Whip It - Movie Review

It's not the time of year of big blockbusters but that doesn't mean you can't find something worth watching at the movies. Whip It is a perfectly serviceable movie to fill in the time before the holiday season starts and it'd be well worth your effort to find it playing somewhere before it moves on to DVD.

Ellen Page pretty much owns the quirky-teen role these days and does her usual wonderful job as Bliss, a frustrated small-town teen looking for something more than beauty pageants her mother insists she compete in. Her outlet? Roller derby! She knows that wouldn't be her parents first choice so deceptions must ensue for her to follow her bliss. The plot follows the usual underdog sports team trajectory but the ending was refreshingly surprising. What I liked most, though, was the realistic and genuine way Bliss was treated when her lies to her parents were found out: her teammates, while supportive, couldn't approve and her parents were hurt and not merely exasperated. Too many of these kinds of movies give unearned wisdom to the kids and the parents are merely obstacles to be overcome. And what follows about forgiveness and redemption make this little jewel of a movie more than just a good-time comedy about grrrrl power.