Whip It

A high school-aged barbecue waitress in a small Texas town discovers the empowering goodness of roller derby in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, which showcases another great performance from Ellen Page. The movie works as both a fun portrayal of a crazy sport and a coming-of-age story, thanks to a very game Page, who does a lot of her own skating and has no problem playing 17 despite being 22. Page, who passed on the chance to be in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell to make this movie, made a wise decision. Barrymore proves she has a knack for comedy and sensitive drama, as well as an ability to film the rigors of derby sports. While some moments in the rink look staged, it’s impressive that the actresses do most of their own skating. Also features nice supporting performances from Kristen Wiig and Andrew Wilson.