You clearly have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to the sport, M. Faust and you sound incredibly ignorant trying to talk about it. Although I do respect your opinion on the movie it ends there.

MY NAME IS DAWN-O-MITE, YES, THATS RIGHT, IM A QUEEN CITY ROLLER GIRL OF BUFFALO, NY. IT IS APPARENT THAT YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A MODERN ROLLER DERBY BOUT OR EVEN KNOW A SINGLE ONE OF THE ALMOST 100 EDUCATED, ATHLETIC AND TALENTED LADIES. THE LADIES OF THE ROLLER DERBY WORLD ARE PROFESSIONALS, MOTHERS AND EVEN GRANDMOTHERS (SPEAKING OF MYSELF, HERE).

WE LOVE OUR SPORT, LOVE EACH OTHER AND THE PEOPLE OF OUR BUFFALO COMMUNITY. WE OFFER OUR TIME AND ENERGY TO FUND-RAISING EVENTS FOR VARIOUS CAUSES SUCH AS CANCER AND BATTERED WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS.

IF YOU DIDNT CARE FOR THE MOVIE, WHIP IT, THEN THAT'S YOUR OPINION. FINE. BUT DO NOT BASH THE SPORT OF ROLLER DERBY WHEN YOU HAVENT THE VAGUEST IDEA OF WHAT WE AS AN ORGANIZATION, A SPORT AND A SISTERHOOD, IS ALL ABOUT.

COME TO ONE OF OUR EVENTS, THEN JUDGE US.......YOU WILL LOVE US, AS EVERYONE ELSE IN BUFFALO ALREADY DOES.

How disappointing that this reviewer appears to never have attended a roller derby bout. These women are some of the most incredible athletes I've ever seen. They are former NCAA athletes, competitive skaters (figure and speed), sailors, and a host of other women who have found a challenging athletic endeavor well into adulthood.

Even more professionally disappointing is the fact that he knew about the book but didn't bother to read it. M. Maust, if it's a book directed towards the teen market, would it have killed you to read it ...in a night - since you surmise it to be a young adult book anyway?

While the movie is a standard coming of age story, as many others before it, and you are certainly welcome to criticize that. But, how fantastic that derby is the action packed back drop on which it rests! Technically, there are some amazing shots and angles that captured some of the heart of derby. The director of photog on this film is one of the most respected in Hollywood. Criticize the content all you want, but your criticism of derby is careless and uninformed at best.

Come watch up. I guarantee you will find a whole new respect for this sport. Proud to skate along with some of the strongest and smartest women I know!

It is one thing to criticize a movie, and quite another to criticize the content of the sport. I'm sure when Space Jam came out, no one ripped on basketball, but more or less Michael Jordan's terrible acting. Yes, roller derby has been around for several years, but be careful when you say it wasn't popular. Remember, you're writing for Artvoice, a periodical that has also been around for quite a long time, but yet isn't hugely popular to the masses. Artvoice reaches several different demographics, including the one who's sport, life, and culture you decided to attack. Roller derby has had an underground appeal which women like us in the Queen City Roller Girls and hundreds of other leagues around the US (and even more throughout the rest of the world) are trying to bring about to the masses. We do it for many reasons: some for camaraderie, a challenge, fun, notoriety, and even to boost self-esteem and morale. Although Whip It revolved more around a teenager's growing into her own and did do a good job of showcasing some highlights and insights into the life of a roller girl, it did not fully capture the depth that roller derby actually has to it. I suggest you do some research before you write an article referencing a movie about a sport you clearly have no idea about. Or better yet, try interviewing some of our league members and coming to our bouts this season, starting on Jan 2nd.

I am a recent draftee into the Nickel City Knockouts as of this season, and although I've only had the pleasure of knowing these and the other teams' women for a short time so far, I can tell you that they are the reason I am staying in Buffalo. I've become a transplant here for a few years more than I'd like to be and have been hating Buffalo, wanting desperately to go back to Brooklyn as soon as I can. Knowing I have these women who are quickly becoming like sisters to me, who are so passionate about such an incredible, challenging, rough sport just as I am, gives me something more to appreciate about Buffalo; I never would have met any of them if it weren't for Roller Derby. And what's more, roller derby is giving me exactly what I've been missing in my life: a physical workout that I truly have fun with, a challenge to push myself that extra mile, and a committed, caring bunch of new friends from so many diverse backgrounds.

