Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with an entertaining movie about coming of age, self discovery and roller derby.

Although Whip It marks her first time as director, Barrymore has been part of the film industry for basically her whole life. She began acting as a child and comes from an acting dynasty. In addition to directing Whip It, she has a role as a supporting character who is the most aggressive and perennially injured player on the roller derby team.

The script for Whip It was written by Shauna Cross who adapted it from her novel of the same name. Cross based the story on her own experiences as a roller derby girl.

The story revolves around Bliss (Ellen Page): a shy, small-town Texas girl who doesn't fit in. In the beginning of the film we see Bliss as unsatisfied teen who must routinely deal with uneasiness and being demeaned. She is forced to endure participating in beauty pageants that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) forces her into. She also works as a waitress at a little diner called The Oink Joint where she has to deal with obnoxious customers and don an apron with a big pig face on it.

One day while shopping with her mom Bliss, sees roller derby girls skate in and is immediately entranced and picks up a flier they left and decides to go to a match. At the game she expresses admiration to a player and is encouraged to try out. Bliss tries out and becomes a member of the Hurl Scouts team and is given the name "Babe Ruthless" as her derby name. Her new name describes the disposition that she must take on in the rink and also learns to adapt in her everyday life.

Through roller derby Bliss finds something that she can be passionate about in addition to discovering who she is. Bliss becomes more self confident, happier and more aggressive. She even applies her roller derby techniques to high school and shoves a mean girl who continually harasses herself. Afterward she quips to her friend, "We deserve better villains."

Bliss also has her first love and an interesting take on a love scene that occurs underwater. What is nice about this film is that while there is a love interest, it is not Bliss's main concern. In many films about teen girls the main goal of the character is to have a boyfriend who she must maintain to be happy. In this film the boy is an interesting side note, but Bliss does not need a guy to define herself or her happiness.

Whip It captures the grittiness and fun of the roller derby world and is set to an alternative soundtrack that complements the story nicely. The story itself may not be a wholly unique tale, but it is still one worth watching. Yes, the whole concept of a young girl finding herself through a newfound passion has been done before, but what makes it watchable is the fact that it was done well. Page is great as Bliss and there are also strong performances by Harden as her mother and Kristen Wiig as one of the Hurl Scouts who serves as a mentor to Bliss.

Another thing that makes this film special is that it is not just about how Bliss becomes happy because she is a dedicated and skilled derby girl, though she is. It is about how just being able to find something she enjoys is enough to make her happier with her life. She, along with the rest of the team are happy just to be in the derby and don't care if they win or lose.

This film is a great start for Barrymore. The film is both quirky and funny which are two things that Barrymore often does in her work as an actress. Though the film wasn't highly successful at the box office, it is plausible that Barrymore could have success as a director with future endeavors. The film will likely find a larger audience on DVD.

By Jenna Rummer