A-

Toni Collette is surprisingly excellent. Above average acting, story, and lightheartedness make this one worth catching. One of the year's best.

From two weeks ago:

I'm tired, so I won't write a lot. Totally not expecting to love this movie as much as I did. In Her Shoes is one of the most satisfying movie experiences of the year. Director Curtis Hanson and writer Susannah Grant have fashioned a lovely film that never rings anything but honest, and the film doesn't hold a gun to your hand forcing you to laugh or cry like a lot of melodramas do. The acting by Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine is stupendous. All three women deserve award recognition. This is a technically a chick flick, but I would recommend it to anyone. LOVED IT. A

In Her Shoes

The only reason why I saw In Her Shoes was because they were premiere tickets. And you have to be seen at these things. And I am so happy I went. The movie is a total hoot. Its a chick flick, for the most part, but there is enough material to keep other males interested.

In Her Shoes is about 2 sisters, Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and Rose (Toni Collette). Maggie is dislexic, jobless, a wreck but very sexy. Rose has a successful job, money, enjoys shopping for shoes, however is fat and has no self control when it comes to finding her sister a job and telling her she is a total wreck. After Maggie does an unspeakable act with Rose's boss/off-again-on-again boyfriend, Maggie is banished from Rose's life.

Maggie runs to Florida hoping to find her long lost grandmother, Ella (Shirley MacLaine) and use her for some free accomodation and a hope Ella will give her money in the total of $3000. While back at home in Philidelphia, Rose temporarily gives up her high-profile-high-paying job to become a freelance dog walker, she falls in love with a man, however is clearly unhappy.

The performances are top notch. Cameron Diaz shows why she is one of Hollywoods highest paid actresses. She is flawless, and hopefully this will silent some of her critics. However it is Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine's performances that truly capture the movie. The supporting cast, also provide wonderful perfomances. Susannah Grants (Erin Brockovich) screenplay is a hoot and truly captivating.

The only minor problem in the film, is the predictability. The director goes to the obvious place and stays there. Which also leads me to say that the trailers are a total plot spoiler.

However, the film works on the emotional levels and is a real crowd pleaser. Audiences who have experienced friction with family members in the past will enjoy this and could probably relate to one or both of the two sisters.

GRADE: A

In Her Shoes is a movie going treat that should appeal to movie fans, regardless on their gender, mostly due to vivacious performances credited to the power trio of outstanding actresses.

Most impressive to me, was the work by Cameron Diaz, who plays the scatterbrained younger sister, Maggie, who's party girl, fly by the seat of her pants ways have worn thin with everybody, including her protective older sister, who finally has enough of Maggie's freeloading when she catches her in bed with her boyfriend. Understandably, she kicks Maggie to the streets. Maggie stumbles onto old envelopes at her father's house while getting her belongings (she was earlier kicked out by her step mother) and searching drawers for money. (she was not above stealing)

Maggie then discovers they are from a grandmother that she never knew. Birthday cards with 5 dollars bills inside, enough, in fact, for Maggie to make her way from Philly to Florida to meet her next meal ticket, her grandmother, played by the wonderful Shirlie MacLaine, in an Oscar worthy performance. It's not long befor ethe embracing Ella (MacLaine) catches on about her newly found grand daughter's desire to use and milk her, but instead of tossing her out, she tells her if she gets a job at the local old folks home, she'll match what she makes dollar for dollar. Speaking in a language that Maggie understands, the two start to build a relationship that is both believable and sometimes touching.

Meanwhile, back in Philly, Rose has moved on with her life after Maggie almost ruined it, and starts a business as a dog walker. Love also blooms for her, as she's tracked down by one of her former business associates whom she has no interest in, but her slowly beats her down, and she agrees to go out with him. Without Maggie holding her back anymore, Rose starts to live up to her potential, and the same holds true for Maggie, who starts to do more for herself now that she doesn't have her sister to look after her anymore. Maggie struggled to read because of her servere dyslexia, and she struggles to perform other everyday things, and it really messes with her confidence, and as she has to start getting by on more than just her looks, the character goes on a great journey toward becoming a more well rounded person. She even learns to read, as she would read everyday to one of the elderly men who lives at the nursing home, and the film's heart tugging scenes when she finds out he died was pulled off well. The rest of the supporting cast fill the movie with comfortable characters, and in the case of the retirement community, some warm and funny old geezers.

Speaking of looks, Cameron Diaz hasn't looked this good since her Mask days, and looked more filled out like she used to.

The end is wrapped up in a big happy bow, as the sisters are once again reunited, Rose gets married, and their grandmother is brought back into their lives forever and ever, in a very satifying conclusion. In Her Shoes isn't what I'd call a chick flick so much as a good flick. Bordering on great, actually, and if I thought it would look as credible, I would have given it a more deserving A- than a ...

B+

What do you mean by that? It didn't look credible...?

Giving it an A- wouldn't look as credible as a B+, I believe. (Though I'm not entirely sure I understand that idea.)

On the surface, this doesn't look like an A grade movie. It's bordering a B+ and an A-, so I'm giving it the B+ for no really good reason at all, other than it could slip to that grade for certain once the novelty wears off. Just as deserving of an A- at this point in time.

There's lots to like about In Her Shoes, but ultimately I felt managed. It was as if this movie was made by a manager instead of a director. Now, as long as I was well managed emotionally, I could live with it, but there were times I felt man-handled! I also didn't think any of the three lead actors were entirely convincing - again, if I gave in to their charms sure - I could go with the flow - but, if I gave them any thought at all, their act became obvious. Still, the whole schmozzle somehow kept afloat, barely, and bore me back ashore...

3 out of 5.

Collette is surprisingly excellent? She's been damn great in pretty much everything she's been in the past few years

Kinda looking forward to this.