To your comment about being less respectable than hockey, who the hell are you to judge that?! Hockey players, although athletes too, are nothing more than glorified wrestlers on skates, if I may say so, myself. They play a sport that requires physical contact and then beef it up when their testosterone levels get too high or the game gets boring so they spice it up with fights. If you even bothered to look into WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association), you'd find out that elbows to the face aren't really what we're about at all, as Smashley Simpson's (Drew Barrymore) character implies. Sure, it may happen, but it's really not as common as in hockey. Should you doubt me, I'd really appreciate you strapping on a pair of skates and joining me on the rink sometime to find out first hand.

I have never read any of your other reviews before, but after having read this, you've shown yourself to be completely incompetent as a writer or journalist. Oh, wait, that's why write about movies....you write your opinions, NOT facts. So when you try to incorporate a little education to your readers, you should start getting some knowledge yourself, and not just the first thing that pops up on Wikepedia to support your "professional" credentials and opinion like a lazy 9th grader just trying to squeeze by on his English class report.

haha well one thing i guess we can say is the derby fans have their panties in a pretty tight twist

we get page long diatribes over a sentence in the review where nothing untrue was even said. it's less respectable than hockey and it's not hugely popular. so? that's an accurate description, sorry gals. doesn't mean the sport isn't fun for those who participate and do enjoy it. relax.

And just what do you think makes it "less respectable" than hockey?! These women go through intense training and have to learn how to give and take a hit just like hockey players, and learn to skate really fast in a much smaller space. Just because it's not as popular as hockey is makes it no less respectable than hockey or any other legitimate sport. This seems like it's going to be something like in high school where the cheerleaders and basketball players fought over whether cheerleading was a sport or not.

It's not so much of an outrage to some of us about the few lines that were written as it is that they put a negative connotation on the sport, when this review is supposed to be about a movie. For those who aren't familiar with the sport and who are reading Faust's review, they are looking to him to find out just what the sport is, and when their question is immediately met with a sneer of a description, it's offensive to those of us who are trying to get people to see the sport for what it is now in modern times. We are a self-funded organization who not only pay dues every month to keep it going, but also have to purchase all of our own equipment and work to get sponsors to assist us because the costs of a roller derby league just to even HAVE one, are quite steep. We do a lot of charity work for various organizations and last year alone were able to cut several checks for over $700 to multiple organizations. We want to be recognized as any other popular sport out there, and of course there will always be objections to overcome, but the big point here is that a review that's supposed to be about a movie, whether the review for the movie was good or bad, began with a negative old-fashioned stereotype. All we're asking is to experience roller derby for yourself and be the judge of what you think of it, and not have your initial perception of it come from the first description Google comes up with.

oh come on. like i said, relax... if you enjoy it that much keep on doing so

i'm not talking out of my butt here though, i dated a roller derby girl and have made acquantence with several through association, i sacrificed many saturday nights with her so i could wake up and take her to practice at an ungodly hour on sunday morning... i know the girls work hard, are very involved, and love what they do

but to sit there and tell me you train as hard as a hockey player with a straight face (and the others ranting on above) is exactly what makes it "less respectable"... don't make it out to be something its not. it's absolutely a sport, i'm not trying to deny you that. maybe some of the girls do train that hard, good on them... but i know that's the exception and not the rule. its a maybe a notch or two above bar league softball...when you guys start selling out the arena 30 or 40 times a year like the local hockey team does we can have an apples to apples comparison...

besides, i think originally Faust meant that comment as a shot at hockey too (but you don't hear the hockey fans crying about it)

That's part of what we're changing about that. 3 time a week practice with the other 4 days training on our own, some of which for some of the teams I know includes martial arts, hockey, yoga, and weight training. To compare roller derby to bar league softball now is exactly what we're trying to get away from and have progressively done so since we started 4 years ago and will continue to do so.

