Roller grrrls

The film has been bouncing around for years and is trying to ride a pretty half-assed roller derby wave. If you can accept this kind of marshmallow-weight feminism about a young Texan would-be beauty pageant contestant saved from conformity by the badass bewitching of a roller derby league without rolling your eyes, the film is actually quite a bit of fun. Wiig is sharp and funny as the ‘alternative’ mother figure, and Drew Barrymore wisely keeps herself on the side. The rest is roughhousing and a decent soundtrack.  

Roller Girl (Whit It) | Directed by Drew Barrymore (USA 2009) with Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristin Wiig. Opens September 1