Barrymore directorial debut 'Whip It!' a resounding success
Director: Drew Barrymore
Cast: Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wigg
Cert: 12
Drew Barrymore hits all the marks in her first move behind a camera with a film built upon the most simple of stories yet delivered by a largely female cast as a gem of a romance, coming-of-age, action and funny film.
That simple story: young Bliss Cavendar (Page, delivering a quality performance even better than the one she brought us in Juno) finds life in small-town Texas a bore chore of sport, via coach father, and beauty pageants, via a pushy mother. Bliss it isn’t.
But the discovery of a roller derby tournament in a nearby town offers escape. She signs up and becomes Babe Ruthless, becomes a star, finds love and, more important, herself and grows up.
The cast is quite excellent. Barrymore – who says the film was close to her heart – emerges as a fine, observant director and the film is simply a rich entertainment all round.
Star Rating: 5/5