To your comment about selling out an arena, well, that would be amazing, but more people need to know about us first. That's why we're trying to boost morale and public relations throughout the Buffalo community and that's why we're upset about the opening line of Faust's review. Because it hinders readers' judgment of what roller derby nowadays is. One day we aspire to be able to sell out arenas, and I think at the rate that roller derby is growing throughout the country, that will be possible. But like I said, we need to keep spreading the word about how great and fun roller derby is to watch and play!

I'm glad you have experience in some of it's involvement. Regardless of what your status was with the roller derby girl or what it is now, I hope that you, and others, still see or come to see the sport in a positive light just like your other beloved sports.

YOU TELL 'EM HARMSTRONG..........HE HAS NO IDEA............

Clearly no appreciation for the sport. But Joe, you go back to bar league softball. I'm sure they have to practice at 8:00am- and a keg that needs emptying.

I played NCAA basketball and volleyball. I assure you we train just as hard for derby as I did for those sports. And last time I checked, I'm not aware of any catastrophic injuries that occur in "bar league softball"-i.e. broken legs, ankles, collar bones, arms, noses, all of which occur in roller derby.

There are 1000's of people training in the sport. There are many more attending bouts across the country. The UB men's football team couldn't get 500 people to show up at their games until recently (thanks to Coach Gill). So your logic is a bit faulty about attendance.

We're exciting, family friendly, AFFORDABLE and we have a great relationship with some of those very teams in this city who have loyal followings. And they even view us with a great deal of respect. I think our main objective was to detract from Faust's undermining of the sport. Or anyone's undermining of the sport for that matter.

I must say, I was disappointed in the movie on many levels. I find that Smashly Simpson's character demonstrated a lot of gross misconduct on the rink, offenses that would have clearly had her off the track for the season (e.g. punching, tripping, etc). I suspect, Smashly remained on the track in the movie because there was also a mis-representation on officiating...did anyone notice? No one calling out the pack, no one pointing out lead jammer; ONE official, one announcer, one couch...so lame...so unrealistic. I can see why M. Faust would have trouble with the believability of the sport if that was his only reference. Though I am glad the movie may generate interest in the sport, it was a huge disappointment.

Unfortunately, it portrayed derby girls in a pretty trashy way, sending a negative message about derby girls in general. I am proud to say that I skate with some of the smartest, highly educated, professional women in the Queen City Roller Derby League. Our league is divided into four teams, however, we remains sisters on the track until bout night. We help each other perform well, improve our game and our skills. These are some of the most terrific women I have had the good fortune to spend my time with!

This is an actual sport, with RULES. If you're interested in reading further regarding the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, its rules/regs and expectations, please google WFTDA.

If you're in Buffalo and want to participate in an exciting sporting event, please see QCRG.net for the Buffalo Gals bouting schedule.

If you want to write a decent movie review critiquing a sport you know nothing about....do your homework!

love & skates,
the notable strumpet #70 SS

The movie isn't going to win any Oscars, that's for sure, but I was anxious to see how well it portrayed roller derby in general & I'm pleased to say I was not all that disappointed. Obviously there were a lot of exaggerations, Hollywood-ized scenes & an ultra-simplified portrayal of the sport: the blockers didn't even move on the track, only jammers were shown doing anything, the whip was shown as a Hail Mary-type of last-hope play instead of the standard, regularly used move that it is, fights & choreographed "plays" were used, etc. But I realize this is not a documentary. This is Hollywood, and its portrayal of a sport I so love was generally positive, in my opinion. The excitement, commaradarie & unique culture of derby were all captured fairly well, even though oversimplified & "dumbed down" for audiences everywhere. I was fully aware that it is a coming-of-age movie so the predictable storyline wasn't a surprise--I wouldn't have thought it'd be a surprise to a professional movie reviewer who had done his research.

