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One of the most cliche'd of subgenres is the "come-from-behind" sports movie. You know the kind - a would be athlete and/or a ragtag team of underachievers striving to be the best after years of being the worst. Rocky, The Bad News Bears, Slap Shot, Major League, A League of Their Own, The Mighty Ducks, and so on and so on and so on. Now we can add Whip It, the directorial debut of ubiquitous anti-starlet Drew Barrymore, to that list of perennial losers with hearts of gold and courage enough to (almost) make it to that winners circle. Whether this particular ragtag team of n'er do wells (for a somewhat fresh spin, this time around it's a a roller derby team) actually make it to that aforementioned winners circle, I will not be the bearer of bad spoilers, but really, there is nothing new here. No surprises are lurking behind any corner. No believe it or not revelations or climactic catharsis here. Exactly what one would expect is exactly what one gets. No more, no less.
That is not to say there isn't anything at all to get from Whip It. Barrymore does a more than capable job at her virginal helm and the story, though rampant with obvious twists and turns one can see the proverbial mile away, does have some merit in the way it shows actual depth in most of its characters. Imagine that! Depth of character in such a movie. And that depth of character is played out by a fine cast - at least as fine as they need to be here. Leading said cast is Ellen Page as yet another angsty teenager looking for a way out of her so-called miserable life. The poor girl could probably play this part in her sleep by now. Granted, a lot less grating than her Oscar nominated Juno - thanks mainly to Diablo Cody having nothing whatsoever to do with her dialogue - but still a role that should be well behind the otherwise talented young actress. Old enough to legally drink now, Page should also be old enough to escape these teen roles and grow as the strong actress one can see hiding just below the surface.
Page, as Bliss Cavendar (dubbed with the spectacular roller girl moniker of Babe Ruthless!), is backed by a gaggle of would be riot grrrls well worthy of any roller derby league. Kristen Wiig, the funniest damn thing on SNL in years, as Maggie Mayhem, Kiwi stunt woman turned Tarantino muse Zoe Bell as Bloody Holly and the auteur herself as the headbanging Smashley Simpson seem to be perfectly cast as the hard hitting, but never winning roller derby team. But it is Juliette Lewis, in her meatiest role in years, that steals the spotlight away from everyone else on the track. Possibly channeling some of that Mallory Knox mojo from Natural Born Killers, Lewis, as the appropriately named Iron Maiden, is even closer to near perfect in the role of an almost washed-up superstar. Wait a minute, is she really acting here?
Also showing up are the quite unhip hipster Jimmy Fallon as 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket, derby emcee and all-around skeeve, Andrew Wilson (yeah, there's a third brother) as Razor, the girl's coach, indie musician Landon Pigg as Oliver, Bliss' obligatory first crush, Alia Shawkat as Pash, Bliss' equaly obligatory best friend, Rapper Eve as roller girl Rosa Sparks and Daniel Stern as Bliss' meandering yet well-meaning father. The highlight of the non-derby set though, is Marcia Gay Harden as Bliss' demanding mother. Harden's hardened mother, the most multi-faceted character in the cast, would rather see her daughter as debutant and beauty queen than the battered and bruised derby girl she has become. But don't worry, it will all work out in the end. Like I said, there are no surprises here. No hidden meanings.
Will Bliss and her best friend have a falling out only to reconcile before film's end? Will Bliss' boyfriend do something that could ruin their relationship? Will Bliss learn that her mother isn't as bad as she thinks she is? Will the team struggle its way to the finals? Will the bitter rivals shakes hands in the end? Will Bliss learn a valuable lesson in the end? Will everything work out in the end? We already know the answers to all these questions, and any others Barrymore or the movie could possibly pose to us. But the fun lies not in what might happen next, but what is happening right now - and what is happening right now, though quite obvious and typical of the genre, is (pardon the fanboy vernacular) a kick ass good time. [10/05/09]
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