I never said she wasn't always great. She was better than great... Excellent. I didn't expect such a nice performance... silly me

Rose Feller (Toni Collette) is a successful lawyer who has never really lived life to the fullest. She spends her evenings lounging around her apartment eating leftovers or engaging in a torrid affair with her co-worker Jim (Richard Burgi). Her sister Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is the complete opposite. She's a free spirit wild-child who only wants to have a good time. After a long night of partying leaves Maggie homeless, Rose decides to take her in. But soon it becomes too much. The uptight Rose can't take the laid back attitude that Maggie conveys. It all comes full circle when Rose catches her in bed with Jim, an incident that sends Maggie packing and leaves the two on bad terms.

With nowhere to go and no job to fall back on, Maggie packs up and decides to move in with someone she barely knows - her grandmother. Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine) lives in a retirement community and has never really met her grandchildren. After her daughter was killed several years back she lost all contact with the family she once knew. So the sudden arrival of Maggie certainly takes her by surprise. But what starts out as a simple moneymaking ploy slowly becomes much more, as Maggie begins to find herself and learn to love the world she is living in.

Meanwhile, Rose is having the time of her life. She has quit her job at the law firm and now makes a living by walking dogs. She has also found her first true love in the form of the friendly and understanding Simon (Mark Feuerstein). But something still seems to be missing. Eventually Rose decides to find where Maggie is and reconcile their once strong bond.

IN HER SHOES may sound like the predictable chick flick, but it really comes off as so much more. Everything presented here is excellent, from the strong directing and excellent writing to the brilliant and pitch-perfect performances. Cameron Diaz is a revelation here and really gives the best performance of her career. Although the role of Maggie may seem like something that is nothing more than a glamorous one-note character, it really is so much more. Diaz really "uglies" herself up for the role and isn't afraid to make the audience hate the character. At the beginning she comes off as shallow and unlikable, but then as the film progresses she really grows on you. The performance is one of the driving forces behind the project and it wouldn't have worked nearly as well with a less-capable actress in the lead.

The rest of the performances are also brilliant, especially from the two other leads. Toni Collette is sympathetic and realistic, delivering another fantastic performance. She really stands out in some of the film's more emotional moments and she has great chemistry with Diaz. Shirley MacLaine is brilliant as well and is sure to garner an Oscar nod for her subtle yet effective performance. She plays Ella with a sense of quiet wisdom and lots of emotion, relying heavily on the delivery of the dialogue and facial expression. She is impossible to dislike here and the character is one that will really stay with you. The rest of the cast is basically stuck in smaller supporting roles, but most are pretty strong. The standout of the bunch is Mark Feuerstein as Simon, who serves as a good love interest if nothing else.

The screenplay is easily one of the best of the year. The characters are all rich, fascinating and developed. No character is wasted here and all of them serve some sort of importance. There is a layer of humor mixed in with drama and symbolism, all molding together to create a crowd-pleasing yet poignant film. Curtis Hanson, famous for his contrasting works in the film noir L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and the hip-hop saga 8 MILE, directs the film and continues his unpredictable film streak. He does an excellent job as well, capturing the vibrant nature of Philadelphia as well as the sunny and welcoming environment in Florida. Several interesting shots can also be found, and one of the final scenes is truly a visual standout - one that will easily stay with you.

Overall, IN HER SHOES is one of the best films of the year, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. The acting is brilliant and all three of the leads deserve award consideration. Plus, the story itself is a hilarious, emotional and moving one about the power of family. I can't recommend this film enough, for it is definitely a must-see.

9/10 (A)

excellent review.

Thanks!

i agree about philly. i love that city. anyways, which last scene are u referring to?

The scene at the end with Diaz in the middle of the road and the headlights in the background.

I too loved that scene. Very memorable.

And why isn't thompsoncory writing for the site? That was a fantastic review. Please, sumbit it to baba!!

Thanks for the comments, you guys!

And what do you mean, like send it to him in a PM or something?

Yeah, ask him or Eagle if they are interested in posting your review. Last time I checked, they were open towards members contributing to the main site.

It's up

I loooooved it. Way more than I should have. Hm, I was actually more impressed with Diaz than Collette (though I can't say which performance was better) for some reason, guess because I never really thought much of her. I'm *this* close to saying its my favorite film of the year so far. A

B+

I had it at straight A midway through, but the second half wasn't tight enough, and the story dragged some. It could use about 15 more minutes of editing. Shirley MacLaine gave an absolutely gem supporting performance as Ella. She deserves an oscar nomination. I just love it whenever she is on screen. The movie overall, however, isn't significantly enough for Best Picture consideration. The other performances, while all pretty good, did show a positive correlation between the age and how good the performance is.

After seeing nice screen returns by 60 / 70 screen legends Jane Fonda and Barbara Streissand, we get a little bit of an upgrade with 50 / 60 screen legend Shirley MacLaine.

Recommend all to at least catch her movie The Apartment.

**************

Some of her top movies from IMDB.

(8.39) - The Apartment (1960)
(7.99) - Being There (1979)
(7.64) - Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003)
(7.45) - The Celluloid Closet (1995)
(7.35) - The Children's Hour (1961)
(7.31) - Some Came Running (1958)
(7.29) - Terms of Endearment (1983)
(7.28) - The Trouble with Harry (1955)
(7.27) - Irma la Douce (1963)
(7.11) - In Her Shoes (2005)

Enjoyed the movie overall.

Since most are praising Cameron Diaz, I thought she was good / enjoyable but I was thinking that she was basically playing herself on screen. Maybe not the stupid aspect. But in general, I saw glimpses of her Charlie's Angels performance plus thinking of her suppose partying / model / Hollywood lifestyle.