“In Her Shoes” (20th Century Fox)
Cameron Diaz returns to the screen in “In Her Shoes,” one of the most delightful movies of the year. It may be a “chick flick” but it is the best “chick flick” you will see this year. Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine co-star in this movie based on the best-selling novel by Jennifer Weiner and directed by Curtis Hanson. They are all in top form.
The film tells the story of two sisters Maggie (Diaz) and Rose (Collette). Their eccentric mother dies when the girls are young and so they turn to each other for love and support. Rose grows up to be a dedicated attorney with little success with men. Maggie (Diaz) is a beauty who is scatter brained and promiscuous.
When Maggie’s self-centered behavior finally drives Rose to distraction, she goes to Florida to seek out the grandmother she and Rose never knew. They had been told their mother’s mother was dead. But Ella (MacLaine) is alive and well in a retirement home in Florida. She gets quite a jolt when the effervescent Maggie turns up at her doorstep.
The film is a story of relationships and it dots every “i” and crosses every “t” in getting its story told. When the film ends it is complete in every way, and that leaves the audience totally satisfied.
Diaz is perfectly cast as the lovely Maggie who angers the audience with her insensibility but wins them back with her unexpected compassion. Diaz grows better and better with reach role she undertakes and with such strong co-stars as Collette and MacLaine she rises to their level of talent.
Collette is so dynamic as Rose that she makes you see the person beneath the surface. No one would claim Rose to be a great beauty but she is certainly someone you could love. And she is loved and celebrated by the audience before the film ends.
Then there is Shirley MacLaine. This is a highly unlikely role for her as Ella is a quiet person who has been hurt by the world but still soldiers on. This movie lets Shirley’s soul and heart shine through or at least lets her act like it is shining through.
Mark Feurstein is perfectly cast as Simon Stein, the man who adores Rose. He gives his role the right touch of the nerd and the romantic. This is not a film with strong male roles but Feurstein makes an impression.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and sexual situations.
“In Her Shoes” is the movie “The Ya Ya Sisterhood” wanted to be, without the clamor and histrionics. Sisters will be going to see this movie in droves, and loving every minute of it. Boyfriends and husbands who are drug along might also find themselves enjoying it.
It’s true that people are going to call the film a “chick flick” and they will be right, but this is a film of that genre that thoroughly entertains. Curtis Hanson showed his skills with “L A Confidential” and “8 Mile.” He does it again with “In Her Shoes.”
I scored “In Her Shoes” a size 8 out of 10.
