Directed by: Drew Barrymore
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Alia Shawkat, Kristen Wiig, Zoë Bell, Eve, Andrew Wilson, Juliette Lewis, Landon Pigg
Rating: PG-13

Drew Barrymore directs and stars in Whip It! (Courtesy photo)

In general, I consider my taste to run close to the majority of the moviegoing public. So I’m always surprised when a movie I couldn’t wait for doesn’t hold the same appeal for everyone else. Such is the case of Whip It!. Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut about a girl entering the world of Roller Derby, Whip It! boasts an irresistible cast and tantalizing subject matter. Most critics liked the movie, and I liked it more than most of them. Packed with great characters and almost devoid of significant conflict, Whip It! is an easy-to-take delight from start to finish. Barrymore’s direction is upbeat and confident, and Shauna Cross’ adaptation of her own novel is designed for maximum satisfaction. So why have so few people seen it? Whip It! may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly for a lot more people than this. And how are they ever going to rationalize making sequels if this one doesn’t perform better?

Ellen Page (Juno) plays Bliss Cavender. Bliss is trapped in Bodeen, Texas, performing in beauty pageants under the tight-lipped tutelage of her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). Then one day she spies three amazons on roller skates, and her world explodes. Bliss drags her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to a dingy roller derby match, where they see the Hurl Scouts for the first time. Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Bloody Holly (Zoë Bell), and Rosa Sparks (Eve) are the core of the team, coached by shaggy, philosophical Razor (Andrew Wilson). Bliss tries out, and her tiny frame translates into surprising speed on the derby track. And since you score points by passing the other team, Bliss quickly becomes a star. This leads to complications with Pash, much forced secretiveness with her parents, and a sweet romance with an Austen Rocker named Oliver (singer Landon Pigg). It also leads her into a face-off with the league’s toughest, most cutthroat player: Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis).

There are very few surprises in Whip It!. Instead we keep getting set-ups—the old childhood friend who now makes fun of Bliss, the inevitable pageant/big-game double-booking, the gallant but overlooked manager at the restaurant where Bliss and Pash work—and the payoffs we want. Whip It! keeps delivering, right down to the extra two endings that just make your exit smile even wider. Barrymore borrows plenty from the indie movie handbook, but delivers something more meaningful simply by trading cynicism for exuberance. Like the female equivalent of Ocean’s 11, everyone here looks like they’re having so much fun.

Sometimes having too much fun on screen can lead to bad moviemaking (see Ocean’s 12). In this case, it makes all the actors shine. I like Page, but I find her to be pretty mannered. She made a strong impression in 2007’s surprise hit Juno. As enjoyable as that sharp-tongued young woman was, sometimes it seemed more like an affectation than a performance. Bliss is a lot less mannered, and Page has never been more appealing.

Alia Shawkat was great as Maeby Funke on Arrested Development but was often overshadowed by all the talent on that series. Here she lets loose as the funny, funky best friend, and it’s revelatory. As unleashed as Shawkat is, the amazing Kristen Wiig is surprisingly contained. It suits her nicely, giving a hint of more accomplished work to come. Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear, Old School) owns the screen as Iron Maven, the veteran who is threatened as much by Bliss’ youth as her talent. Lewis and the always great Marcia Gay Harden (Pollack) give Whip It! some much-needed weight. Then there’s Andrew Wilson, older brother to Luke and Owen. Wilson creates a manly hunk of sensitivity, an alternative to those who don’t go for the Paul Rudd ideal.

It would be easy to fault Whip It! for its lack of dramatic resonance, or the oversimplified representations of both beauty pageants and roller derby. When Bliss gives her big speech about why the Hurl Scouts are the most important thing in the world to her, it would be reasonable to ask for a more inspiring answer. But even if the message of Whip It! is on the gentle side, it’s still a good one: be who you want to be, and you will find your community. I’m a member of the small community of Whip It! lovers. Hopefully more will join.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard readers for many years.