day 13 - Whip It

OK film fans, hump day has arrived and we are now coasting downhill towards the weekend. It's much too hard to be insightful and introspective in the middle of a work week, so I've got recent bit fun that disappeared from theaters before you could say grrrl power.

Whip It, is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, filled with an infectious, bubbly spirit like Barrymore herself. It's essentially a third-wave feminist, coming of age indie style film that follows the classic sports motif. Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is a small town Texan teenager on the verge of self-discovery, if only she can escape from the stifling presence of her beauty pageant stage mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). When she sees a flyer for a women's roller derby league in Austin she grabs her best friend, who has a car, and heads out in search of something new. Instantly hooked just from the atmosphere alone, Bliss informs one of the Hurl Scouts, Maggie Mahyem (Kristen Wiig), that they are her new heroes. Maggie lets her know that they are having try-outs the next week, invites her to come and to "be your own hero."

And that's really the subtext of the film. No matter what the obstacles are, the resistance you get from your family and friends or the people you encounter who will try to undermine you, you should be true to your heart and always follow your desires. Bliss, in true sports film fashion, becomes the star of her team and in the process begins to inhabit her track name, Babe Ruthless. And, in true coming of age film fashion, becomes the rebellious teen who tells her parents off and begins to try and live a life different from what was planned for her. Only later does she learn that when you venture into the world and find the friends who will make up your new family, you don't discard the family you left behind.

If only in fleeting memories that appear when viciously jogged loose, I can still remember being 17. The rush attained every so often by escaping the burbs and heading out into the night, driving to empty warehouses on the outskirts of Denver to drink cheap beer and mosh in frenzied pits to horribly bad punk cover bands playing songs from the Dead Kennedys, 7 Seconds, the Germs and Suicidal Tendencies. The rush of making out with girls who already had a slew of tattoos and stories to go with each one. Of course, the next week I would be back in school, playing football, getting good grades and going to keggers in Cul-de-sacs. The lessons learned on the fringes of the city are still with me, below the surface, even as a grown man in a button down world. But I do remember the nights and how it felt to belong to a crowd that enjoyed being different, despite any drawbacks that might be perceived by those in the "real" world.

This film is surprisingly fun and for the first time I actually understand how a roller derby works. Between the quirky indie soundtrack (hey, any film with .38 Special on the soundtrack earns bonus points from me!) and an unexpectedly deft touch by Barrymore, both in the comic and heartfelt scenes, I couldn't help but enjoy this film. Ellen Page truly is an exceptional and fearless actress. Despite the Juno backlash, between these two films and the amazing Hard Candy, she has shown tremendous range and command of her art for a 22 year old. I look forward to the work each will bring us in the future.