For years, Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) has been dreaming of escaping her tiny, truck-stop of a town Bodeen, Texas.  Unfortunately her devoted, beauty pageant obsessed mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is convinced that Bliss can only succeed in life if she wins the crown at the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant, but the awkward outsider knows there's something bigger and better out there.  When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) she discovers a world unlike anything she could ever imagine:  roller derby, with its girl-power-meets-punk-rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality.
Inspired by the likes of Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Bliss secretly tries out for a spot on the Hurl Scouts, a rag-tag team of scrappy underdogs.  Soon she's trading in her gowns and crowns for skirts, skates and scrapes becoming her alter ego, Babe Ruthless.  Leading a precarious double life, Bliss may be a waitress at Bodeen's Oink Joint by day, but by night, she's becoming the fastest thing on eight wheels.  Now she's doing things she never dreamed of -- fearlessly facing off with bad-ass rivals like Iron Maven (Academy Award® nominee Juliette Lewis) and falling for a boy in a band (singer/songwriter Landon Pigg) -- while trying to be a heroine to her new friends and teammates.  But when her secret gets out, Bliss will face her toughest fight yet:  to take control of the future . . . on her own terms. 
The film marks the feature film directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, who also stars as the feisty Hurl Scout, Smashley Simpson, from a screenplay by Shauna Cross, author of the semi-autobiographical novel from which WHIP IT is adapted. 

In a sharp, gritty yet poignant role, Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, whose sudden encounter with roller derby gives way to a rough-hewn, bruise-filled dream that will collide with her mother's (Marcia Gay Harden) honest hopes for a more gilded future.   
Setting in motion the story's sincere but defiantly bold tone - one in keeping with roller derby's mix of high humor and true grit -- is Drew Barrymore, who makes her directorial debut.  Barrymore could not resist any of the multicolored strands of WHIP IT -- not its dashing free spirit, not its candid depiction of family conflicts, not its sweet moments of friendship and romance, and definitely not the backdrop of one of the edgiest, most empowering, underground sports in America - so she put them all in the mix to whip up a comedy-drama full of energy, humor and yearning. 
Says Barrymore:  "This film is really personal and important to me because it's about a girl finding out who she is, going after what she believes in and bringing out the best in herself.  It's set against the world of roller derby, which is about grit and toughness, but there's also this great wink and celebration and fun to it. It's feminine on its own terms, it's about power without anger and it's exhibitionism that entertains.  It's a world where you get to be your own hero and find your own tribe." 

WELCOME TO THE ALL-GIRL ROLLER DERBY REVOLUTION
In the year 2000, roller derby was reborn.  It happened in Austin, Texas, where a homegrown version of the sport -- grittier, sexier and punkier - won over fans with its refreshing mix of raw athleticism and playful rebellious spirit.  First invented in the doldrums of Depression-Era America, the speedy, full-contact sport - in which skaters chase each other around an oval track, throwing elbows and body-checking one another - became a pop-culture spectacle in the 60s and 70s, then disappeared.  But recently it started making a surprise comeback, as grass-roots leagues began springing up in cities across the U.S., thrilling audiences with their racy clothing, rock-n-roll attitudes and sheer competitive fervor. As newcomers took on sexy, sardonic "skate names" like Condaleeza Slice, Demi Gore and Anna Mosity, Janis Choplin, Eva Destruction and Judy Gloom, roller derby turned everyday girls into local superheroes. 
One person caught up in the fledgling new roller derby craze was screenwriter Shauna Cross who, when she wasn't behind her writer's desk, was smashing with wild abandon into other skaters on the original Los Angeles Derby Dolls, founded in 2003 as the city's premier quad-skate roller derby league.  Skating as her alter-ego Maggie Mayhem, Cross was so impressed by roller derby's liberating powers in her own life that she began writing about it.  She envisioned a semi-autobiographical tale involving a girl who finds her true identity when she secretly tries out for a roller derby league, boldly going against everything the pageant-loving mother she so wants to please wants for her.
"I never would have thought I would write about roller derby, but I was really inspired by all these amazing women I skated with who are so strong and such incredible role models," says Cross.  "From the minute I started skating, I started thinking about this story, wondering what I would have done if I had discovered this when I was 17.  Roller derby is a bit like becoming a superhero - you get a new name, a new persona and you to get to be this amazing person.  I wondered what would I have risked to have that at 17?  Would I have lied to my parents?"
Having grown up in Austin, she set the story in Texas, where roller derby was reignited in its modern, authentic form.  The novel moved into high gear when Cross was working with her friend, Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith, on another project and Smith became increasingly curious about Cross's unconventional pastime.  "It was always that I couldn't meet because of practice or I'd have these big bruises on my arm because of practice - and Kirsten started saying 'you have got to write about this,'" recalls Cross. 
The next thing Cross knew she was pitching WHIP IT to both publishers and production companies - and, in a fulfillment of a writer's wildest dreams, inking deals for a novel and a movie. As fun, fast and heartfelt as the sport itself, the book, published in 2007, won glowing reviews for its hybrid mix of tough action and adolescent searching- and made the story's journey to the screen a certainty. 

