‘Whip It”‘

Let's hear it for the grrrls.

Two in particular: Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page.

Barrymore makes an expectedly sunny -- and unexpectedly assured -- directorial debut with "Whip It."

And "Juno's" whip-smart Page once again proves a delightfully spunky, funky focus for a familiar coming-of-age tale.

This time, however, she's a small-town teen determined to break into -- or, more precisely, crash -- the wheel-spinning, trash-talking, bone-crunching world of roller derby.

It's a winning combination, blending a colorful backdrop with a standard theme -- finding your own way in a world where everything, and everybody, seems determined to block you.

Beyond "Whip It's" thematic qualities, the movie boasts another equally vital, if less highfalutin, quality: fun.

So many movies these days follow a single track. They're either high-minded and pretentious -- or low-down and raunchy.

"Whip It" serves as a welcome reminder that movies can speak to audiences of all types.

It also illustrates another time-honored cinematic principle: It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.

In other words, a savvy script, appealing performances and a sense of real people living real lives -- as opposed to wildly exaggerated, utterly contrived comic antics -- can go a long way toward making a movie memorable.

Memorable, yes. Perfect? Not exactly.

For one thing (a big thing), "Whip It" is set in small-town Texas -- but few of its characters barely muster a twang when they talk. (Maybe it's because "Whip It" filmed far from the Lone Star State, in rust-belt Michigan.)

Still, regardless of their location, small towns can seem equally stifling -- especially to a precocious square peg like Bliss Cavendar (Page), a budding hipster who feels utterly out of place in her map-dot hometown of Bodeen.

Maybe she wouldn't feel so restless if her mail-carrier mother (a poignant, pitch-perfect Marcia Gay Harden) weren't so determined to force Bliss to follow in her beauty-queen footsteps.

In the preliminaries of the annual Miss Bluebonnet Pageant, Bliss dutifully dons her formal gown and answers such probing questions as "If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?" Her rivals smile and reply "God," or "My grandpa in heaven" -- but Bliss cites aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, prompting Mom to roll her eyes in disgruntled frustration.

If only Bliss' father (a wry, world-weary Daniel Stern) would step in. But he's too busy watching football games on TV to help Bliss focus.

Turns out, Bliss can focus just fine -- as soon as she finds something worth focusing on. Which she does after encountering rowdy roller derby skaters during a shopping trip to Texas' hipper-than-hip capital, Austin, and one suggests she try out for the local league.

Bliss put away her Barbie skates years ago, but something about the prospect of joining these tough cookies appeals to her. So she laces up -- and races into a new life as "Babe Ruthless," speed queen of the Hurl Scouts, a down-but-not-out squad determined to rise above their current doormat status.

Thus begins Bliss' double life: high-school misfit by day, roller derby sparkplug by night.

To its great credit, however, "Whip It" goes beyond the track to explore other aspects of Bliss' life, from her changing relationship with her brainy best friend ("Arrested Development's" sassy Alia Shawkat) to her tender, tentative romance with an aspiring rock musician (Landon Pigg).

Appealing as they are, however, these supporting characters are no match for the quirky roller derby denizens "Whip It" celebrates, from Hurl Scout standouts "Maggie Mayhem" (an endearingly down-to-earth Kristen Wiig) and "Smashley Simpson" (Barrymore herself, in trademark wild-child mode) to the sneering leader of the Hurl Scouts' arch rivals, "Iron Maven" (smilingly scornful Juliette Lewis).

Screenwriter Shauna Cross, who adapted her novel, used to skate with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls, and she clearly knows the territory. ("Whip It" even provides a concise explanation of roller derby scoring, something my sister and I could never figure out while we cheered the L.A. T-Birds as they battled the Bay Bombers or Detroit Devils at the venerable Olympic Auditorium.)

Even off the track, however, "Whip It" seems very much at home, convincingly exploring conflicts that can make coming-of-age even more bruising than zooming around the track with the jammer helmet on, dodging rival skaters determined to take you out with a well-timed body slam.

Speaking of skating, Barrymore demonstrates a definite flair for destruco-derby action. But she also understands the human element that keeps "Whip It" on track, whether the action's on the track or off.

Sure, it's real fun -- but it's also real. And that's far more important, no matter what league you call home.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.