Firstly, let me explain myself. Besides being the 21-yr old testosterone high male college student I am, I don’t watch films for eye candy. But I’ll just say it is undeniably present in In Her Shoes. Cameron Diaz runs around in tank tops, underwear, bikinis, bends over, spins around, dances, poses; everything.

Still, I attest quite seriously that is not the reason why I picked up this film. I was just looking for a comedy, and In Her Shoes got a mildly favorable review. I do admit, I use the mildly favorable review quite liberally…anything that gets about a 6.5 in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is fair game for me.

So…how did this random chick-flick fare for me? And how in the world can I justify watching this if not for Cameron Diaz? Well, everyone’s got to get in touch with their feminine side once in a blue moon, right?

And get in touch I did. I could have sworn I felt the estrogen racing through me as I watched this film. I blinked a tear, or maybe two.

I was pleasantly surprised for the first bits of the movie. In Her Shoes is far from the cheesy sister-quarreling comedy that the trailer seems to try to sell itself as. On some levels it is refreshingly unconventional, from one minute the movie heads in one direction, and the next second, the characters are off in a totally different place. The plot mainly centers around two sisters, Rose (Toni Collette), a highly successful lawyer, that lacks the sex appeal, her bimbo blonde sister Maggie (Cameron Diaz) seems to just have too much of. It’s a trade off in the brains for looks department. Still, while the two start off as extreme opposites, as the film goes on, they gradually mature in both senses, and begin to fill up for their weak points. It’s not without chockfull of seemingly endless drama though. Rose’s first boyfriend, another guy at the firm, comes to her apartment to apologize to her, but ends up getting seduced by Maggie who’s been leeching off her sister’s place until she can find herself a new place. A huge fight ensues when Rose walks in on the two having sex, and she angrily kicks Maggie out of her apartment and her life. The outcome? Maggie goes off to a retirement home to seek her long-lost grandma for financial help, and Rose quits her job at the firm to become a professional dog-walker. Bizarre, yes, but that’s what makes In Her Shoes tolerable.

Near the end, the film begins to lose that nice freshness, and when the two sisters began to clasp hands I thought I was going to retch. What started off innocently, whimsical and entertaining in its imperfections had reached a high point of “gag this is getting too cheesy”.

Still I grudgingly respect Jennifer Weiner for coming up with the slick novel that this movie is based on. Tacky as some moments may have been, the random commentaries from the feminine view on marriage, sibling rivalry and generation gaps all make some interesting fluff. It’s incredible how much is packed into this movie.

Not to mention the poetry. I love poetry, and shamelessly will say the use of E. E. Cumming’s i carry your heart with me read by Cameron Diaz is all too charming. Just scope out this excerpt:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Elizabeth Bishop’s One Art poem also makes its way into the movie, and is a fantastic little bit about losing people, things valuable to you.

Lastly, I do give much credit to the director Curtis Hanson (8 Mile, Wonder Boys) because his directing has done much to keep this movie from being too much of one thing. It is a well shot film. The pacing is excellent, the camera work emphasizes Cameron’s exhibitionist tendencies (see Charlie’s Angels), and the comedy stops it self short from falling into meaningless slapstick.

In the end I do recommend In Her Shoes quite supportively. It’s not a purchase on my list, but is still a worthy rental. Despite the overly cheesy ending and the all too easy wrap up that it ends on, it has its good traits. I loved the use of poetry, the witty dialogue, and of course, I won’t forget how long Cameron Diaz’s legs are.

That’s all I have to say.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older