What happens when two sisters from different backgrounds and lifestyles clash? The result is In Her Shoes, a family drama about the relationship between two sisters, their father & stepmother, and their long- lost grandmother. Let’s take a look at what this movie has to offer:
Movie Facts:
Rating: PG- 13
Format: Color
Director: Curtis Hanson
Screenplay/Writing Credits: Jennifer Weiner, Susannah Grant
Theatrical Release Date: October 7, 2005
Movie Length: 130 Minutes
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Anson Mount, Richard Burgi, Brooke Smith, Candice Azzara, Mark Feuerstein, Nicole Johnson, Shirley MacLaine, Mel Alpern, Jill Saunders, Andy Powers, Eric Balfour, Carlese Burke, Jason Peck, Ken Howard.
Contents of This Movie:
Maggie Feller (played by Cameron Diaz) is a party girl- the type who stays out all night, has one- night stands, and can’t hold a steady job. Her sister Rose Feller (played by Toni Collette) is a successful attorney who seems to have her head on straight and her life in order in most areas except for romance.
Rose has some problems with men, including some at her place of employment. She even loses interest in her career at one point, quits her job, and starts walking dogs for a living. She has difficulty accepting her father, Michael Feller’s (played by Ken Howard) new wife- an annoying, disrespectful woman who has taken the place of Rose and Maggie’s mother, who died many years ago.
While all of this drama is taking place, Maggie discovers a stack of letters one day from her grandmother, Ella Hirsch (played by Shirley MacLaine). The letters were sent to Maggie personally, but she was never made aware of them. She decides to take off to Florida to find her grandmother and she successfully tracks her down in Miami at an old folks home. Later on, Rose finds some lost letters as well, and she travels to Florida to meet her grandmother and Maggie (who is now living there with her). She now has her life back in order in the romance department and is engaged to get married to Simon (played by Mark Feuerstein). Everything seems to be ok, but the strains between herself, her sister, her father, and the grandmother she hasn’t spoken to in years still need to be worked out.
Final Thoughts:
“In Her Shoes” is a solid, entertaining drama about two sisters and their often difficult relationship with each other and the different members of their immediate family. This movie is based on a novel of the same name, written by Jennifer Weiner.
This movie is mostly about the problems between the two sisters and it depicts the two of them in sibling rivalries and in simple disputes. One of the many problem areas is with men, and there is even one scene where Rose catches Maggie in bed with a man whom she was interested in herself. Rose takes a slightly more conservative approach to sex and romance when compared to her sister Maggie. The two seem to have little in common and there is a good deal of resentment on the part of Maggie toward her more successful sibling.
Do shoes have anything to do with this movie? Actually, they do. The title of the movie is significant mainly because of the storyline of the film and how important it is to live life “in her shoes” before passing judgment. But in this movie, there are actual shoes present in Rose’s closest- dozens of them- and Maggie quickly discovers that they fit her perfectly. Rose herself makes a comment at one point that she owns so many shoes because, unlike other things in life, shoes always seem to fit perfectly. This perfect “fit” is one of several keys that help the viewer put together the pieces of the movie’s puzzle. It’s a simple puzzle for the most part but it’s nice that the writers and director at least kept the symbolism and dialogue on an interesting level.
Maggie and Rose do share some things in common and this helps them to forge a better relationship before the movie ends. They both have a strong disliking for their step mother (played by Candice Azzara) and they both have been misled by their father into thinking their grandmother has been dead for years. Shirley MacLaine plays the grandmother, and she is as spunky and likeable as ever in her role. Ken Howard and Candice Azzara have relatively minor roles in the movie and their characters could have easily been played by others. Cameron Diaz is good in her role, even though I grew more and more impatient with her character and her lack of responsibility. And Toni Collette is very nice in her role as Rose Feller, the woman who is smart and successful but still not fulfilled.
This movie offers a typical formula for family dramas: Two sisters are completely different from each other; they have strong disagreements; they have other difficulties with other relationships; they seek the intercession of their father but find out he has deceived them; etc. But in spite of this commonplace plot, the movie still works and is still enjoyable to watch. Part of the credit belongs to the novel on which this movie is based. The rest of the credit belongs to director Curtis Hanson who takes what would be an ordinary film and turns it into something much better with his attention to symbolism, emotion, and character development. The movie drags a bit in places, but even in these slower moments, Hanson manages to keep the drama heightened enough to hold my attention.
There are a few funny moments in this film, but it is primarily a drama about family life. I like the way the characters grow, mature, and change during the 130 minutes of screen time. Maggie and Rose still may not have much in common, but they share one common link that can never be broken and will never change: They are sisters, and they are willing to put aside their differences when it matters most.
Overall, “In Her Shoes” is a very good drama about two sisters and the relationships around them. It will probably be appreciated most by women who have sisters of their own and who can therefore relate to the problems experienced by Maggie and Rose. For everyone else, there is still much to appreciate about this movie and it ranks as one of the better dramas of 2005.
IN HER SHOES: In this screen adaptation of Jennifer Weiner's bestselling novel Toni Collette MURIEL'S WEDDING is Rose Feller an overweight overworked ...More at Family Video
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