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Back Shelf Beauties
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In Her Shoes I laughed at Just Like Heaven, think the trailer for Rent is the best trailer of the year, failed to ask Nicole Kidman out on a date when I had the chance, and absolutely loved In Her Shoes. Am I supposed to burn my Man Card, or just rip it into several pieces? Toni Collette stars as Rose - the good girl. She's a hard working lawyer in Philadelphia involved in a hot and steamy office relationship with one of the firm's partners, but she has a heart of gold always being tested by her sister, Maggie (Cameron Diaz). To say Maggie is the bad girl is like saying Ben and Jerry's ice cream is a little fattening. She's a gorgeous, irresponsible party girl who has come to Rose looking for help after getting kicked out of their father's (Ken Howard) house. Reluctantly, because she knows this will lead to something horrible, Rose takes in Maggie, and something horrible happens which drives a huge wedge between the two loving sisters. Forced out of Rose's house, and with absolutely nowhere else to go (also known as not having someone else to take advantage of), Maggie decides to take a gamble and seek out a mysterious, estranged grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) she and Rose never knew. Will Rose and Maggie be able to overcome their difficulties to remain loving sisters? Why did they never meet this unknown grandmother? One of the best parts of my job is having the opportunity to see the magical moment when a writer, director or actor has a career defining or career changing performance. After seeing In Her Shoes, you may never look at Cameron Diaz in quite the same way again. The blonde, goofy surfer girl persona is gone forever (unless she gets paid a boatload of money to do it again). In her place is a fantastic actress who can take on a complex role and make it look easy and natural. Diaz is amazing in In Her Shoes. She makes Maggie into a vivacious, sexy, intoxicating vixen who also is full of angst, fear and can be utterly detestable. Like a great piece of art, you can't look away from Diaz as she uses the script, her own ability and her interactions with each co-star to mesmerize us, and every Oscar voter in the audience (is anyone else getting sick and tired of me pointing out possible Oscar nominees?). Diaz is so good, I felt sorry for Collette, who puts in a strong performance in her own right, but, much like Rose, she is getting shown up by a flashier performance. Collette is wonderful as the door mat. She makes Rose into the Plain Jane who has done what she's supposed to, worked hard, been responsible, and always wondered why everyone else is having such a good time. Collette is at her best when showing Rose's dowdiness and manic moments, but it is the more subdued performance of the two. Just remember, Diaz needs Collette like peanut butter needs jelly. One is the rock, while the other gets to be wild, but we can't judge wild without knowing the rock. Collette doesn't get swallowed up by the shadow of Diaz's Oscar worthy performance, so In Her Shoes benefits. Writer Susannah Grant (based on the novel by Jennifer Weiner) and director Curtis Hanson do an amazing job telling the story through every twist and turn, bringing the movie's natural emotion to the fore and creating some strong dialogue between the various characters. So much happens in In Her Shoes, only a masterful director like Hanson can present it to us in an easy to follow way (and make Diaz into the greatest actress in movies today). He helps us effortlessly follow each character's story, while Grant is able to create fantastic exchanges between various players that sound real. Grant and Hanson show us how each relationship changes, whether it is a rift or two characters growing closer. These are wonderful conversations about life each and every one of us has had with those close to us, or in our own heads late at night when it looks like the world is getting us down. In Her Shoes turns on the waterworks towards the end as the family revisits the past and tries to move forward. You'll want to bring some tissues as the movie ends strong. 4 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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