Stars: Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Shirley Maclaine, Mark Feuerstein, Brooke Smith, Francine Beers, Richard Burgi, Ken Howard, Candice Azzara, Jackie Geary

Director: Curtis Hanson

Summary: In this screen adaptation of Jennifer Weiner's bestselling novel, Toni Collette (MURIEL'S WEDDING) is Rose Feller, an overweight, overworked, and painfully undersexed lawyer who fills an emotional void with pints of Haagen-Dazs and a closetful of expensive shoes that she never wears. Little sis Maggie (an always radiant Cameron Diaz), who is prone to public drunkenness, one night stands, and wearing lingerie as outerwear, is as lacking in career prospects as her sister is in romantic ones. When her irresponsible behaviour gets her kicked out of her father's house by her spiteful stepmother, Maggie has nowhere to crash but her elder sister's couch. But, after she ignites a series of disasters ranging from the minor to the catastrophic, Maggie is cast out by her angry older sibling, with no job, no money, and no one to take her in. She finds a stash of hidden letters in her father's desk drawer that enable her to track down her estranged grandmother (the wonderfully centred Shirley MacLaine) in a Florida retirement community, hoping to use her impressive skills of manipulation and false charm to financial benefit. While Maggie begins to adapt to life as a nubile young fish in the waters of shuffleboard and wheelchairs, Rose, up in the wintry north, quits her stifling job and begins her own personal transformation. Both women's paths to spiritual growth and self-actualisation might ring false if handled by less nuanced performers and a flashier director, but here they are subtle enough to be both inspiring and realistic. Director Curtis Hanson has proven to be a flexible artist, jumping from genre to genre with the prowess and confidence of those studio directors of Hollywood's Golden Age. With IN HER SHOES, the man behind L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and 8 MILE elevates the chick flick out of that pigeonhole, crafting a story of surprising depth and universal appeal.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 30, 2006 11:50 AM

Maggie ( Cameron Diaz ) and Rose ( Toni Collette ) are sisters and best friends . They are also polar opposites when it comes to values , goals and style . All these girls have in common is their shoe size ! Maggie is a patry girl who barely graduated from high school and believes her biggest asset is her attractiveness to the opposite sex . Rose on the other hand is a Princeton educated
attorney at a top law firm . Her nose is perpetually to the grindstone and her low self - esteem has left her dating life non - existent .
Can the discover true appreciation for one another .

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In Her Shoes just gets better and better as it goes along. As adapted by Erin Brockovich screenwriter Susannah Grant, this is one of those rare movies that actually improves on its source material (Jennifer Weiner's "chick lit" bestseller), with thoughtful direction by Curtis Hanson, the L.A. Confidential Oscar-winner who approaches any chosen genre with Hawksian versatility.

At first it seems like Weiner's novel might yield a standard melodrama of sibling rivalry, but the polar opposition of smart, plain-looking Philadelphia lawyer Rose (the always-excellent Toni Collette) and her sexy, illiterate, irresponsible sister Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is just the starting point. In Her Shoes becomes a moving, richly developed character study that deals with painful loss, long-term guilt, negative self-image, and the discovery of a heretofore unknown grandmother named Ella (played with delicate nuance by Shirley MacLaine), whose re-entry into the sisters' lives sets the stage for the well-earned emotions of a satisfying reconciliation.

As Maggie takes stock of her dismal life while staying with Ella at a Florida "retirement home for active seniors," Hanson never condescends to these likable characters, and never goes for the easy laughs in a setting that could have devolved into Cocoon-like comedy. The movie's all the more endearing for treating its male characters (played by Mark Feuerstein, Ken Howard, and Richard Burgi) with equal depth and sympathy, further enhancing a classy tearjerker that viewers of both genders can thoroughly enjoy.-- Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Alternate Opening Sequence, Easter Egg, The People In The Shoes Featurette, A Community For Acting Seniors Featurette, The Casting Of Honey Bun Featurette
Year:	2005
Release Date:	March 13, 2006
Runtime:	125 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	2866801000
Keywords:	Shoes, Comedy, General, Her, Drama
Genre:	Drama