This film is based on a novel written by Shauna Cross. In a town near Austin Texas, Bliss Cavendar's strong-willed mother believes that Bliss at the age of 17 can win beauty pageants. She also believes that winning is the key to a happy life. But, Bliss isn't the beauty pageant type? She's shy, quiet and has just one friend and that is Pash, her fellow waitress at a diner. Things change for Bliss when she discovers a women's roller derby league in Austin and she tries out for the team. She is whip fast and she makes the team. Now she needs to become someone tough on the rink, keep her parents from finding out where she goes twice a week and do something about a first crush!! Her crush is on a musician she meets at the derby. Meanwhile, mom still sees Bliss as Miss Bluebonnet the beauty pageant winner? Things are on a collision course and will everyone get banged up not just on the track but in their lives?
This coming-of-age sports drama stars Juno’s Elliot Page and was directed by perennial teen fave Dew Barrymore. It offers empowering messages for girls, especially those with unconventional interests and hobbies. The main character tells lies to her parents and hurts her friends. She does face the consequences of her behavior and learns from her experiences. There is plenty of aggressive skating and confrontations during the movie's fast-paced roller derby scenes. Some strong language, underage drinking and sexual references. There is a scene with a teen couple kissing and getting mostly undressed underwater. 3 1/12* (I liked this movie)
111 min, Drama directed by Drew Barrymore and written by Shauna Cross with Sarah Habel, Shannon Eagen, Edward Austin Kelly, Mary Callaghan Lynch, Elliot Page, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Barbara Coen, Ella Scheel, Nina Kircher, Daniel Stern, Mark Boyd, Carlo Alban, Douglas Minchiewicz.
Note: Imdb 6.9* out of 10* with 64,497 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 84% out of 189 critic reviews 74% with 100,000+ audience scores, Letterboxd 3.5* with 459 fans, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, commonsensemedia.org 1* consumerism, 2* sex, positive role models, 3* language, drinking, drugs & smoking, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 32 critic reviews 6.8* out of 10* with 122 user scores.
Special Note: The Manson Sisters were played by Rachel Piplica and Kristen Adolfi. They are better known as Iron Maiven and Krissy Krash of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls. The pair skated for the Hurl Scouts in this film and in real life they skate for the Tough Cookies. This the team the Scouts were based on. At one point in the film, Bliss Cavendar lies about her age as being 22 (instead of 17), this was the actual age of Elliot Page who played her at this time. Elliot Page dropped out of the film Drag Me to Hell (2009) to be in this film. Formerly known as Ellen Page her name was changed to Elliot Page 12/1/2020.
Mistakes: During the try-out, Razor is timing the girls' speed around the track with a stopwatch. But, he announces their times as getting faster and not slower the later the time a girl crosses the line? In one of the first locker room scenes Smashley Simpson has a taped up nose and two black eyes. In the next scene her nose is not taped and her black eyes have disappeared. In the food fight scene, Iron Maiven throws a french fry onto Bliss' face. Bliss pulls the fry off leaving a smear of ketchup and then tosses a banana cream pie at Iron Maiven. When Maiven retaliates by dumping a chocolate shake onto Bliss' head, the french fry is back on her face?
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