Whip It (film), screenplay by Shauna Cross
Directed by Drew Barrymore
Mandate Pictures, 2009

Plot Summary:
Bliss Cavendar (played by Ellen Page) is a seventeen-year-old stuck in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. She doesn't fit in with the mainstream kids, and her mother makes her participate in beauty pageants. One day on a shopping trip in Austin, Bliss picks up a flyer for the roller derby. She gets her best friend, Pash, to drive her, and ends up falling in love with the tough sport and roller derby girls. After the bout, she talks to "Maggie Mayhem" who convinces her to tryout.

Bliss makes the team (the Hurl Scouts), and becomes their star jammer. She develops a romance with a band member who plays at the after-bout parties, then breaks up with him after he goes on tour and she sees a picture of him on the band's website with another girl. Things are going well for the Hurl Scouts, when Bliss's parents find out about her participating in the sport and try to make her stop.

Her father finds her picture and videos of her skating up on the roller derby website and has a change of heart. He allows her to participate in the championship match which happens to be on the same night as the Miss Bluebonnet Pageant that Bliss is supposed to be in. The Hurl Scouts end up losing by four points, but Bliss's parents are proud of her anyway.

Critical Evaluation:
This was a cute movie, if a bit formulaic. We all know that mousy Bliss is going to find herself through roller derby and become a force to be reckoned with. But I liked the message of female empowerment. Bliss stands up to her mother for making her participate in pageants, and she also doesn't take any crap from the boy she is dating. Also, the roller derby bouts were pretty exciting.

Reader’s Annotation:
Bliss Cavendar is resigned to life in a small town, when a chance encounter with some roller derby girls promises to change her life forever.

Information about the Author:
Shauna Cross is the author of Derby Girl as well as the screenplay for Whip It. She skates under the name "Maggie Mayhem" for the Los Angeles Derby Dolls.

Genre: realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Bliss Cavendar and her situation with her family and life in Bodeen, Texas. Next I would talk about her encounter at the first roller derby and how she finds the courage to try out for a team and the conflicts she must overcome to find herself.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
The movie is rated PG-13, and I think it would be appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This film might be challenged for instances of brief sexuality and mild violence. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form.

Why I chose this film:
Roller Derby is becoming more popular and I liked the tagline "Be Your Own Hero." I thought it was a positive message for teenage girls to hear.