Whip It (2009)

Last night's movie - after Puppet Master - was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It. Base on the novel of the same name, the film follows small town, Texas girl Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) who wants out of the shithole she's known her whole life. She lives with her pageant mother (Marcia Gay Harden), her non conflict father (Daniel Stern) - who probably wanted a son at some point - and her little sister, works at a diner with her best friend, Pash (Alia Shawkat), and attends high school where she at the bottom of the food chain. Typical high school girl set up, don't you think. When she discovers roller derby, her life is changed - here is a pack of women who don't conform to what society expected of them - the antithesis of what her mother was raising her to be, yet not wholly different.

I can't think of a better movie that has this sort of engery. But I can tell you that I now regret my choice four years ago when I was following the South Texas Rolleristas for an article I had been writing. Had I been able to see them in action rather than just sitting back and watching them practice, I think I would've enjoyed the sport so much so that I would've wanted to see them all. But if there's one thing I did learn from the film and STxR it's that roller derby is a woman's sport, meaning men wouldn't be brave enough to attempt it.

(via: Tumblr)

I think I'm going to have to pick up the novel, though I'm sure it'll be YA.

Roller Derby related stuff: