Who Plays Who?

Ellen Page Alia Shawkat Marcia Gay Harden Daniel Stern Eulala Scheel Landon Pigg Carlo Alban Shannon Eagen Sarah Habel Mary Callaghan Lynch Alia Shawkat Jimmy Fallon Kristen Wiig Zoe Bell Eve Andrew Wilson Juliette Lewis Rusty Mewha Alexis O'Neill Eli Bleiler Kristen Adolfi Rachel Piplica Ari Graynor LaTasha Pippen Sydney Bennett Nina Kircher Mark Boyd Doug Minckiewicz Michael Petrillo

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Bliss Cavendar Pash Brooke Cavendar Earl Cavendar Shania Cavendar Oliver Birdman Amber Corbi Val Pash 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket Maggie Mayhem Bloody Holly Rosa Sparks Razor Iron Maven Holy Rollers Coach Pocket Rocket Jaba the Slut Manson Sister #1 Manson Sister #2 Eva Destruction Juana Beat'n Kami Kaze Trudy Ronny Colby Poindexter

What Do The Critics Say

"Barrymore's embrace of gal power is joyful. The skaters are gutsy, goofy or both. They own their own odd sexiness. Like the misfit team Bliss Cavendar joins in "Whip It," Drew Barrymore's roller derby flick has tremendous heart and a feisty spirit. Shauna Cross adapted her novel for the screen and kept things smart and nuanced. Plenty of the easy chuckles come from the names the Hurl Scouts and their rivals take for themselves." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST "Drew Barrymore finds the perfect project for her directorial debut, infusing the roller derby fun-fest with her spunk and joie de vivre. As easy as grabbing your roller derby teammate’s hand and having her whip you around the competition. "Whip It" good! Hee-hee." Kit Bowen THE MOVIE KIT "Most of all, "Whip It" is very, very funny. Cross' clever screenplay aims for throwaway jokes and funny asides rather than building up to big laughs. Daniel Stern gives a funny, yet truthful performance as Bliss' dad. Drew Barrymore makes her feature directorial debut at age thirty four, and whips up one of the year's most purely enjoyable Hollywood films. 3 1/2 STARS." Jeffrey M. Anderson COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID "Despite the title, you won’t find any Devo on Whip It’s soundtrack, but the Ramones and .38 Special both make vocal appearances in this film that marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. Juno’s Ellen Page once again flashes her impressive acting chops. Easily skates by on the charms of both its novel setting and its gung-ho cast. 3 STARS." Matt Brunson THE CLOG "The blooming first love between Bliss and musician Colby seems refreshingly true. Juliette Lewis is terrific as the aggressive leader of the rival team, she brings a touch of poignancy to the bravado. And director Drew Barrymore plays a rambunctious team member with gusto. 3 1/2 STARS." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "Racing around a track in skates is wild, goofy and exhilarating, and filmmaker Drew Barrymore captures every bit of that good-natured energy in this film. The movie offers another memorable performance from Ellen Page, and it's an auspicious directing debut for Drew Barrymore. It manages to cover a lot of ground: from teen rebellion to first love to truly finding one's place in the world; and does so without benefit of cliche. There isn't a sitcom moment or a predictable ending anywhere in sight. 4 STARS." Liz Braun JAM MOVIES!

"It's an effervescent, rough-and-tumble rivalry on wheels, celebrating friendship and camaraderie while artfully delineating the struggle within families to understand one another. Ellen Page proves that "Juno" was no fluke; she’s the real deal insofar as talent goes. Barrymore steps from behind-the-camera to charm as a klutzy skater named "Smashley Simpson" and Daniel Stern scores as Bliss’ football-loving father. 8/10." Susan Granger SSG SYNDICATE "A spunky coming-of-age dramady about roller derby that boasts another stellar performance by Ellen Page. "Whip It" is directed by Drew Barrymore. It is based on a novel by Shauna Cross, who also wrote the screenplay taken from her own experiences in roller derby." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE "A movie that starts out slowly but gains momentum as the minutes pass. By the end it has found its rhythm and is fun and enjoyable to watch. A lot of the credit must go to Drew Barrymore who is making her directorial debut, and the rest to Ellen Page who has the skill to humanize the roles she takes." JACKIE K COOPER "It's like a raucous slumber party: laughter; tears; drinking; a food fight and some big purple bruises in the morning. Go see it. You'll glide out of the cinema." Jason Di Rosso ABC MOVIE TIME "It's a coming-of-age movie. It's a sports movie. It's a relationship movie. It's a funny movie. It's a poignant movie. And above all, is it ever fun! "Whip It" is so many things. The performances are terrific, and they include lots of moments when the actors obviously did their own skating: an impressive feat." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "It is a bit of an odd film, this, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I think that's largely because of Ellen Page. And I think she rises to the occasion tremendously, so I really enjoyed watching her. And I think there are some other good elements about the film. I liked Zoe Bell, the New Zealand stunt woman that Tarantino elevated in "Death Proof". She's a member of the team, as well. And, there are some other really enjoyable elements about this. 3 1/2 STARS." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES

The Inside Story Hands up all those who can remeber watching the guys and gals going hard at it in TV'S "Roller Derby"? Well, let me tell you: it may not be on TV anymore but Roller Derby is still alive in Australia and as a home town guy I am proud to report that Adelaide took home the 2009 trophy, winning by two points over Melbourne after two overtime tie-breaker jams. Back in the days before colour TV, we yelled and cheered ourselves hoarse at the the antics played out on the small screen. Around that same time Rachel Welch appeared as K.C. Carr in the roller derby film, "Kansas City Bomber". Unfortunately, Roller Derby would fade into obscurity. In 2000, roller derby was reborn in the US.A. It happened in Austin, Texas, where a homegrown version of the sport: grittier, sexier and punkier; won over fans with its refreshing mix of raw athleticism and playful rebellious spirit. First invented in the doldrums of a Depression-Era America, the speedy, full-contact sport; in which skaters chase each other around an oval track, throwing elbows and body-checking one another, became a pop-culture spectacle in the 1960s and 1970s, before disappearing. But recently it started making a surprise comeback, as grass-roots leagues began springing up in cities across the U.S., thrilling audiences with their racy clothing, rock-n-roll attitudes and sheer competitive fervor. As newcomers took on sexy, sardonic 'skate names' like Condaleeza Slice, Demi Gore and Anna Mosity, Janis Choplin, Eva Destruction and Judy Gloom, roller derby turned everyday girls into local superheroes. One person caught up in the fledgling new roller derby craze was screenwriter Shauna Cross who, when she wasn’t behind her writer’s desk, was smashing with wild abandon into other skaters on the original Los Angeles Derby Dolls, founded in 2003 as the city’s premier quad-skate roller derby league. Skating as her alter-ego 'Maggie Mayhem', Cross was so impressed by roller derby’s liberating powers in her own life that she began writing about it. She envisioned a semi-autobiographical tale involving a girl who finds her true identity when she secretly tries out for a roller derby league, boldly going against everything the pageant-loving mother she so wants to please wants for her. "I never would have thought I would write about roller derby," says Cross. "I was really inspired by all these amazing women I skated with who are so strong and such incredible role models. From the minute I started skating, I started thinking about this story, wondering what I would have done if I had discovered this when I was seventeen. Roller derby is a bit like becoming a superhero: you get a new name, a new persona and you to get to be this amazing person. I wondered what would I have risked to have that at seventeen? Would I have lied to my parents?” Having grown up in Austin, she set the story in Texas, where roller derby was reignited in its modern, authentic form. The novel moved into high gear when Cross was working with her friend, Kirsten 'Kiwi' Smith on another project. Smith became increasingly curious about Cross’s unconventional pastime. "It was always that I couldn’t meet because of practice or I’d have these big bruises on my arm because of practice." Cross recalls Kirsten started saying "you have got to write about this." The next thing Cross knew she was pitching "Whip It" to both publishers and production companies and, in a fulfillment of a writer’s wildest dreams, inking deals for a novel and a movie. As fun, fast and heartfelt as the sport itself, the book, published in 2007, won glowing reviews for its hybrid mix of tough action and adolescent searching. Those ingredients made the story’s journey to the screen a certainty. The mix of the books wry family comedy and raw roller derby setting drew a lot of attention in Hollywood and the rights were quickly picked up by EMMY Award winning producer Peter Douglas. At the same time, two filmmakers fell so madly in love with Bliss Cavendar’s story it seemed they were destined to make it: Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen ("50 First Dates" & the "Charlie's Angels" franchise), partners at Flower Films who acquired the rights to Cross’ book "Whip It". When Barrymore encountered "Whip It", the usual process began of searching for the perfect director. Lists were compiled, reels were watched and meetings were taken, but Barrymore seemed to have a different personal connection to this particular piece. She was drawn to the action, the humor, the vibrant characters, but most of all by the chance to tell a galvanizing story about a young woman fighting to make her own way in the world: in a shocking and unlikely arena. Then Barrymore had one of those 'aha' moment. A moment when, like a flash she thought: "I have to direct this; this is the film I have to start with. It felt like something I was practicing for my whole life. I took every little detail that I had ever seen and learned and experienced and soaked up: whether it was a song I heard, a museum I went to or a person I met; and I pictured it all as an emotional and cultural piggy bank. Then I took my piggy bank and broke it all over the floor for this film." Barrymore loved the humor in the contrast between Bliss’s bold choices and her mother’s traditionalism, but she completely rejected the idea of slipping into satire. She was too in love with all the characters, including Brooke Cavendar (Harden) and her fiercely defended beauty pageant obsession. "Some comedies take a sour tone on pageants but I didn’t want that for this movie," she explained. "Bliss’s mom honestly believes pageants are a way to get ahead in life, which they were when she was growing up. There is such a perfect juxtaposition between the polished world of pageants and the 'express yourself' world of derby." Meanwhile, Mandate Pictures had also become fervent fans of Cross's completed script. "After reading such a fresh, heartwarming coming of age story and then sitting with Drew to hear her thoughts on how to bring this great script to life, it was clear that I had to make this movie and support Drew’s vision in all ways possible," says Mandate President and executive producer and 2008 Christopher Award winner Nathan Kahane ("Juno"). "Drew brings so much raw talent and experience to the table, I had complete and utter confidence in her from the get-go." Barrymore then invited Barry Mendel ("Munich") to come aboard to produce the film. "Drew had very high ambitions: she wanted to make an unabashedly fun movie but to also go way beyond that in terms of both depth and style." The two began by watching tons of movies: everything from documentaries to modern films to films from the ‘70s and ‘80s to find the inspiration for what would ultimately become the look and feel and tone of the screenplay and the film. Cross recalls, "We kept asking: what genre movie are we making?" And the answer was? "a new genre." The first challenge facing the team was finding an actress who could play Bliss Cavendar. She needed to be smart, offbeat and authentic. She also needed to be willing and able to whip around a track at fearless speeds. Right from the start, there was just one person who seemed to embody the humor, courage and authenticity of the character: Ellen Page. "Ellen is such a beautiful creature and has a vulnerability and sexiness that is also tomboyish. I was determined to show every aspect of her as Bliss," says Barrymore. "I didn’t want Bliss to be the cliché of a geek who becomes a badass by the end or the ugly duckling who turns into a swan. Ellen understood that and you watch her transform very subtly." Before she ever tied up her laces, Page knew she was in for perhaps the wildest ride of her young career. "This has been one of the craziest journeys I’ve gone on in a movie," 2008 Independent Spirit Award winner Page admits, "because it is a mix of different genres and worlds and energies and it seems like every moment is so crucial to Bliss’s growth and development. What’s great about this film is that it’s got this rock 'n' roll, cool, sporty aspect to it but behind that is an honest story of a young woman going through a lot of changes. The challenge was molding all that together and Drew did it brilliantly, with her high energy and positive spirit. I am Canadian so I skate. But I wasn’t good by any means, and my skills definitely had to improve." Page ("Hard Candy") endured months of rigorous, even perilous, training and then threw herself into the ring, jamming with the Derby Dolls in Los Angeles for real-life practice. "I was absolutely terrified. It was like the first day of school. No matter how much I’d practiced, it’s a daunting thing to have people wanting to rip your head off while you’re doing it! But when you get it, it’s such a fantastic feeling." To play Brooke Cavendar, Barrymore chose Academy Award ® winner and recent Tony® Award winner Marcia Gay Harden for her unique ability to simultaneously reveal humor and vulnerability. Oscar ® winner Harden ("Pollock"), whose real life daughter, Eulala Scheel, plays Bliss's younger sister, came at the movie with her own point of reference on how mothers and daughters battle each other, misunderstand each other and ultimately see themselves reflected in one another. "To me, "Whip It" is a mother-daughter story. It’s also a roller derby story and a sports drama and a romantic comedy but the heart of what goes on is between Bliss and Brooke: the tension between Brooke having a hard time letting her daughter express herself and needing to let go and Bliss needing to go through that journey of figuring out her own identity." Daniel Stern ("City Slickers I & II") plays laid back dad, Earl Cavendar. Stern starred in one of Barrymore’s favorite movies: the coming of age classic "Breaking Away". "Frankly, to Earl, becoming a roller derby star sounds like a heck of a lot more fun than the Bluebonnet Pageant," Stern says. "With its tough chicks and its rebellious spirit, roller derby is the perfect place for someone to prove her mettle and Bliss is a great character to have the chance to do that." When Bliss slips away to Austin to see her first roller derby, it’s love at first sight, especially when she meets our hero team the Hurl Scouts: a bunch of sexy, savvy, rough and tumble misfit. Before the skating even begins, Bliss knows she’s found a world that’s for her. Casting the vivacious Hurl Scouts, and their equally hardnosed competitors, was a challenging and exciting task for Drew Barrymore, who hand-picked an ensemble of vibrant, funny actors (both veterans and newcomers) who had a blast with their roles and took on the action with professionalism and enthusiasm. "This film is really personal and important to me because it’s about a girl finding out who she is, going after what she believes in and bringing out the best in herself," says director Barrymore. "It's set against the world of roller derby, which is about grit and toughness, but there's also this great wink and celebration and fun to it. It’s feminine on its own terms, it’s about power without anger and it’s exhibitionism that entertains. It's a world where you get to be your own hero and find your own tribe." Synopsis

