Whip It

Drew Barrymore has carved out an adult career by playing kooky, ballsy roles whether it be in big productions (Charlie’s Angels) or low key sleepers (Donnie Darko) and her directorial debut is practically hallmarked with her love of music, alternative strong women and a mixture of street savvy and youthful innocence.

This book-to-film adaptation of Shauna Cross’s book ‘Derby Girl’ focuses in on the tough girl sport of roller derby, which is far more of an established subculture Stateside than in Britain, but if you can imagine cheerleaders meets Tank Girl on wheels then you’d be pretty close to getting an image of the type of girl that straps on a pair of rollerskates and calls themselves something like Maggie Mayhem.

Juno’s Ellen Page is the protagonist, Bliss Cavendar, a 17 year old being steered to debutante balls by her mother before discovering the world of roller derby and falling in love with it but having to participate on the sly away from her restrictive but well-meaning parents. Oh, and she also gets a musician boyfriend, which means Barrymore is sticking with the adage, write (or in this case, direct) what you know.

The message is simple – follow your dreams, be strong, and respect yourself – but although these cliches might have fallen from any chick flick over the past 20 years, it’s ultimately backed up by Barrymore’s casting which throws fat, thin, pretty, plain and, most refreshingly, emotionally flawed women into the same pot and makes no sweaty, bruised differentiations between them. There’s no ugly duckling/beautiful swan theory in play here – each character takes the most natural of journeys and the film’s climax not playing to the expected adds more gravitas to what is essentially a lightweight romp of a film.

Whip It has its limitations but overcomes its shortcomings with some wonderful cast camaraderie and, given that most writers stumble with keeping dialogue hip to a young audience (see Jennifer’s Body for some awesomely cringeworthy lines), the script is admirably punchy and authentic. Barrymore’s quiet triumph is making girls who play life hard and have tattoos, piercings and buy kohl in bulk more or less on an even par with girls who don’t, as evidenced by Bliss’s relationship with her best friend (the non roller derbying Pash, played by the freckled dynamo Alia Shawkat). It gives Whip It a more universal approach to the subject of female friendship rather than side-lining the film into a specialist genre alongside its subject matter.

The lovable energy of Whip It causes you overlook any flaws it might hold and, as it scoots around the rink circuit at a cracking pace with its smart cast (including scene stealers Juliette Lewis and Jimmy Fallon), soundtrack and kitsch appeal in full throttle, it’s near impossible to not be sucked into this world and thoroughly enjoy each and every moment.

Whip It is on general UK release from April 7th 2010.