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"In Her Shoes" is a sensitively drawn melodrama about the complex relationship between two very different sisters. It was based on the popular novel with the same name by Jennifer Weiner. The film was well directed by critic’s favorite, Curtis Hanson. He started out doing Hitchcockian suspense pics such as "The Arousers," "Bedroom Window," and "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle," Recently he has gained a good reputation for directing character driven dramas such as "The Wonder Boys" and "8 Mile." He also has a rep for getting great performances out of actors with limited ranges. Here, he gets the best ever performance out of Cameron Diaz, and this is her best film, with the exception of "Being John Malkovitch." "In Her Shoes" benefits from great chemistry between Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz (as the sisters.) Shirley MacLaine is equally terrific (but less eccentric than usual), as their grandmother who has been estranged from her family for many years. Toni Colette is completely deglamorized for the role of Rose, a straight laced and inhibited lawyer who has a plain, asexual fashion sense. Her sister, Maggie is flamboyant, exhibitionistic, spontaneous and promiscuous. Her behavior seems to be overcompensating for feelings of inadequacy. When we first meet the sisters they are having two very different sexual encounters, which bring out the differences between the women. Maggie has drunken sex with a man she hardly knows in a bathroom at a high school reunion, without any expectations. Conversely, Rose sleeps with her boss expecting long term love or at least a relationship. Maggie’s snotty, upper class step mom, Sydelle, gets fed up with Maggie’s irresponsible behavior. With nowhere to go, Maggie shows up on her sister’s doorstep, and Rose unwisely decides to take her in. Of course Maggie ruins Rose’s life and even defiles her sister’s favorite shoes. . They have a bad falling out, but both of them evolve and partially switch roles after they separate. They end up reconnecting with their grandmother, Ella (superbly played by Shirley MacLaine), the black sheep of the family. There is a terrific scene that celebrates the pure power of poetry. A retired professor uses Marianne Moore’s "One Art" poem to teach a dyslexic woman how to read. The poem reflects a dramatic change in her personality. Some lines from an E.E. Cummings poem are also used to good effect. To find out more about poetry in film go to http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=13.The film also contains some great reggae music in a wedding scene in a Jamaican restaurant. "In Her Shoes" is never maudlin or over sentimental, and it succeeds splendidly at creating a fictional family. All of the characters and plot situations are deeply affecting, and the film is highly recommended.
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