Whip It - 2 1/2 smiles

If “Whip It,” directed by Drew Barrymore, succeeds, it’s because of its star, Ellen Page even though she looks younger than she did in “Juno.” If it doesn’t, it’s because the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Page plays 17-year-old Bliss Cavendar, who’s trapped living in Bodeen, Texas and participating in an endless string of beauty pageants that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) insists she enter. On a trip to Austin, Bliss discovers roller derby and she’s so excited by the sport that she attends the tryouts, lying about her age. Improbably, Bliss demonstrates uncanny speed and becomes the newest skater for the Hurl Scouts, joining Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Bloody Holly (Zoe Belle) and Rosa Sparks (Eve). Of course, Bliss’s addition to the team sparks the quality of their play, taking them from last to second and the showdown match comes on the same evening as a pageant Bliss promised her mother she would attend.

Screenwriter Sauna Cross has left out a sense of what would compel someone to strap on a pair of skates and roll around a track throwing punches, dodging kicks and risking serious physical injury. However, what is strong is the relationship between Page and Wiig, who becomes Bliss’s surrogate big sister and between Page and her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat). For her directing debut, Barrymore keeps things light and the roller derby scenes are convincing. “Whip It” is a typical coming-of-age story, but, if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief, it works. 10/2/09