Faust, had your review shown a bit more tact & knowledge of the sport instead of comparing roller derby to professional wresting (!) you would have gotten a much better response from the derby community, who take offense to such a casual dismissal of the legitimate sport we play. And rightly so. As a real-life derby player who is certainly competitive but not ever "out for blood," I thought Page's character was actually more believable than Juliette Lewis' over-the-top angry, high-school bully character. While you would have liked to see the movie "exploit" our sport instead of showing one girl's story of what it's like to actually play it, I have to disagree. I prefer the more realistic version to the more sensationalized version... just like the sport of derby itself. I invite you to come to one of our next bouts and see for yourself just what it's all about.

-Wrecks Kitten
Queen City Roller Girls

You girls need to get laid.

I'm not sure why Roller Derby can be considered less respectable when, in derby if you throw a punch your zebra's will throw you out of the game. Not to mention the league will likely dish out a game suspension, maybe even permanent expulsion. We take sportsmanship and fair play very seriously.

For whatever reason our fans show up is their own, but the Queen City Roller Girls sell out nearly every game. Come on down January 2nd and see our season opener, and you won't be disappointed.

“a team-sport equivalent of professional wrestling, like hockey but less respectable”. c’mon dude! you shouldn’t be so cliché. these women are all business when it comes to roller derby and they work hard, dedicate their time, safety & well being to do something they love.

would you do something you love for 3 days a week on top of your regular 9 – 5 job, being a husband and a father?

now, what if you didn’t get paid for it? would you still do it?

if you answered yes to the above questions then you should give credit where credit is due. remember these women compete in this sport for the love of the game; nothing more…nothing less. for you to compare them to wrestlers & hockey players is simply disrespectful on so many levels. these women don’t get paid; volunteer their time to various community outreach programs & have comradery that most professional athletes dream of. so, please don’t compare them to wrestlers or hockey players that follow the bouncing dollar sign to the next best thing.

do you think bowling is anything like what the coen brothers portrayed in the classic movie “the big lebowski”?

are all trips to vegas as fun like in the movie “the hangover”….ok, bad example.

the point i am trying to make is that, a movie is what someone’s “interpretation” of any given subject is with a few twists thrown in, whether it be for laughs or tears.

i highly doubt you know a thing about derby and to draw anything from this movie concerning the sport is absolutely insulting. maybe this movie isn’t what you expected, but for someone to bring a movie like this to the silver screen is simply amazing. i can sum up this movie in one word “nostalgia”. i think it is great that this movie was made and to think that some former derby girl(s) might take their kids/grandkids to watch or maybe to inspire the next generation of derby girls is simply amazing.

i’ve read your reviews of past films and you have the uncanny knack to look for the “whats wrong with this film” mindset. just my opinion but just like everyone on this planet we call earth, we all have them. it’s suggested that you do at least a little research prior to your bashing of any film you do in the future.

respectfully,

gar-zilla
alley kats (bench manager)
&
proud member of the qcrg

p.s. ladies please take it easy on the softball comments ;)

I many times enjoy m. faust's reviews, find his cynicism and biting sarcasm amusing and appreciate his film critiques. Not so this time. I had already seen the movie before I read the review and think that a movie is what it is. I'm not sure what he would know about being a teenage girl, a mother, or a woman, for that matter and so he wouldn't understand. I found the movie very enjoyable. I've always been a fan of Drew Berrymore and was excited to see her directorial debut. I found the moving entertaining, inspirational and fun.
You don't always have to be an intellectual, you can just be a human being sometimes...

hey hacksaw... how ignorant to say "you girls need to get laid"
is that your answer for everything?
give me a break
is that the best you can come up with?

If I may clarify: I like roller derby, and grew up watching it on TV, when it was presented as pretty much the equivalent of "professional" wrestling - filled with outrageous and colorful characters, and cartoonishly violent. My mother always told us that as a girl her ambition was to run away from home and join the roller derby. The movie disappointed me because it didn't seem to me nearly as much fun as watching the real thing. As far as being less "respectable" than hockey, perhaps I should have said less "mainstream" - it doesn't have as many fans, isn't played in gargantuan arenas, the players don't make six or seven figure salaries, etc. And I did read some of the book, but found it annoying (but shouldn't a book aimed at teenaged girls be annoying to grownups?) Perhaps I erred in assuming that anyone reading this already had some basic familiarity with roller derby, but I have faith in the eclecticism of Buffalonians.