin, Texas), this is a really sweet coming-of-age story about a high school girl whose entire world is in upheaval and isn't certain she has the strength to come out the other side in one piece. Of course, joining a roller derby club would probably help to toughen her up quite a bit.
In her best role since JUNO, Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavendar, growing up in the nowhere town of Bodeen, Texas. Her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) thinks the path to her daughter's success and happiness is the pageant world, but Bliss is frustrated with both the events and the other girls in them. Bliss is one of those girls who knows she's bigger than the town she grew up in or her job at the wonderfully appointed Oink Joint. During a road trip to Austin, she meets a couple members of the Hurl Scouts and is compelled to take in a derby match (emceed by Jimmy Fallon). She is transfixed by the event and meets some of the players afterward, who encourage her to strap on a pair of skates and try out for the team. Although she hasn't worn skates since she was a pre-teen, Bliss seems to have a natural ability, and soon, she's on the team under her new name, Babe Ruthless.
There is so much to enjoy about WHIP IT. The nuclear energy that seems to radiate off the players is infectious. Along with Barrymore, other team members include rapper Eve, DEATH PROOF star (and KILL BILL stuntwoman) Zoe Bell, Juliette Lewis, Ari Graynor, and Kristen Wiig. Wiig was a big surprise for me in this film, because I'm so used to seeing her in supporting roles in what seems like a dozen films a year where she comes in, is wildly funny, and then drops in from time to time to keep being funny. She remains the best thing on "SNL," but WHIP IT makes what I would consider to be her dramatic debut and maybe the most developed character outside of Bliss. She gives a maternal, caring, big sister aspect to Maggie Mayhem, who takes Bliss under her wing and reveals things about her personal life that might surprise you. The film kind of belongs to her.
The other more obvious draw to WHIP IT are the matches themselves, which huge sections of the film are devoted to. They are brutal and exciting, and Barrymore does a great job laying out the basic ground rules of derby play. There may have been stunt doubles for a few of the more bone-breaking plays, but most of the time it's quite clear that the actresses themselves are taking the hits. One other secret weapon of WHIP IT is Andrew Wilson (brother of Luke and Owen), who is the film's true comic relief as the team coach. He comes up with a genuinely sure-fire playbook that nobody seems to want to follow, until the team members decide they want to win. I don't know if I can quite put it into words, but to me, he is everything I love about Austin--laid back but intensely passionate about his work, dripping with sarcasm, and completely lovable.
There's a lot about WHIP IT that is unfortunately predictable. As nicely played as the mother-daughter conflict is between two very strong actresses, you also know exactly where it's going and when it's going to get there. Less predictable of Daniel Stern as Bliss's dad, who pops in for comic relief around the house, but is never really developed. There's also a romance subplot between Bliss and a musician (Landon Pigg), but I hated the dude and the story doesn't really go anywhere. The entire storyline could have been excised and no one would have missed it. Fortunately the pluses far outweigh the minuses in this film, and in the end, my simple assessment of the film is that I had a great time taking this journey with Bliss and the team. WHIP IT isn't meant to be over-analyzed, and picking it apart just feels pointless. I'm fully aware it's not a perfect film, but for some reason it just hit me the right way at the right moments, and seeing sexy ladies kicking the crap out of each other is damn sexy and exciting.
-- Capone
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