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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Apr 8, 2010
“Whip It” from actor/director Drew Barrymore.
“Whip It”
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut (Fox Searchlight) is better than you might expect, although far from perfect.
Mild-mannered high school student, Oink Joint waitress and non-traditional teen pageant contestant Bliss (Ellen Page) is forever butting heads with her former beauty queen mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). But a shopping excursion to Austin, Texas, has an unexpected outcome in Bliss’ life. A brief encounter with the members of a roller derby team gets her attention and before you know it she’s sneaking out of the house with best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to attend a match.
Bliss is hooked and begins to train for the team tryouts. Of course, at 17 she has to lie about being 22 in order to be considered to roll alongside Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore) or Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis). Much to her surprise and delight, Bliss makes the team and becomes a Hurl Scout, given the moniker Babe Ruthless. She also meets musician Oliver (Landon Pigg) and totally falls for him.
So Bliss begins leading a double life, stringing her mother along by pretending to be preparing for the next pageant while kicking ass in the roller rink, where she helps her team on a winning streak that gets them to the championships. But wouldn’t you know it? The championship match is the same day as the pageant in which Bliss has promised to compete. As if that isn’t enough, Bliss’ friendship with Pash is showing signs of strain and Bliss is also convinced that Oliver, on tour with his band, is being unfaithful to her.
Page continues to be one of the most satisfying actresses of her generation and she infuses Bliss with the spirit and spark that she needs to make the character, and her situation, worth investing with our interest. Funny and touching, “Whip It” is not necessarily something you need to rush right out to rent or buy. Walk, don’t roll.
“Blood On the Flat Track: The Rise of the Rat City Roller Girls”
This 2007 doc from Strand, by Lainy Bagwell and Lacey Leavitt, presents a non-fiction account of roller-girl life. It’s not your mother’s roller derby.
“BOTFT” introduces us to the women who comprise the teams of the Rat City Roller Girls. Creativity counts in both team names (Grave Danger, Socket Wenches, Throttle Rockets, Derby Liberation Front) and player names (Basket Casey, Miss Fortune, Shovey Chase, Darth Skater, Betty Ford Galaxy).
Adapted from old school roller derby rules, the RCRG follow the Texas Roller Girls’ model. They create a logo and get into merchandising. A brief “how to play roller derby” segment provides the viewer with essential information about scoring and illegal plays, as well as terminology (such as bouts, jams, jammer, blockers, pivot, the pack). Featured prominently is the team known as the DLF, described as the hard-to-beat lesbian team (“highest concentration of lady-loving ladies”).
“BOTFT” celebrates the pure athleticism as well as the exaggerated femininity and theatricality of the sport. It provides a glimpse of the team members’ romantic and familial relationships, including lesbian couples Burnett Down and Basket Casey and Shovey Chase and Kitty Kamikaze.
The film follows the RCRG’s rise through the ranks of roller derby culture to their position as No. 1 in the nation. DVD bonus material includes directors’ commentary, the featurette “Derby Ink: The Tattoos of the Roller Girls,” and more.
