Roller Girl

Life in the small Texas town of Bodeen has long ceased to be a pleasure for seventeen-year-old Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page). While her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) likes to see her in pink dresses at beauty pageants, Bliss is much more in the mood for punk rock and breaking out of the stuffy small-town stale. When she secretly attends a roller derby with her best friend Pash (Alia Shakwat), Bliss is immediately intrigued by the badass yet sexy roller girls. When she strikes up a conversation with a member of the Hurl Scouts, Maggie Mayham (Kristen Wiig), she is persuaded to come for an open practice. However, she hides the fact that she hasn't been on roller skates in ages - and that she's only 17 years old. Despite her weaknesses, Bliss makes the team and quickly becomes the Hurl Scouts' star under the battle name Babe Ruthless. But when her competitor Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) finds out how old Bliss really is, the whole hoax threatens to blow up.

Roller Girl is the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, who made it a point to take on a supporting role in the comedy as well. It took two years until the film also made it to German cinemas. But that shouldn't necessarily be seen as an indication of the quality of this likeable coming-of-age story. Because the film adaptation of Shauna Cross` novel Derby Girl has humor, speed and a lot of heart.

The story about family, friendship and growing up is carried by the wonderful actresses, especially Ellen Page, who since Hard Candy and Juno is actually always a guarantee for first-class performances. It's true that the character of Bliss again corresponds to the role scheme that Page embodies in many of her films. But since she always does this with a lot of charm and credibility, it's hard to accuse her of being one-sided or lacking the ability to change. Also pleasing alongside Page is Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), a complete unknown in this country, stuntwoman and actress Zoë Bell (Death Proof), Kristen Wiig (Bride Alarm) and the once again delightfully loopy Juliette Lewis.

Drew Barrymore herself also plays a not insignificant role, but apart from a few moments when Smashley Simpson, who she embodies, is the focus of the fast-paced action at the roller rink, she keeps herself rather discreetly in the background and concentrates more on the direction. It's a little bumpy here and there, but on balance it's quite enjoyable. Because what the production lacks in craftsmanship here and there, it makes up for with obvious heart and soul and great joy in the work.

Roller Girl is without question a film about girl power, a film about real power women. And yet Barrymore does a very good job of avoiding letting the male characters degenerate too much into unnecessary fringe characters or even jokes. It's true that the one or other man in this film (rightly) gets a good beating. But most of the male characters, like Bliss' father or the desperate coach of the Hurl Scouts, are portrayed very sympathetically and endearingly in their own way.

Roller Girl is a nice little film that works well as a small-town comedy, a charming coming-of-age story, and a low-key family drama. It's an accomplished directorial debut from Drew Barrymore, with another great Ellen Page. This isn't just for power women: Absolutely Worth Seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp