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Back Shelf Beauties
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Kinky Boots Joel Edgerton stars as Charlie Price - son of Northampton's longtime shoe manufacturing giant. He never quite took to the shoe business, so he and his trying to be fabulously fashionable fiancée, Nicola (Jemima Rooper), move to London. However, their time in the big city is cut short when Charlie's Dad dies, and he must return to Northampton to run the shoe business. Soon, he realizes the company is performing horribly, and he must lay off many workers, which drives poor Charlie crazy. Not wanting to close the place down and send everyone to the unemployment line, Charlie is inspired by one laid off worker, Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts), who tells him to stop thinking there is nothing he can do and to find a new niche market to help the company survive in the new world economy. Little did Lauren know it would lead to Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his desire for sturdy, sexy boots for cross-dressing men. Will Charlie's new enterprise be successful? Will the workers be willing to manufacture such a product? Kinky Boots is a traditional feel good movie with a quite unconventional, but funny, twist. Director Julian Jarrold and writers Geoff Deene and Tim Firth make Kinky Boots into an interesting and rewarding story about the characters and their unending journey to find inner peace. Each one has a major challenge to face, and we enjoy going along for the ride, even if it all feels like familiar territory. Deene and Firth only deliver one good piece of dialogue at the film's climax, but give Jarrold a series of situations that help us get to know the characters, and it's those lovable characters that overcome the clichés. Ejiofor is wonderful as the proud and vulnerable Lola and portrays the guy with full respect for the character, never demeaning his lifestyle of giving him a flamboyant side that could be the source for cheap laughs, but would, ultimately, be demeaning and out of touch with the story. He brings out Lola's general love for humanity, and touches our hearts as we see the difficulties the character faces in the past and present. Edgerton makes an effort to be the next Hugh Grant as he plays Charlie as a flustered Brit stumbling through life and his relationship, but shows us how Charlie finds true joy when he discovers inner strength and daring. Finally, Potts is irresistibly cute and fiery spark plug of a character who has good chemistry with Edgerton as we wonder if they might be made for each other. Kinky Boots doesn't pack any big surprises, but does leave you with a smile on your face. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2006 - WaffleMovies.com
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