Drew Barrymore has insisted that her directorial debut Whip It – a coming-of-age comedy-drama about roller derby – is not just for girls. She criticised the studio for marketing it as a “roller derby movie” – the bruising all-female sport – rather than a general comedy-drama for both sexes.

She told the Mirror: “It was upsetting to have a studio put out, ‘It’s a roller derby movie’. I kept encouraging them to market to boys and men, because there was a sports element and when I go to roller derby games there are a lot of males. They love the sexiness, the raunchiness and the fun-ness of these girls beating the crap out of each other.”

The film stars Ellen Page as a frustrated teen who find acceptance playing for her nearby roller derby team.

She added: “I’m a woman so I’m going to make stories about women because I understand them, but I’m also a boy and I can’t stand the term ‘chick flick’. That turns me off. I’m as turned off by that as any guy because I am a ‘dude’.

“I have a very male mentality. The comedy in the film is not little girl comedy. It’s boy comedy, it’s androgynous comedy.”

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Drew Barrymore has been in the public eye for so long now, it seems scarcely possible that she is still only 35. She has such a body of work behind her, it’s a wonder that she looks as fresh-faced as she does. Teetering on five-inch heels, with her blond locks pulled into a loose chignon, she has a childlike quality despite the womanly garb – and it is that beguiling mix that perhaps explains her rare appeal to both men and women.

‘I guess I do have a childlike sense of fun,’ she says, ‘and although I still have my dark days, I’m generally an optimistic person. The way things have gone in my life, sure, I could have been a bitter person. But I just find bitter people really un-fun, you know? And who wants to be that person?’

Not Drew, it seems, who, despite her family’s dysfunction and the drink and drug problems of her youth, is about as fun an individual as one is likely to meet in Hollywood. Since she burst into the public’s consciousness at the age of seven as the adorable Gertie in ET (director Steven Spielberg was her godfather), she has progressed from precocious child star to wild child to award-winning actress and one of Hollywood’s most successful female producers.

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Also, I came across these pictures from the Whip It! press tour from last year which are now available in the gallery. Enjoy! Last but not least, the official UK site for Whip It! has been launched. Go HERE to view it.

ONE glance at Drew Barrymore in her skin-tight leather dress and red satin stilettos makes it hard to imagine her chubby younger years.

Yet, when we meet at the Four Seasons hotel in Hollywood, the 35-year-old readily admits her childhood was tortured: “Oh yeah, school was hell. I was like the fat child who got beat up every day.”

She believes the bullying had its benefits – making her a more interesting person.

“I think some of the most funny and artistic people are the ones who got s*** on at school, had a hard childhood, and have a lot better stories to tell from it,” she says smiling.

“They have a humility, they have an artistry and a humanity, so as much as I feel bad for kids who have to go through a rough childhood, I just believe that if they can turn it around, it’s going to make them the greater people later on. I find a lot of hot people extremely boring – they have not had to work at it.”

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This is a great movie – Drew did an amazing job as both actress and director. Make sure to get your own copy of the DVD and watch it if you haven’t already.

Drew Barrymore’s exuberant coming-of-age roller-derby romp, Whip It, is as utterly likable as the actress herself. In honor of its DVD release last week, Barrymore talked to me about making her directorial debut, her Golden Globe win for Grey Gardens, and the inimitable Little Edie’s impact on her own free-spirited style.

—Erin Clements

What made you make the leap to directing?

Actually, I became obsessed with the idea at 7, but I wanted to be very patient about it. I wanted to be professionally far along in my life that I felt ready to take on the kind of discipline that it takes to be the type of director I wanted to be, which was a very, very detail-oriented presence for everything; every I dotted, every T crossed. Not every director does that and I also appreciate those people who are more relaxed about it, but for me, that’s what works. I found a really good story that inspired me and I worked to make it even more personal. I had to be able to really visualize it and have it be something that got me out of bed every day with total passion.

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, “Whip It,” now out on DVD and Blu-ray, is about a rebellious teenage girl who ditches the expected beauty pageant route and instead finds her own “tribe,” uncovering an unshakable bond with her mother in the process. Drew chats with us about why making this film was so important to her — and why positive messages and positive role models in girls’ lives are so important.
drew barrymore whip it

Momlogic: Why was it so important for you to make this girl-power film?

Drew Barrymore: I love girl power, and I wanted — especially for moms and daughters — to cultivate that environment for them to be true to themselves and each other. Mothers, hopefully, want to protect their kids — but sometimes there can be a massive gap in trust and communication. I wanted to try to see both sides of it.

I also wanted to cultivate the support for people to really be who they are in this world — whether that’s coming from your mother, teammates, etc…. I think that is one of the biggest blessings and fortunes, to be supported for who we are. And honestly, I love it when my friends are real with me.

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EL SEGUNDO (November 24, 2009) – Premiere Props announced today they will be hosting their annual Holiday Auction, featuring their collection of never before seen movie and TV props at the Premiere Props warehouse.

