Kinky Boots Review

"Kinky Boots" reviews

Movie

Kinky Boots

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-06-02 23:31:21

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Kinky Boots fulfills a certain tender obsession one might have for outrageous shoes. But it isn"t just about the shoes--it"s about who wears them, baby!

Story

"A heel should be about SEX!" yells Lola, played with electrifying force by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Based on a true story, Kinky Boots takes a look at an old-school shoe factory in the quiet burgh of Northampton, England. Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) inherits the place when his father passes away--but the factory in financial straits. It is simply outdated. So, on the advice of one of his employees, Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts), Charlie decides to think out of the box, so to speak, and finds a niche market, selling over-the-top but sturdy footwear to transvestites and drag queens. But he needs vision, since most of the factory"s workers are used to making men"s loafers. That"s where Lola, one of London"s premier drag queens, comes in. She has all the flair and design ideas Charlie is looking for--but bringing her to conservative Northampton proves to be a bit tricky. That is, until everyone gets to know Lola.

Acting

Ejiofor is definitely an actor to watch out for. Since making an indelible impression in Stephen Frears" gritty drama Dirty Pretty Things, the British-born actor has been quietly stealing scenes in almost every movie he is in--from playing a deliciously evil drug lord in Four Brothers to Denzel Washington"s sparring partner in Inside Man. But in Kinky Boots, Ejiofor doesn"t have to steal any scenes; he IS the movie as the tough but kindhearted Lola. The rest of the cast does a very nice job, don"t get me wrong. Edgerton (King Arthur) is particularly endearing as the son desperately trying to keep his dad"s dreams alive, while Potts (Wonderland), with her pixie face, plays Charlie"s sweet love interest. But it"s all Ejiofor--strutting around in one outlandish musical number after another, all while helping Charlie save the factory. A tour de force.

Direction

A movie about shoes. What could be more fun? Actually, Kinky Boots follows some standard, fairly foolproof plot devices. There"s the son taking over the family business even though he has no interest in it but finds the joy of making shoes after all. Then there"s the drag queen who is just so fan-tabulous on the stage, just OWNS the world, but of course harbors deep pain over a father who never understood her and can"t find the right man to save her life. These kind of Boots have walked before. But with a quirky script from writers Geoff Deane and Tim Firth and an easy-going style from TV director Julian Jarrold, the film further highlights that certain British, wry sensibility that makes most comedies from across the pond so very appealing.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Movie

KINKY BOOTS

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:09:37

Provider

Review

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots is the story of the fall and subsequent rise of a shoe factory in Northampton. Price and Son is a family-run respectable manufacturer of quality leather shoes. When Mr Price Snr dies suddenly, the dubious honour of running the business is handed over to his son, Charlie (Joel Edgerton), something Price Jnr hadn't envisaged.

After coming to terms with the loss of his father, Charlie tries to figure out what the future may hold for the factory, an issue made far more pressing by the discovery that Price and Son is struggling to stay afloat, which Price Snr had kept from Charlie and the rest of the workforce.

On a trip to London, Charlie has a chance encounter with Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a sassy transvestite cabaret star who inspires Charlie to turn the factory's fortunes around by producing a range of high heels and sexy footwear for transvestite men, a far cry from the sensible brogues his father used to manufacture.

The film tracks the trials and tribulations of the factory and its characters' turbulent personal lives in the build-up to the climatic launch of the new collection at The Milan Shoe Fair.

Joel Edgerton gives an admirable performance as Charlie Price, and while Aussie Joel's Northampton accent leaves a little to be desired at times, his character is very likable. Kinky Boots' star, though, is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who as the headstrong but insecure Lola acts as the film's focus.

A heartwarming northerners-done-good British comedy.