Stars: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Landon Pigg
Running time: 111 mins
Rating: ★★★★

CONSIDERING how spectacularly cinematic the sport is, the world of women’s roller derby has been strangely ignored by film-makers.

Actress and producer turned director Drew Barrymore puts that right with Whip It, an unashamedly entertaining story of a small town girl making good.

As she’s portrayed by Ellen Page, the young – 23 playing seven years younger – actress Oscar nominated for her role in Juno, we can be sure that the playing is more realistic than cliched.

The story, based on Shauna Cross’s semi-autobiographical novel, covers all the expected bases in a coming-of-age story – clashes with parents, sneaking out behind their back, first love, worries about the future – but Barrymore puts a fresh, enthusiastic shine on them.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) dreams of escaping the small truck stop town of Bodeen in Texas. Her mother, obsessed with beauty pageants, believes that if Bliss can win the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant she’ll have a better start in life.

When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat), she discovers roller derby – a world in which women on wheels race round the track beating up rival competitors as they speed along.

She tries out for a place in the Hurl Scouts team and becomes Babe Ruthless. She leads a double life, working in a café after school and sneaking off to the city to race in roller derby competitions.

There’s friendship with fellow team member Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and rivalry with tough, no holds barred Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis). And there’s romance with boy in a band Oliver (Landon Pigg).

Barrymore clearly sympathises with her young heroine’s plight and ensures the rough and tumble of the roller derby scenes is breathlessly captured on film.

She even throws in an underwater sex scene – it’s only a 12A so nothing too outrageous – for good measure.