TALES FROM THE TRACK:  DEVELOPMENT
The mix of WHIP IT's wry family comedy and raw roller derby setting drew a lot of attention in Hollywood and the rights were quickly picked up by executive producer Peter Douglas.  At the same time, two filmmakers fell so madly in love with Bliss Cavendar's story it seemed they were destined to make it:  Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen, partners at Flower Films who acquired the rights to Cross' book Whip It.  Juvonen and Barrymore have produced ten films including DONNIE DARKO, FIFTY FIRST DATES, HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU and the CHARLIE'S ANGELS franchise.  When Barrymore encountered WHIP IT, the usual process began of searching for the perfect director. Lists were compiled, reels were watched and meetings were taken, but Barrymore seemed to have a different personal connection to this particular piece.
She was drawn to the action, the humor, the vibrant characters, but most of all by the chance to tell a galvanizing story about a young woman fighting to make her own way in the world - in a shocking and unlikely arena.   "I literally had that aha moment, where I thought:  'I have to direct this; this is the film I have to start with,'" Barrymore says. "It felt like something I was practicing for my whole life.  I took every little detail that I had ever seen and learned and experienced and soaked up -- whether it was a song I heard, a museum I went to or a person I met -- and I pictured it all as an emotional and cultural piggy bank. Then I took my piggy bank and broke it all over the floor for this film."
She continues:  "There were three strong elements that I identified with.  First, the mother-daughter struggle and the desire to be accepted for who you are in your family -- finding your tribe. Second, a very important element for me was that I related to a girl who, against all odds, finds her inner strength and believes she can do what boys do while staying true to herself.  And finally, there is the idea that you can be your own hero, which is a huge theme throughout this movie."
Barrymore loved the humor in the contrast between Bliss's bold choices and her mother's traditionalism, but she completely rejected the idea of slipping into satire.  She was too in love with all the characters, including Brooke Cavendar (Harden) and her fiercely defended beauty pageant obsession.  "Some comedies take a sour tone on pageants but I didn't want that for this movie," she explains.  "Bliss's mom honestly believes pageants are a way to get ahead in life, which they were when she was growing up. But the pageant world does make for a fantastic change when Bliss enters roller derby. There is such a perfect juxtaposition between the polished world of pageants and the 'express yourself' world of derby."
Meanwhile, Mandate Pictures had also become fervent fans of the completed script. "After reading such a fresh, heartwarming coming-of-age story and then sitting with Drew to hear her thoughts on how to bring this great script to life, it was clear that I had to make this movie and support Drew's vision in all ways possible," says Mandate President and executive producer Nathan Kahane "Drew brings so much raw talent and experience to the table, I had complete and utter confidence in her from the get-go. WHIP IT proved to be just the right film for her to step into those directing shoes."
Simultaneously, Barrymore invited Barry Mendel to come aboard to produce the film.  In addition to having recently produced MUNICH, Mendel had also worked with directors Wes Anderson, M. Night Shyamalan and Joss Whedon on their early successes and lent direction to Barrymore's process.  "Drew had very high ambitions - she wanted to make an unabashedly fun movie but to also go way beyond that in terms of both depth and style."
The two began by watching tons of movies, from documentaries to modern films to films from the '70s and '80s to find the inspiration for what would ultimately become the look and feel and tone of the screenplay and the film.  They studied cinematographers, productions designers and various other artists to find the ingredients which felt right for the film.  Most importantly, they worked hard on the script fleshing out the mother-daughter, friendship, team and romantic stories, getting ready for the chance to tell the story of these awesome young women. 
"We aspired to escape the brightly-colored often overlit worlds of modern film comedies.  We also wanted to get beyond the lightweight quippiness of most modern movies about young people.  We loved the movies we grew up on, which were fun and funny and entertaining but also had more interesting characters and weren't afraid of gravity and reality and darker shades."
As the filmmakers whipped through development, a question lingered.  "We kept asking: what genre movie are we making?  And the answer was 'a new genre.'" recalls Shauna Cross.  "Depending on which part of the script we were working on it was sometimes a coming-of-age sports movie, while other times it was a very intense drama about a mother and daughter in conflict, and other times it was a fun, modern romantic comedy.  I think that mix of tones reflects roller derby, because roller derby is about all different worlds coming together.  It's this raw, dirty, chaotic realm where the beautiful part is that, no matter what, you get to be yourself." 
"For all of that, though, WHIP IT is the most unabashedly fun film I've produced," said Mendel.  "These women let it all hang out in the way they dress, the flair they bring to the sport and the way they combine self-expression, rock 'n roll and athleticism. People don't know too much about this world, and within a minute of my first night at the track, it spoke to me, I felt honored and privileged to get to make a movie about them.  We all did." 
Mendel adds: "When Drew produced Charlie's Angels, she took a movie that was fun and also showed women being action heroes in a way we hadn't seen before, very feminine and sexy. Drew represents everything this movie is about: emotion, fun and empowerment, and she threw it all into the film."

