Ellen Page is ‘Babe Ruthless’ in ‘Whip It’

Could there possibly be anything more hot or exhilarating than watching a bunch of roller derby chicks race around in circles and beat the living hell out of each other? … I don’t think so! In her first job as a director, acclaimed star Drew Barrymore shows that her talents go far beyond just what’s in front of the camera as Ellen Page leads the pack in “Whip It;” an ever-so-familiar sports movie that survives endless clichés by accentuating the quality of a solid cast.

As with any other sports film, it’s practically obligatory for the lead protagonist to have something other than the sport they play holding them back in life. For Bliss Cavendar (Page), it’s pageant competitions, and the overbearing pressure of her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) to live out her dreams. We already know that Mom must have been a pageant winner herself, and would like for her daughter to continue that legacy; or maybe she was a loser and wants her child to get what she never had. Never mind, that’s not important. The point is, Bliss hates it, and upon seeing an ad for a roller derby tryout, the young rebel decides to dust off her old Barbie skates, and give it a shot.

The first 20 minutes of the film play by the numbers of a typical underdog story, but its when the derby action begins that “Whip It” really takes off. Filled with several great actresses (including Barrymore herself) sporting a series of catchy tough girl nicknames, the cast of “Whip It” really elevates the potential of the story when it can’t stray from the curse of predictability. And even when it comes time to address the more serious elements of the film, it’s because of the actors that we can tolerate hearing the same words we’ve already heard numerous times on the gridiron setting.

I knew when I first saw her in the independent film “Hard Candy,” that Ellen Page was the real deal, and it wouldn’t be too long before this young talent got her big break. She clearly has a knack for landing teenage roles with funky names, and in her portrayal of Bliss, she brings a lot of familiar juice to the blender, while at the same time expanding her horizons on an emotional level. Carrying the weight of a pregnant belly may have been somewhat of a stretch when she was at the brink of 20, but in a sexy scene where she loses all her clothing underwater, Page proves that she is a fearless rebel when it comes to building an on-screen chemistry. I can only imagine how far this Canadian star will go in the years to come.

But the bigger story of “Whip It” rests on the directorial work of Barrymore. Aside from using a well-rounded cast, Barrymore certainly earns her place from behind the camera as she maneuvers most of her shots right into the middle of all the action; making it feel as if we are part of it. If one had asked that cute little toddler on the set of “E.T.” how she would someday direct her own movies, I’m sure she might have replied by saying: “isn’t that Mr. Spielberg’s job?”

A lot has changed for both of them over the years, but clearly Barrymore paid attention when she was working for the best of the best. Now she has something to show for herself as she whips it at full force with tremendous execution.

Grade B+

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 9 2009. Filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry