Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is fizzy fun, so much so that new ads are playing up the “Teenagers, yeah!” angle while tossing in a single obligatory shot of a be-helmeted Ellen Page. Whip It follows Bliss (Page) as she secretly comes of age on the roller derby track while running the Texas pageant circuit to keep her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) happy. Though it’s got first-timer mistakes (too long, too many food fights) its indie-rock girl-power charms are, like co-star Kristen Wiig, undeniable.
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Drew Barrymore’s Whip It might be set on the roller derby track, but at its heart is a film about family that treats young women with respect.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.