Movie Review: Whip It

Ellen Page, the tiny 22 year old Canadian actress who can command the screen like nobodies business (think Juno and Hard Candy), plays Bliss, a 17 year old who wants to follow her heart and join a roller derby team called, The Hurl Scouts. The only problem is, her mother, played perfectly by Marcia Gay Harden, is intent on her becoming a beauty pageant queen. The Hurl Scouts, a team made up of women who wear highly modified Girl Scout uniforms, with names like Maggie Mayhem and Bloody Holy, are a no-holds-barred group of girls who really know how to have fun. Juliette Lewis (am I the only one enamored with her because she flaunts her incredibly flat chest), plays Iron Maven, Bliss's nasty adversary who manages to steal every scene she is in. The singer/songwriter Brandon Pigg, plays the adorable but not so admirable, love interest. Drew Barrymore does a great job in her directorial début mixing badass moments with scenes of tenderness. Whip It is a coming of age movie but more importantly, it is about Girl Power. It's fun, fast moving and I would be very surprised if it doesn't reach some kind of cult status.