Fridae

No darling, this ain't about a bunch of drag queens catfighting
over the last pair of Prada pumps at the New Year's sale. Admittedly,
In Her Shoes shares the same high level of emotional tension
but is much more entertaining — and safer — than the
spectacle previously mentioned.

After the triple whammy of L.A. Confidential, Wonder
Boys and 8 Mile, Curtis Hanson returns yet again with
another shining winner. Adapted from the bestseller by Jennifer
Weiner, he turns the Chick Lit material into an entertainment with
true human emotion and only a few minor concessions to Hollywood
gloss.

The film begins as a study in contrast. Toni Collette is Rose,
a stressed-out, under-sexed, overweight attorney who not only has
to brave the fire of the courtroom, she also has to take on the
addition burden of being the guardian of her sister, Maggie, played
by wild child Cameron Diaz.

Maggie is blonde, dyslexic and parties every night. And after Maggie
messes up big time one night, Rose decides that enough is enough,
and throws her out. It's at this point, when the sisters are parted,
that the film really takes flight and the healing journey begins.
The Deux Ex Machina comes in the form of Shirley MacLaine
as the girls' grandmomma. In her hands, Maggie soon begins to develop
signs of emotional maturity and her transformation is a testament
to the exodus of circuit boys of a certain age retiring from the
scene.

Proving himself to be an actors' director, Hanson once again achieves
cinema magic by conjuring three wonderfully measured performances
from his actresses. Though the character should really be unlikable
as all human leeches come, Diaz is able to infuse Maggie's outlook
with a child-like innocence and the pathos of a little girl lost
that somehow makes everything she does seem forgivable, not to mention
comprehensible. While Toni Collette takes on a less flashy role,
she being the greater actress inhabits it with ease. Muriel's
Wedding anyone? As for MacLaine, I believe her recent Golden
Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress tells it all. Her quiet
performance — unsual for a Diva whose senior years have been
rife with OTT performances — as the stabilizing force that
glues the family together is a winner.

In Her Shoes is one of those film which successfully melds
an engaging story without necessarily sacrificing the substance.
At slighty over two hours, It is simply as good as it gets. Go watch!