Quick Review: Whip It

I am bound and determined to catch up here, so here's the first of three movie reviews for tonight (I hope).

"Whip It" is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. Not being a filmmaking expert I don't know how one determines if a movie is well-directed or not. For me, a great movie must mean a great job of directing. Yet I'm sure there are plenty of occasions where a film wins major awards for best picture but not best director. I'll just say that I liked the movie but didn't love it, so I guess for a first-time director Drew didn't do a bad job. Film aficionados please feel free to educate me.

Ellen Page ("Juno") stars as Bliss, who doesn't really fit in with the crowd in her small town. Her mother is pushing her into entering beauty pageants, but she isn't really into it. On a shopping trip she discovers a flier for a Roller Derby event in Austin, and attends with her best friend. She loves it, and is encouraged to try out herself by one of the Derby participants. Since she knows her family won't approve, she hides her involvement. The whole thing plays out much as expected, with the appropriate messages for young girls about female empowerment and being yourself and so on. But it's somewhat enjoyable. One thing that I liked about Page's performance is that Bliss isn't quite Juno -- she's not yet confident, self-assured, quick with a smartass comment, and so on. Page needs to avoid being typecast, so this is a step in the right direction. My grade: B-minus.