Ellen Page is amazing. If you haven't seen Juno, then you need to go and take care of that now. Done? Okay, well, moving forward into Whip It, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, you'll find that Page's Bliss will win your heart, drive you nuts, and rock a few laps around the roller derby arena. Along the way, you might see yourself (as a teen or a parent) or someone you love (your child or your parent), and figure out a few things about yourself along the way.

The child of two neurotic parents, Brooke and and Earl Cavender (Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern), Bliss longs to be liked and special and important, assuming she is none of those things. In her mother's pursuit of pagentry wins, Bliss finds herself overwhelmed and uncomfortable, but when she meets the Hurl Girls, she feels at home. Assuming she's found where she's supposed to be, she bails on her Ivy League-intent friend, Pash (Alia Shawkat), and her family. Throw in a rocker with intent to bed, a few other bad decisions, and the meddling of the archrival leader of the Holy Rollers (Juliette Lewis) and "Babe Ruthless" is on her road to stardom, and trouble. Thankfully, Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and Smashley Simpson (Barrymore) are there to steer her down the rink and back to life.

What I found in the story was a pair of parents who found out a way to forgive ("It's already forgotten," says Earl, when Bliss returns home) and a friend (in Pash) who recognizes that some things are worth getting over. (Speaking of parents, Harden and Stern couldn't be any more amazing, playing their roles to the hilt with humor and sincerity. ) Yes, the roller girls prove to be truly worthy of love and respect, and Bliss grows into what she's always supposed to be, but she couldn't have gotten there without her biological family and her derby family. It's coming of age, battle royale, and familial growth all rolled into one.

It's funny, because I never expected that a group composed of Barrymore, Wiig, Eve (the rapper), Jimmy Fallon (as "Hot Tub" Johnny Rocket), and Andrew Wilson (as their coach Razor) could ever provide this much fun, and meaning. Seriously, the off-the-wall blend of soundtrack, dialogue, and physical humor make this a girl-power movie for the ages. Wait: I'm not supposed to like this! But seriously, the deadpan, the innuendo, and the verbal sparring make it laugh-out-loud, but they almost convinced me that this was a serious sports movie. Maybe Barrymore should've taken over in directing Semi Pro and The Benchwarmers, and then we'd have laughed and cheered for them, too.

Whip It proves that we must be true to ourselves and true to our calling, but we'd better not get caught up in the adoration of others or we'll lose sight of those things. The derby is a world where misfits become stars and heroes are made from the least likely of people. Isn't that what this "kingdom of God" we're chasing is all about? Shouldn't we be able to chant with the Hurl Girls proudly, "We're number two!?" Shouldn't we be able to celebrate having done our best, even if we don't win? Aren't our lives about the journey?

Skate on.