Drew Barrymore makes her bow as a director with this Roller Derby coming-of-age number, which shares the spirit of so many of Barrymore's movies: it's loosey-goosey, cheerful, and buoyant in waving its "Girls Rule!" flag. On screen, Barrymore relegates herself to a slapstick supporting role, handing the lead to Juno gal Ellen Page. Page plays a Texas teen with a yen to join Austin's Roller Derby squad, complete with new professional moniker Babe Ruthless, but she'll have to keep the side career secret from her beauty-pageant-obsessed Mom (Marcia Gay Harden) and football-watchin' Dad (Daniel Stern). A coming-of-age tale emerges between bouts of skating on the RD track (Jimmy Fallon plays the goofy Derby announcer), with a dash of romance added in the form of a generic Dude in a Band. Kristen Wiig does surrogate-mom duty as a teammate, Juliette Lewis is appropriately out-there as a track rival, and Andrew Wilson (bro of Owen and Luke) gets some hilariously poker-faced lines in as the team's coach. All the pleasant stuff makes you almost overlook how ramshackle the movie is, and how standard-issue the parental tensions (even if Harden is a total pro, as always). Ellen Page doesn't offer the innate audience-friendly cuddliness of Barrymore herself--thus her apt casting as Juno's brittle heroine--but her rapt focus is something to behold. "Babe Ruthless" indeed. --Robert Horton
Stills from Whip It (Click for larger image)
Ellen Page | Bliss Cavendar |
Drew Barrymore | Smashley Simpson |
Kristen Wiig | Maggie Mayhem |
Marcia Gay Harden | Brooke Cavendar |
Juliette Lewis | Iron Maven |
Jimmy Fallon | 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket |
Alia Shawkat | Pash |
Eve | Rosa Sparks |
Zoe Bell | Bloody Holly |
Ari Graynor | Eva Destruction |
Eulala Scheel | Shania Cavendar |
Andrew Wilson | Razor |
Carlo Alban | Birdman |
Landon Pigg | Oliver |
Kristen Adolfi | Manson Sister #1 |
Rachel Piplica | Manson Sister #2 |
Daniel Stern | Earl Cavendar |
Sam Zikakis | Colby's Friend #3 |
Sarah Habel | Corbi |
Shannon Eagen | Amber |
Edward Austin Austin | Pageant Coordinator |
Mary Callaghan Lynch | Val |
Barbara Coven | Pagent Mother |
Nina Kircher | Trudy |
Mark Boyd | Ronny |
Doug Minckiewicz | Colby |
Michael Petrillo | Poindexter |
Sean O'Reilly | Colby's Friend #2 |
Kent Cummins | Atomic City Clerk #1 |
Sarah Yaeger | Atomic City Clerk #2 |
Chloe Trueheart | Atomic City Girl #1 |
Kyle Kentala | Atomic City Girl #2 |
Genevieve Harrison | Atomic City Girl #3 |
John Eatherly | Oliver's Bandmate - 'Turbo Fruits' |
Jonas Stein | Oliver's Bandmate - 'Turbo Fruits' |
Max Van Peebles | Oliver's Bandmate - 'Turbo Fruits' |
Rusty Mewha | Holy Rollers Coach |
Will Brick | Referee |
Madge Levinson | Helen |
Alexis O'Neill | Pocket Rocket |
Eli Bleiler | Jaba the Slut |
LaTasha Pippen | Juana Beat'n |
Sydney Bennett | Kami Kaze |
Danny Mooney | Smashley's Fiancé |
Brent Kyle | Savage |
Har Mar Superstar | Fight Attendants Coach |
Claudia Rodgers | Mrs. Weaver |
Wallace Bridges | Cop Number 1 |
Patrick Moug | Terrifying Cop |
John Lepard | Cop Number 2 |
Austin Bickel | Riley |
Joshua Amir | Partygoer |
Mike Ancrile | Rockabilly Roller Derby Fan |
Max Bassett | Texas Bar Cowboy |
Cindy Chu | Derby Hopeful |
Shawntay Dalon | Derby fan |
Julie DiJohn | Derby fan |
William C. Fox | Derby fan |
Julia Garlotte | Pageant Girl |
David Gibson | Cheering Fan |
Kimberly Harsch | Derby fan |
Doug Kolbicz | Derby fan |
Brent Mata | Guy Giving Keg Stands |
Adam McNinch | Roller Derby Fan |
Kyle Rich | Partygoer |
Lauren Mae Shafer | Rollers Fan |
Jeff Solano | Derby fan |
Eric Tuchelske | Derby fan |
Erik A. Williams | Hurl Scouts Fan |