Movie Review: Whip It!

Warning: Spoilers below the fold.

This movie made me want to join a roller derby team and beat up people, with only a few intermittent breaks in between rounds to ferociously make out with my fully-supportive boyfriend.

I saw this 2 weeks ago so I may be forgetting some things. Moving on ...

• Hurrah for the return of Ellen Page. I really enjoy her, and I liked her somewhat meek, yet at times forward attitude her character had. She also played off Maeby really well. They seemed like friends, not actors pretending to be friends.
• Speaking of Maeby, YES! She's back! Her and Daniel Stern!
• Drew Barrymore directed the movie, which all of you probably know. The directing was nothing special. The roller derby action scenes were really good though, with real high energy. The rest of the film was perfectly adequate.
• In fact, the whole plot was pretty, you know, average. Little girl lost. Finds herself. Deals with rejection and struggle. Overcomes and gets support. But, all the actors — especially Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden and Kristen Wiig — gave their characters a lot of nuances that made them really appealing and relatable.
• The supporting cast — which included Zoe Bell, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Juliette Lewis, and the third Wilson brother (Andrew!) — rocked.
• What Bliss's guy did was douchey. When I watched her kick his ass to the curb, I wished I had had her conviction when it came to dealing with the asshole boys in my past.
• I love roller derby names. Bloody Holly, Rosa Sparks, Iron Maven, Jaba the Slut, Pocket Rocket. LOVE IT.
• The romance was the B-plot to Bliss's overall story, which was refreshing. It was also great to see so many different women participating in the roller derby. Chicks rule!

I wish more people had seen this movie.

My roller derby name? Anita Ikea. I will take you out with fast, resourceful Swedish vengeance.