Whip It 2009

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: It succeeds because of the emotional rather than comic payoffs, such as a late scene between Page and Harden, where daughter and mother, after a rough patch, hit on an unexpectedly serious subject. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Barrymore hovers over her actresses like the nicest, most nurturing den mother imaginable, and on its own, Go For It formula terms the movie delivers. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Yes, you know exactly where this movie is going. But Barrymore and writer Shauna Cross give us plenty of reason to enjoy the journey, however familiar. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: It's virtually impossible to hate the film, but Barrymore's presence behind the camera suggests more calculation than vision; like a lot of actors who direct, she tends to the performances, but her style never rises above bland proficiency. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: Whip It, set in the roller-derby subculture of Austin, is a sweet coming-of-age comedy, safe, familiar and comforting. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Barrymore has so thoroughly laced Whip It with her own lunatic affections for women and the human race in general that it ought to be sold as an antidepressant. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: For the most part, the 34-year-old Barrymore, with much of her life spent in front of the camera and more than a few impressive producing credits already in the bank, proves steady on her feet, able to handle curves and straightaways with equal grace. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: A surprisingly credible coming-of-age story. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a larky and ultimately disposable entertainment. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Barrymore's embrace of gal power is joyful. The skaters are gutsy, goofy or both. They own their own odd sexiness. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Whip It looks like it was a fun movie to make. Unfortunately, it's not all that fun to watch. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Whip It suggests what might have happened if Juno had gone to a high school as poky as Napoleon Dynamite's and decided that although her mother wanted her to be a beauty queen like Little Miss Sunshine, she'd rather just strap on roller skates. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Whip It is funny without trying too hard to be wacky, sweet without being overly sentimental. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: One of the best girl casts of the year. You don't leave wanting to pick up the DVD, but you do want to pick up a set of dumbbells. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Whip It is completely predictable from the first frame. It also is ridiculously, utterly entertaining. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: The cast is mostly female, the first-time director is Drew Barrymore, and the screenplay comes from Shauna Cross, based on her novel. But the teenage themes are universal: breaking from your parents, discovering yourself and following your bliss. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's as if Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine strapped on skates and sailed right into some pat Hollywood comedy. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: It's that happiest of surprises: a multiplex movie that genuinely respects its young audience. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Girls just wanna have fun -- and boy, do they as rough 'n' ready roller derby players -- in Whip It, Drew Barrymore's exuberant and totally winning directing debut. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: This is Juno meets Slap Shot, a well-directed, well-cast romp that doesn't quite transcend its worn formula but is still the best girl-powered sports film since Bend it Like Beckham. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Heaven on wheels. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Built upon a mountain of clichA (C)s, the screenplay wallows in artificiality and, although some of the sports action sequences are well choreographed and have a ring of authenticity, nearly every scene away from the arena reeks of contrivance. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: It's just "Footloose" goes to the roller derby. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Yes, the movie has cliches. Yes, it all leads up to a big game. Yes, there is a character's validating appearance near the end. Yes, and so what? The movie is miles more intelligent than most of the cream-of-wheat marketed to teenage girls. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Screenwriter Shauna Cross dulls the edges of her novel Derby Girl, which the skate action and rockin' soundtrack can't disguise. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Whip It has such a sweet spirit that it's easy enough to let its flaws sail by. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: Love may be too strong a word, for me. But I'm deeply in like with Whip It. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Scene for scene and beat for beat, this roller derby crowd-pleaser crackles with joy and jubilation. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: What Barrymore brings is good-natured, girl-powered subversion, a sense of when to flaunt cliches and when to flip them over the rails. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Boisterous, cloying, simultaneously raunchy and innocent, hip and klutzy. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Whip It, Drew Barrymore's fledgling outing as a director, stars Ellen Page in an engaging, affirming tale that's more sk8r grl saga than hell-on-wheels ride. Read more

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: Even if a tale of female empowerment through roller derby is not your particular cup of tea, Barrymore delivers it with such a giddy good sense of fun that it's easy enough to go along with. Read more

David Jenkins, Time Out: Deftly moderating her patented eye-rolling poseur shtick, Page delivers her most charismatic and least divisive performance to date as Bliss Cavendar, aka Babe Ruthless. Read more

Rob Nelson, Variety: Laced with good-natured hipster kitsch and endearingly goofy girl power, director Drew Barrymore's roller-derby dramedy, Whip It, is a gas. Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: Highlights: Andrew Wilson as the roller girls' coach (ah, so there's the Wilson brother who can act) and the roller-derby vets (played especially well by Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig). Read more