WOMAN ON WHEELS: BLISS CAVENDAR
The first challenge facing the WHIP IT team was finding an actress who could fill Bliss Cavendar's Reidells.  She needed to be smart, offbeat and authentic - but she also needed to be willing and able to whip around a track at fearless speeds.  Right from the start, there was just one person who seemed to embody the humor, courage and authenticity of the character:  Ellen Page.  Read more

SEEKING MISS BLUEBONNET: THE CAVENDAR FAMILY
Bliss Cavendar loves her mother - but struggles with her mother's overriding dream for her, to win a local beauty pageant crown as the stepping-stone to a satisfying adult life.  To play Brooke Cavendar - who is hiding a strength and passion that rivals Bliss's behind her carefully cultivated façade - Drew Barrymore chose Academy Award winner and recent Tony Award winner Marcia Gay Harden for her unique ability to simultaneously reveal humor and vulnerability. Read more

INTO THE RINK:  THE DERBY GIRLS
When Bliss Cavendar slips away to Austin to see her first roller derby, it's love at first sight, especially when she meets our hero team - the Hurl Scouts, each one a rough-and-tumble misfit, yet all of them sexy, savvy and seemingly living their offbeat lives to the hilt.  Before the skating even begins, Bliss knows she's found a world that's for her.  Casting the vivacious Hurl Scouts, and their equally hardnosed competitors, was a challenging and exciting task for Drew Barrymore, who hand-picked an ensemble of vibrant, funny actors - both veterans and newcomers -- who had a blast with their roles and took on the action with professionalism and enthusiasm. Read more

BEST FRIENDS & FIRST KISSES
When Bliss begins sneaking off to Austin for Hurl Scouts' practice, things slowly begin to unravel back in Bodeen, starting with best friend Pash, who has her own dreams of escaping the small town.  Playing Pash is Alia Shawkat, best known for her acclaimed role on television's "Arrested Development."  Barrymore chose her for the way she and Page played off each other with perfect ease.  Read more

