In Her Shoes

In Her Shoes was released in 2005 and stars Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. It is based on the 2002 novel by Jennifer Weiner. It's a chick-flick to a tee; about sisters in all of their love and rage, living together and apart and trying to cope with simply being a family.

I found this movie pretty underwhelming. It's a good story and there are parts of it that I truly enjoyed (Rose and Simon's first supper, Maggie reading to the old professor, etc.) but I think that the main flaw of this film was the constant lack of music.

I have to confess that I am more than a music enthusiast. Usually I try to hear the soundtrack before I see the movie. If the music is no good, there's no way I'm going to enjoy a thing. The music written for the film itself was off; it sounded mischievious and dark, something more suiting a children's fantasy film, not a film titled to draw women in groups of 2-6 ages 16-56. However, this is not usually the music I remember. Typically current movies (ESPECIALLY ones like these) at least include a smattering of current girl-with-a-guitar or soulful-metrosexual-European pop guilty pleasure style tunes, but the only song I remember at all is the reggae cover of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe." Huh. Did I Mention that the majority of this film is based in Philadelphia? As in Pennsylvania? As in THE FARTHEST FREAKING PLACE FROM JAMAICA IMAGINABLE? I suppose it doesn't help that I'm not a huge fan of either Sonny or Cher, with the exception of Cher's guest appearance on Will & Grace. I guess I should also mention that I'm not much into reggae either. So it's a big 'meh' for me.

Honestly, this film just didn't have a lot to offer me. True, there were shoes involved. And there was a stand-up guy that knew food like nothing I've ever seen, but I think for me it was doomed from the start. I'm not a big Cameron Diaz fan, especially in more "dramatic" roles. If I'm going to have to see a movie with her in it, I want to see some car-chases or kung-fu action or something resembling comedy. NOT her living with her grandmother in a retirement community in Palmetto, Florida. I do enjoy Toni Collette, and I found her character genuine and accessible. I did however, have a problem with her constant "weight" issue. The woman is maybe 125 pounds and it's not until she drops 5ish by leaving her job (as a lawyer) and becoming a dog walker . . .yes I said dog walker . . .that she becomes comfortable with herself. I know it's cliche, but I like my movies to generally be free of female characters hating themselves for having perfectly functional bodies and creating their own person black hole of self-loathing.

Now that I've been a downer for the past 300 words or so, we'll pick it back up. I didn't feel like this was a total waste of time that I could have been sleeping or washing the dog or finding a job for next semester. It was time well spent with women that I love and a decent way to unwind after a hectic day. If your looking for something that requires no extreme problem solving or maddening plot turns, this is perfect.