In addition, Juliette Lewis, who played Bliss’ nemesis and lead derby girl of the Holy Rollers, did a great job playing the villain. Page did a fantastic job, as usual, playing the offbeat role of Bliss. In addition, she even falls in love with the lead singer of an indie band named Oliver (played by the handsome Landon Pigg).īarrymore did a wonderful job casting the mostly female cast. In the beginning she is forced to compete in beauty pageants for her mothers sake, but by the end of the movie she is doing something she is good at and is able to speak for herself. In addition, she completely matures in the course of the movie. She digs deep and finds the courage to stand up for herself and what she wants to do in life. It is clear that Bliss finds confidence in herself through roller derby. The ending is unpredictable but will leave most of the audience satisfied. Rough and tumble derby competitions ensue while the Hurl Scouts gradually climb their way up in the rankings. She is instantly intrigued and convinces Pash to go to the event where she falls in love with the sport and decides to join.īliss aka Babe Ruthless successfully lands a spot on the Hurl Scouts with Rosa Sparks (Eve), Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore).

That changes, however, when she comes across a roller derby flyer while shopping in Austin with her mother and sister. When Bliss isn’t competing in pageants for her mother, she is working at a BBQ joint with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat).īoth girls want to get out of the small town, but Bliss lacks direction. When we first meet Bliss, she is having a bad hair day, literally, she accidentally dyed it blue at a beauty pageant where her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) has forced her to be a contestant.įrom the instant viewers see her walk on stage with blue hair, they want to root for her. The movie is a tale of a small town girl, Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), and her foray into the wild world of women’s roller derby. The movie, which was originally written as a novel by real-life derby girl Shauna Cross, is about having fun, finding something enjoyable and finding yourself, something Barrymore can relate most of her life to. The movie successfully blurs the boundaries of action, comedy and romance films to be a charming coming of age dramedy.ĭrew Barrymore chose the perfect project for her directorial debut. It is much more about girl power, friendship and family than the typical girly clichés. The trailer makes the movie seem like a “chick flick ” however, it is completely different.

Those are just a few terms that best define “Whip It.”

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross