Whip It

"Laced with good-natured hipster kitsch and endearingly goofy girl power, director Drew Barrymore's roller-derby dramedy, Whip It, is a gas."

"At moments, especially in the conflicted intimacy between Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern as Bliss' parents, Barrymore shows real directing chops. But in Whip It she's painting inside the box."

"An unreasonably entertaining movie, causing you perhaps to revise your notions about women's Roller Derby, assuming you have any."

"You know where it's going, and you've seen these characters before, but it's a moving little flick full of feisty fun."

"While the story itself is a trifle clichéd and not particularly inventive, the roller derby backdrop is fresh and the performances good, lifting Whip It well above above the mundane."

"What makes Whip It a blast is the action in the rink. What gives Whip It heart is the pathos, pain and mettle-testing elements that accompany any serious athletic competition. It doesn't hurt that its diminutive star is surprisingly athletic and agile on the track."

"Clicks on so many levels -- heartwarming family story, rough-and-tumble display of grrrl power and a secondary but tender and convincing romance."