Plot
Straight-laced Rose breaks off relations with her party girl sister, Maggie, over an indiscretion involving Rose's boyfriend. The chilly atmosphere is broken with the arrival of Ella, the grandmother neither sister knew existed.
Release Year: 2005
Rating: 6.7/10 (28,348 voted)
Critic's Score: 60/100
Director:
Curtis Hanson
Stars: Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine
Storyline Two sisters, plus a dead mother, a remarried father, and a hostile step-mother. The sisters, each in her way, have perfected the art of losing. The elder, Rose, is an attorney, responsible, lonely, with a closet full of shoes. The younger is Maggie, beautiful, selfish, and irresponsible. Her drunken behavior gets her tossed by her step-mother from her dad's house; worse behavior gets her tossed from Rose's apartment. Then, while searching in her father's desk for money to filch, Maggie finds an address; the past and the future open up to her and, with any luck, may open to her sister as well.
Writers: Jennifer Weiner, Susannah Grant
Cast: Cameron Diaz
-
Maggie
Anson Mount
-
Todd
Toni Collette
-
Rose
Richard Burgi
-
Jim Danvers
Candice Azzara
-
Sydelle Feller
Brooke Smith
-
Amy
John Mastrangelo Sr.
-
Di Bruno Bros. Cheese Guy
Emilio Mignucci
-
Di Bruno Bros. Cheese Guy
(as Emilo Mignucci)
Mark Feuerstein
-
Simon Stein
Terrance Christopher Jones
-
Lawyer
Nicole Randall Johnson
-
Rose's Assistant
Kateri DeMartino
-
Ferocious Shopper
(as Kateri Demartino)
Brandon Karrer
-
Canal House Guy
Jon Ingrassia
-
Bartender
Jason Peck
-
Cuervo Carl
Opening Weekend: $10,017,575
(USA)
(9 October 2005)
(2808 Screens)
Gross: $83,073,883
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Both the sister and the grandmother of the author of the original book (Jennifer Weiner) appear in the movie.
Goofs:
Continuity:
After Maggie breaks the heel off a pair of her sister's boots, she changes into leather boots (flat-soled) that she had in the car. She proceeds into the dog kennel. When she comes out later, and the car is missing, she is once again in the high-heeled boots.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Maggie Feller:
Your 10-year high school reunion. Everybody wants to make a good impression and I was making mine on Ted, Tad?, whatever...
User Review
IN HER SHOES Stands Tall
Rating: 9/10
Having previously tackled a wide range of themes in his films, Director
Curtis Hanson delves into the love/hate relationship of two disparate
sisters in the film, In Her Shoes. The result is an enjoyably
entertaining comedy/drama featuring a number of topflight performances
and some hilarious dialogue.
Maggie Feller (Cameron Diaz) is an irresponsible, practically
illiterate alcoholic who sleeps around and mooches or steals to get by
in the world. Her sister, Rose Feller (Toni Collette) is a self
conscious, workaholic lawyer who is dating her boss and indulges in her
one passion, fashionable dress shoes. (Maggie's obsession with Rose's
sexy heels recalls an ongoing theme of television's Sex and the City.)
Both sisters lost their psychologically impaired mother to a supposed
car accident that affected their family over the years. One day Maggie
is thrown out of her house by her step mother and dad. Finding refuge
with her sister, Rose, she proceeds to make life miserable with her
carefree attitude and interference that ends in embarrassment and anger
for both. As Rose's romantic and professional life is turned upside
down, Maggie is sent packing and turns to one last hope, her maternal
grandmother she never knew, namely Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine). Ella
works in a retirement community in Florida, and Maggie's appearance
causes quite a stir. When she lost her daughter, Ella lost touch with
her granddaughters, and Maggie's 'visit' serves as a catalyst for
reconnection. Maggie's visit becomes a reawakening of sorts for herself
and a chance for Ella to rediscover her lost family. Meanwhile, Rose is
at a crossroads in her life and decides to change course in her job and
finds romance from an unlikely source. Anxious to reunite her
granddaughters, Ella resorts to extreme measures to bridge an emotional
gap as her two girls begin to discover their own identities in unique
and unexpected ways.
This is a gem of a film. It says something when you realize early on
that you are watching something special. Curtis Hanson
(L.A.Confidential, Wonder Boys) has struck gold with Susannah Grant's
(Erin Brokovich) adaptation of the best seller by Jennifer Weiner. The
film is really about the secrets and lies that cripple a family over
time and how a strange course of events revisit the relationships or
lack thereof. Hanson and the company do a marvelous job of balancing
some very funny dialogue with more serious, dramatic scenes. There are
some great, memorable lines, some of which are funny and smart without
losing sight of the context of the story. A number of scenes are
touching and affecting in their sensitive handling of real emotions
without becoming clichéd. It's nice to see real people who change over
time and how seemingly inconsequential supporting characters gradually
come to the forefront.
The acting by the entire cast is strong and you appreciate the little
nuances in facial expression and inflection of dialogue that enrich
each character. This may be Cameron Diaz's best performance. That's
saying something as the glamorous model has been more star than actress
in her most popular films (Charlie's Angels, There's Something About
Mary) and she is given a juicy role with sharp direction. Toni Collette
has always been a solid actress in any film (Sixth Sense, The Hours)
but she has found a wonderful character in Rose and makes the most of
it. Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment, The Turning Point) is
terrific in what is a change of pace role where she eschews makeup to
look her age and shows a maternal wisdom that is the stuff of
Supporting Oscars. You wish there were more of her in the film, but
what's there is delicious. It's nice to see an old pro like Norman
Lloyd still displaying his acting chops in what is a minor role of a
bed-ridden patient who has a profound influence on Diaz's character.
The performances are complemented by seamless editing which not only
captures the right reactions, but effortlessly switches back and forth
between the two sisters especially during key scenes that are
thematically linked. Although the running time goes over two hours, the
pacing is good, and everything seems integral to the storyline. The
musical score by Mark Isham is quite effective in complimenting the
emotional moments without ever being intrusive.
Despite its strong script, the film never fully explores Maggie's
transformation which, while uplifting and remarkable, is never totally
convincing given her origins and tendencies. Things get wrapped up in a
dreamy sendoff which is perhaps too good to be true, but those same
qualities also make for a more upbeat film.
Hanson displays a very keen eye in relating what is essentially a
woman's film. Yes, this may be considered a woman's film in its theme
and target audience, but considering the fact it is also a well made,
funny, and heart rending film about love and family, the women ought to
bring along the men. In Her Shoes is not just about rival sisters but
rather it is about a family yanked apart and slowly brought together
again in ways that are not altogether apparent at the start. How these
lost souls meld together is the stuff of high entertainment and
substance.
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