For years, Bliss Cavendar has been dreaming of escaping her tiny, truck-stop of a town Bodeen, Texas. Her devoted, beauty pageant obsessed mother Brooke is convinced that Bliss can only succeed in life if she wins the crown at the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant, but the awkward outsider knows there’s something bigger and better out there. When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash she discovers a world unlike anything she could ever imagine: roller derby, with its girl power meets punk rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality. Inspired by the likes of Maggie Mayhem, Bliss secretly tries out for a spot on the Hurl Scouts, a rag-tag team of scrappy underdogs. Soon she’s trading in her gowns and crowns for skirts, skates and scrapes becoming her alter ego, Babe Ruthless. Leading a precarious double life, Bliss may be a waitress at Bodeen’s Oink Joint by day, but by night, she’s becoming the fastest thing on eight wheels. Now Bliss is doing things she never imagined: and she's happy. But when her secret gets out, Bliss will face her toughest fight yet: to take control of her future.

The Verdict "Whether your familiar with Roller Derby or not, just the thought of Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Daniel Stern and Drew Barrymore belting around the track on roller skates and belting the crap out of each other should be enticing enough to draw cinemagoers to theatres. 'Baby-faced' Page is like a chameleon. Onscreen she is believable both as a seventeen year old and when she is putting herself forward as meeting the 'adult' age criteria needed to participate in the roller league. "Whip It" marks the directorial debut of accomplished actress and producer, Drew Barrymore. When she's not behind the camera, Barrymore is on the track playing 'Smashley Simpson'. "Whip It" has so much going for it and with a director a little more experienced than Barrymore could have been a 'cracking' film. One critic was prompted to write: "Lacking, when it should be cracking." What is lacking is emotional depth when it comes to spectator response during the frenetic derby clashes. Roller Derby crowds were noted for the fanatical and highly vocal support and it is this factor which lets the film down. All the rest is first-class including the performance from Alia Shawkat ("Arrested Development") who plays Bliss's best friend Pash. "Chemistry is so important," says Barrymore, "and when we did the screen test with Alia and Ellen, it was completely there." Not to be overlooked, "Whip It" is a lot of fun! SOLID 3 1/2 STARS." The Production Team

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producer Original Music D.O.P. Film Editor Casting Production Designer Set Decoration Costume Design

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Drew Barrymore Shauna Cross the novel "Derby Girl" by Shauna Cross Barry Mendel The Section Quartet Robert Yeoman Dylan Tichenor Justine Baddeley & Kim Davis Kevin Kavanaugh Meg Everist Catherine Marie Thomas

Run Time 111 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2009 - Roadshow films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2009 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.