Less secure men avoid chick-lit flicks like In Her Shoes. A word to the less secure dudes: films marketed at females draw them like sales. You sir, can be the only man in theater. Odds don’t get much better than that.
I’m a quasi-chick lit fan. Any genre that move books in big quantities is worth my consideration. This commitment has led me down roads both dark and terrible, such as the Vampire Chronicles.
In Her Shoes is the tale of two sisters, joined by love and hate. Basically, first they hate each other, then they love each other. Along the way they stop talking. Exciting? Not really. Gripping? Like the klemph. Believable? Yes. The credibility factor, combined with the performances, deliver this movie from the bargain bin. Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette seem like real sisters, one drama from a knife fight. Or a hug.
What works about this movie:
1) Performances. Toni Collette at a career best. Even better work than the creepy mom in Sixth Sense.
2) Plot. A few glitches here and there, but any oversights are forgiven.
3) Cast. The actors fit the characters.
4) Direction. The director nursed laughs at the right moments.
Verdict: Girls, test your man’s security and demand a date with this film. Guys, you’ve been warned. DVD purchase, or matinee ( for the Girls Club Squad ).
So I’m confused, did you read the book? I did and as a result I am turned off by the previews. Specifically Toni’s character, who is supposed to be overweight. She clearly isn’t. Does the movie imply that Toni is overweight, or is that aspect of the book toned down by the movie plot?
Just curious.
In the film, Rose Feller ( Toni Collete ) is larger than her sister Maggie ( Cameron Diaz ). Clearly, not overweight on screen, Rose has an average build. The stepmother states that Rose is heavy at every convenience, and Rose says at times she feels overweight. The director addressed the discrepancy through wardrobe and a montage of pictures from “heavier” days past. Throughout the movie, Rose wears baggy, dreary clothes that dampen her appearance. Mix in an awful makeup job and Rose manages to look “plain”.
It’s good that you can see movies such as this. I think it’s doubly important for writers to be open to any kind of genre, in both print and film. The biggest problem with genre fiction these days are all the derivative works being produced by writers who never read outside their genre. Read and watch everything, I say. One of my favorite movies is When Harry Met Sally. I think it is required viewing for any novelist or screenplay writer for the dialogue alone.
Ian – One thing that always strikes me. Dialog can fire up a screen, but the same words on a page can leave some people feeling like the character is rude or cold. Then again, tone down the adversarial dialog – and it seems less interesting.
I definitely agree on the wide base of influences being important.