In Her Shoes
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| In Her Shoes | |
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| Directed by | Curtis Hanson |
| Produced by | Curtis Hanson Ridley Scott |
| Written by | Jennifer Weiner (novel) Susannah Grant (screenplay) |
| Starring | Cameron Diaz Toni Collette Shirley MacLaine |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | September 24, 2005 |
| Running time | 130 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
In Her Shoes is a 2005 drama film, directed by Curtis Hanson. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Jennifer Weiner. It was released exclusively on DVD on January 31, 2006.
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[edit] Plot summary
Two sisters, Maggie (Diaz) and Rose (Collette) have almost nothing in common—Maggie seems to live only for sex with various men and quick cash, while Rose is a straight-laced attorney. The one thing they do have in common (as implied by the title of the movie) is the same shoe size. After their unsympathetic step-mother kicks Maggie out of the house, she goes to live with older sister Rose. On a whim, Maggie takes off for Manhattan to answer a casting call to be an MTV V.J. which she bombs because of her dyslexia. Relocating back to Philadelphia, Maggie goes job hunting (much to Rose's attempts) and lands a job as a dog washer at a prosperous business. But she ends up kidnapping one of the dogs she was supposed to look after, and this only adds to the growing tension between Maggie and Rose when she finds the dog at her place. Eventually, the sisters have a falling out due to Maggie's dishonesty and selfishness, culminating in her seducing Rose's boyfriend. Rose evicts Maggie, and they go off in different directions; Maggie flees in desperation to Deerfield Beach, Florida, and visits Ella (played by MacLaine), their long-lost grandmother who she hopes might give her a home and provide a source of money. Rose leaves the law firm she was working for, becomes a dog walker (after returning the dog Maggie kidnapped to the business by offering her services), and begins to date Simon (Mark Feuerstein) a former colleague whose advances she had previously rejected. After a difficult start with her grandmother, Maggie finds a place for herself helping at the retirement village where Ella lives, and with the help of a blind, bedridden former Professor of English literature, finds the courage to address the reading disorder that afflicts her. Maggie eventually starts to mature at the retirement village, placing the interests of it's residents abover hers. In turn, the residents (friends of Ella's) help Ella to bond with Maggie. Ella, who also has secrets in her past, decides to bring her granddaughters back together and sends Rose an airplane ticket to Miami. The sisters are pleased with the changes in themselves and each other and surprised to learn of these changes. Rose has improved her self esteem as a result of becoming engaged and Maggie has grown out of her selfishness as a result of the friendships and respect she has developed with Ella and her retiree friends. A series of revelations about the family's history occurs, leading to the rapprochement of the sisters, who realise that they complement each other and are a part of each other, their grandmother, and their father. The film ends with Maggie and Ella in attendance at Rose's wedding to Simon.
[edit] Main cast
- Cameron Diaz — Maggie Feller
- Toni Collette — Rose Feller
- Shirley MacLaine — Ella
- Mark Feuerstein — Simon Stein
- Brooke Smith — Amy
[edit] Awards
[edit] Nominations (3)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Shirley MacLaine)
- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama (Toni Collette)
- Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama (Shirley MacLaine)
[edit] Trivia
- The U2 song Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of is used in the movie's trailer
- Honey Bun, the dog that Maggie kidnaps and brings to her apartment, is a mixed breed. Although originally in Jennifer Weiner's book, Honey Bun is a purebred pug. Film director Curtis Hanson changed the breed to a mixed dog as he cited that movies often inspire audiences to buy dogs featured prominently in a film, like Men In Black. Hanson wanted to use a mutt as the movie might inspire its viewers to adopt a dog from a pound.
- The poem Cameron Diaz reads to the blind professor is a villanelle called "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop.
- It was one of the first films to be released exclusively to DVD and never released on videocassette.
[edit] Reception
While the movie received mostly positive reviews, it grossed only $32 million USD domestically in the United States. Being seen (and promoted) strictly as a chick flick released in October, a generally slow season in the movie industry, was thought to contribute to its low intake.[citation needed]