SKATE AWAY:  THE TRAINING
  Drew Barrymore put together a talented, gung-ho cast but, naturally, few had any roller derby experience, and some had never even been on four wheels.  So the first order of business was getting down to training.  Everyone had to prepare themselves for what was ahead. "It's a challenge on your nerves having your actresses involved in such a rough sport right at the beginning of production," confesses Barry Mendel. "It was super intense.  But it was also exhilarating to see Ellen Page jump over one of the girls or to see Juliette Lewis whizzing full speed ahead around the track or Drew checking someone and beating them up.  I was really proud because all the training they did paid off." Read more

THE MUSIC
Music has always been a huge part of Barrymore's life and she wanted a strong musical presence in the film, "Music grabs you and puts you in that mood.  Mix that with film and it's very powerful", says Barrymore.  Whip It, which has over 75 music cues throughout the film, brings together everything from classic punk rock to hip hop.  Rhino Records will release the Whip It soundtrack this September. Read more

THE WHEEL WORLD:  THE DESIGN 
The look of WHIP IT goes from rural home town to the streets of Austin, as Bliss journeys from the pageant world to the totally opposite derby world, through a storm of colorful emotions and situations.  From the beginning, Drew Barrymore had a vision for how she wanted to visually bring the full spectrum of Bliss's experiences to life on the screen.  "There were so many different styles that I wanted this film to have," says Barrymore.  "It was sort of a greedy vision.  I love comedy. I love action and I love human drama because we have all that in life, and I wanted to mix all of those together." Read more

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

DREW BARRYMORE (Director/Producer/Smashley Simpson) has been a favorite of film audiences for almost three decades.  Behind the camera, she is also enjoying success as a producer under her own Flower Films banner, with such hits as NEVER BEEN KISSED, CHARLIE'S ANGELS and 50 FIRST DATES. In addition to producing the films, Barrymore joined Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu to star in both CHARLIE'S ANGELS and CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE, which, together, grossed more than half a billion dollars worldwide.
Barrymore has starred in two films in 2009 HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, a comedy ensemble with Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck and  her Emmy nominated performance in "Grey Gardens", co-starring Jessica Lange. EVERYBODY'S FINE, co-starring Robert De Niro will be released later this year.
She has also earned praise from both critics and audiences for her performances in a wide range of romantic comedies MUSIC & LYRICS, opposite Hugh Grant; FEVER PITCH, in which she starred with Jimmy Fallon under the direction of the Farrelly brothers, and 50 FIRST DATES, opposite Adam Sandler.
Barrymore also starred in the 2007 drama LUCKY YOU for director Curtis Hanson.  Other recent films have included George Clooney's widely acclaimed biographical satire CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, with Sam Rockwell; Penny Marshall's RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS; NEVER BEEN KISSED, which marked Barrymore's producing debut; HOME FRIES, opposite Luke Wilson and the smash hit comedy THE WEDDING SINGER, opposite Adam Sandler.  Barrymore made her feature film debut at the age of five in the science fiction thriller ALTERED STATES.  However, it was her scene-stealing performance as the precocious Gertie in Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL that catapulted the young actress to stardom.  She went on to star in the thriller FIRESTARTER and the comedy IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Her other film credits include STEPHEN KING'S CAT'S EYE; FAR FROM HOME; POISON IVY; GUNCRAZY, for which she received another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress; BAD GIRLS; Herbert Ross' BOYS ON THE SIDE; MAD LOVE; BATMAN FOREVER; Woody Allen's EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU; and Wes Craven's horror hit SCREAM, which launched a successful franchise.

SHAUNA CROSS (Screenplay By) is a screenwriter and author from Austin, Texas who has a soft spot for rebels and misfits who triumph with their own wit and resilience.
Cross also plays roller derby for the Los Angeles Derby Dolls under the moniker "Maggie Mayhem."   WHIP IT is based upon Cross' own experiences.
In addition to developing an HBO comedy pilot for Ellen Barkin, Cross is currently adapting Gayle Forman's novel If I Stay for director Catherine Hardwicke (TWILIGHT) and Summit Entertainment.  She also wrote the screenplay LIVE GIRLS UNITE!, a true story about a group of badass exotic dancers in San Francisco who formed their own labor union.
In 2008, the editors of Variety chose Cross as one of the "Ten Screenwriters to Watch."  Cross attended the University of Texas Film School.

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