The live auction takes place on Saturday, December 12, at Premiere Props’ warehouse in El Segundo, California (128 Sierra Street, El Segundo, CA 90245). There will be a preview from 9am – 11am, before the auction starts at 11am. The Holiday Auction can be seen on Premiere Props’ 3 camera LIVE broadcast show online. A donation from the auction will be made to the Entertainment Industry Foundation, one of the leading charitable organizations of the entertainment industry.

In honor of the holiday, Santa will be in attendance, as Billy Bob Thorton’s suit from “Bad Santa” is on the auction block, as well as other costumes from the movie. Also up for bid are key costumes and props from Drew Barrymore’s directorial turn “Whip It,” including Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon and Andrew Wilson’s skates, clothing, pinball machine and car. Heath Ledger’s surfboard from “Lords of Dogtown” and his armor from “A Knight’s Tale” will be on sale, and both iconic items are great gifts for his or the movies’ fans. Numerous props and costumes from “Bruno” are available, including a life side mannequin of Sacha Baron Cohen. Collectors can get their hands on items used by today’s hottest stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Garner, Katherine Heigl, Tina Fey, Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Sandra Bullock, Penn Badgley and more!

“Just in time for the holidays, collectors have the chance to bid on items that will make an amazing one-of-a-kind gift for the true fan,” says Dan Levin, Vice President of Marketing for Premiere Props. “Our auction allows everyone the opportunity to bring some Hollywood magic home for the holiday season.”

Fans can also place live bids online at http://www.icollector.com/ with the preview beginning December 12 at 9am and the live auction starting at 11am. For more information, please visit http://www.premiereprops.com or call (310) 322-PROP / (888) 761-PROP.
# Whip It – Bliss’ (Ellen Page) screen worn blue with faded British Flag graphic t-shirt and green with light blue lining “American Apparel” running shorts
# Whip It – Smashley Simpson’s (Drew Barrymore) screen worn yellow t-shirt, and cream with rainbow stripes in triangular pattern with ties zip up in the back skirt
# Whip It – ‘Hot Tub’ Johnny Rocket’s (Jimmy Fallon) screen worn oversized foam cowboy hat with yellow band and yellow star on the front
# Whip It – Gottleib’s “Bronco” screen used Pinball Machine
# Whip It – Maggie Mayhem’s (Kristen Wiig) 1972 Karman Gia red hard top screen used car

You’d think a positive critical consensus would mean a good showing at the box office. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It. Help Whip It earn the coin it deserves when Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment releases it on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26th.

Desperate to defy her beauty pageant-obsessed mother and escape her small hometown of Bodeen, Texas, Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) recruits her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to go with her to Austin to check out a roller-derby bout. She’s instantly hooked and eager to give up the dresses for a pair of skates and a Hurl Scouts uniform. After convincing Pash to cover her shifts at their afterschool job and telling her mother she’s enrolled in an SAT prep course, Bliss is ready to hit the track as Babe Ruthless.

Having been one of my favorite movies of the year works against the film’s release on DVD and Blu-ray. Both the DVD and the Blu-ray for Whip It come with a dismal selection of bonus material. The DVD has an alternate ending and eight deleted scenes. The BD adds just a writer’s draft with Shauna Cross, the author of Derby Girl, the book upon which the film is based, and a digital copy of the movie. I loved both the film and the book, but those two additions are not nearly enough for me to drop $39.99 on the BD rather than just $29.98 on the DVD.

Don’t let my disappointment with the special features deter you from buying this movie. If anything, it shows how much I truly enjoyed the film. I was looking forward to more Whip It. and what these buying options come with just isn’t enough to satisfy.

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At 34, most people in show business are just beginning to make their mark and prove their staying power. For Drew Barrymore, 34 means her third decade in the business. Although she did her first minor TV appearances at 3 and 5, and her first film was Ken Russell’s whacked out Altered States in 1980, Barrymore first captured moviegoers at the tender age of 7 when she melted hearts with her tear-inducing performance in Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Flash forward 27 years, and you’ll find an accomplished actress, producer and now director.

For her directorial debut, Whip It, Barrymore enlisted an all-star cast to flesh out her longtime dream of stepping behind the camera, including Juno’s Ellen Page, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, “Saturday Night Live”’s Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Eve and Andrew Wilson.

Based on the book by Austinite and UT Film School alum Shauna Cross, the film follows Bliss Cavendar (Page), a misplaced waitress of the Oink Joint in Bodeen, Texas, who struggles through every Miss Bluebonnet pageant for her pageant-obsessed mom (Harden). She finally finds her calling in Austin when her and her best friend sneak out to catch a roller derby match. Eventually joining the Hurl Scouts, Cavendar becomes known as Babe Ruthless and enters a world of free-spirited women and fierce competition that begins to take the place of her dead end small town life.

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