In Her Shoes
With friends it is easier.
When they call you at three in the morning because they are too drunk to get
home, or when they steal your boyfriends or your shoes; you can just decide
they aren't worth the heartache and write them off to experience. It
doesn't work so well if you share the same gene pool.
No matter how much you
battle, how often you disappoint each other, there is a built-in bond that
is hard to just ignore.
In Her Shoes is an
examination and a celebration of this bond. Based on a novel by former
Philadelphia Inquirer scribe Jennifer Weiner, it looks at two sisters
who are polar opposites.
Maggie Feller is a
beautiful-but-aging party girl who has gotten by on petty larceny and her
looks. She has never held a job for any extended time, nor has she
been able (or even really tried) to overcome her dyslexia. She's not
getting any younger and the years of skating by are coming to a close, but
she always knows if she really gets in trouble, her older sister Rose will
bail her out.
Rose Feller is a smart,
workaholic Philadelphia lawyer who has nearly given up on relationships due
to low self-esteem. (Rose is often referred to... and refers to
herself... as fat, however Collette certainly isn't. Granted, compared
to Diaz, she looks a little dumpy, but you never quite buy her as the
loveless loser that she is made out to be.)
When Maggie finally pushes
her sister too far, she goes down to Florida to mooch off of the grandmother
she has just learned is still alive. Shirley MacLaine plays this
grandmother as a smart, loving, watchful and understanding sort, but one who
will not stand for being used.
With grandma's help, Maggie
finds a new life in Florida. Because she can't fall back into her old
habits in this seniors' community, Maggie actually gets her first serious
job as a hospital worker and learns to care for the elderly people she meets
like a dying blind retired Professor (Norman Lloyd) and her grandmother's
spitfire best friend. (Francine Beers nearly steals the movie as a
little old yenta who acts more like a Florida native than all the others
combined -- she obviously knows this world.)
Yes, In Her Shoes is
the epitome of chick flicks. And, yes, if it becomes a big hit, it
will undoubtedly spawn many copycats that are not nearly as smart which will
annoy the hell out of most guys dragged to them. However, everyone
will enjoy this movie.
(10/05)
Jay
S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2005
PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved.
Posted: October 14, 2005.
