In Her Shoes (2005)

CHICK FLICK! Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick fliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick! What else could you possibly expect from a movie about sisters that involves shoes and a search for their grandmother? That's all you need to know. You either like the genre, you don't like the genre, or your girl forces you to watch the genre with her. Accept which one applies to you and go with it. If you're chickflicktose intolerant then this obviously isn't for you.

That being sad, I must admit that thanks to good character and relationship development, good acting, and believable characters set within a believable story, I enjoyed it. Granted, Cameron Diaz's long legs might have had something to do with enhancing my enjoyment, but I was entertained nonetheless.

Things start off a little slow as the relationship between the sisters is allowed to grow, but once Maggie finds herself in Florida, working at an old folks' home, the story and laughs start to pick up. There's one old woman who is particularly funny. I don't know her name (you'll recognize her by the fact that she's in a wheelchair most of the time), but she reminded me of my grandmother, commenting on how Diaz "puts a postage stamp on her bottom and calls it a swimsuit" and acting shocked that there are now pants that exist with "'juicy' written across the hiney." How can you not be entertained by a crotchety old woman's outlook on how the times have a-changed?

If reading comprehension has got you down and you're still struggling with whether or not you want to see this, let me break it down even further. This is a story about the love between sisters. They fight, they drift apart, they find out their grandmother is still alive, and they make their way back to each other. All sorts of lessons on love, self-discovery, romance, and who owns whose heart are explored. There's even some sappy poetry reading thrown in for good measure. I know that this all sounds like a huge shot of estrogen, but thankfully, things never get as syrupy as you might expect.

That doesn't mean there's any shortage of attempts to strain a tear out of the female (and non-manly) eyes. I almost missed out on some dialogue thanks to the sniffling of the four ladies sitting in front of me. So gals, bring your tissues. Guys, if your gal brings you along then bring the sewing kit. You'll need to sew 'em back on after this one. All right, everybody knows what to expect now, so enjoy.

Fmovies: Guys, if you have a girlfriend, take her to see this film. If you don't take your mother or sister. If you still don't have a lady friend to take and see this film with you take yourself and learn something important and heart warming about the story of love, learning and friendship. I was one of three guys in the audience and I have to say I walked away feeling that it is never to late to make good decisions and everyone of every age and sex has something important to contribute. The casting was excellent, the laughs were sincere and those moments where the knot in your throat gets tighter are the real emotions that we all feel. This is honestly a well constructed story that flows off the screen with excellent performances by Cameron Diaz, Tony Collette and the fabulous Shirley MacLaine. Everyone that performed in this film made it complete and the feel good movie of the year!

I don't get all this "chick flick" talk. This is a wonderful movie. I did not expect a Hollywood movie to have characters with depth and an interesting complex family story. Cameron Diaz is a terrific comedic actress (regardless of her obvious sex appeal). Shirley Maclaine plays understated older women and Toni Collenette continues to be a excellent actress. There was good chemistry between all three. Some of the minor characters, especially in Florida were quite good. As a guy I hope all this "chick flick" talk does not deter serious film goers who want to have a rally good time at the movies. This is an intelligent movie for adults- not aimed at the 15-19 year-old set.

In Her Shoes fmovies. The Fall season is when the intelligent, adult films are supposed to come out, and "In Her Shoes" is the first one this year.

A story about sibling rivalry and bonding did not initially have much interest for me, but this is a good example of how a well made film can transcend it's subject matter.

This is one of the best acted films of the year. Toni Collette bears the brunt of having to carry the film because her character is central to the story, and she does a great job. She is convincing as the frumpy older sister of Cameron Diaz, who always gets the guys but who is illiterate and an alcoholic. Shirley MacLaine is the feisty, estranged grandmother. The film starts kind of slow, but gets much better when MacLaine shows up.

This film has a lot in common with a film that came out last month called "Proof." That film had a good story but had poor photography and directing. "In Her Shoes" looks like every frame was done with meticulous detail. The directing is done with confidence and the film does not suffer from the rapid cut camera angles that so many films suffer from these days.

It's no secret that this year's box office has suffered due to the poor quality of the films. The success of "In Her Shoes" will be a good yardstick to tell if people will go to the theater for a quality film.

If you've been waiting for an intelligent, moving film without the gun shots and helicopter chases, "In Her Shoes" is a film you should see.

Enjoyable but slightly flawed, In Her Shoes is definitely deeper than a chick-flick in the handling of the characters. Toni Collette is excellent as usual, as well as Shirley MacLaine, yet I couldn't help thinking while watching that I should read the book it was based on and get a deeper look at these people and their lives. I felt the film could have gone into more detail and I expected it to be longer, as so many plot developments felt somewhat simplified to fit them all in to a 2-hour running time. That's my biggest criticism of the film, but it was enjoyable in general and I had a wonderful time watching. A few other things I enjoyed: the Rocky reference (my favorite), and the opening sequence during the credits. I have to credit this last one to both screenwriter and director for this incredible opening, which in completely visual terms sets up the film's themes. The titles are presented in cuts between the two sisters, highlighting both their conflict and their connection to one another. Generally, it has a nice balance between dead-seriousness and light drama, but I wish there was more of it to comment on.

In Philadelphia, the irresponsible and selfish Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is a drunken easy woman having sex with many men. Her sister Rose (Toni Collette) is the opposite, responsible lawyer but needy and having complex, compulsively buying shoes to relief her frustrations. Maggie is expelled from her father home by her stepmother, and Rose lodges her sister in her apartment. When Maggie has one night stand with Rose's boyfriend, Rose sends her sister away. She finds letters and postcards from her missing grandmother Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine) that she believed had died that lives in a retirement compound in Florida hidden in her father's drawer, and without any option, she decides to travel to meet Ella. With Ella, Maggie changes, becoming another woman and improving the relationships in her family.

"In Her Shoes" is a feel-good comedy with an excellent lead trio of actresses. The story about sisterhood and parenthood is bitter sweet, alternating funny and dramatic moments and with a nice conclusion. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Em Seu Lugar" ("In Your Place")