Drenching itself in ‘70s and ‘80s stylings merely reinforces the fact that Whip It has been seen a hundred times before in slightly altered incarnations. Still, as a saga of rebellious youth achieving self-actualization, Drew Barrymore’s maiden behind-the-camera effort could be far worse, excessively prolonging its tale but injecting it with enough vivacious you-go-girl energy to help make up for the sense of familiarity. In tiny Bodeen, Texas, outcast teen Bliss (Ellen Page) is stuck participating in pageants at the behest of her living-vicariously mother (Marcia Gay Harden) until she stumbles upon an Austin-based roller derby league populated by tattooed outsiders and immediately falls in love. Covertly joining the team (dubbed the Hurl Scouts) behind both the backs of Mom and non-confrontational Dad (Daniel Stern), Bliss discovers her true self. Hers is a tale of individuality found and embraced that, predictably, is complicated by her parents eventually discovering her ruse, her new rocker-dreamboat boyfriend (Landon Pigg) turning out to be less than he initially seemed, and her loyal best friend (Alia Shawkat) suffering for Bliss’ own selfish goals. Whip It’s plot adheres so smoothly to its formulaic structure that it barely makes an impact, and Barrymore’s direction can occasionally go a tad slack in the editorial-pacing department. Yet between the soundtrack’s sweet rock cuts, a cast (including Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon and Barrymore) that imbues sketchy roles with lighthearted joviality, and a performance by Page free of Juno-esque quirk, the film has verve to spare, not to mention a message – namely, that fighting (of the literal and figurative kind) is always preferable to conformist pageantry – refreshingly delivered with more blood and sweat than tears.
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