In Her Shoes, based on the semi-comic novel by Philadelphia writer Jennifer Weiner, is fortunate to have a screenplay from Susannah Grant (Erin Brokovich) and direction by Curtis Hanson, whose adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys is one of the better character-driven literary adaptations of recent years. The story is a tale of two Jewish sisters. Rose (Toni Collette), the lawyer, is the brainy achiever, while Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is the pretty, irresponsible one. A long-lost grandmother (Shirley MacLaine), living in a Florida retirement community, indirectly brings them closer together. That may sound trite, but it never feels that way because the characters never seem like types. This is also true of the supporting characters. It’s nice to see the old people portrayed as neither feeble drones nor unconvincingly “hip” grannies. In Her Shoes, which has some nice shots of Philly, isn’t only about sibling rivalry but about being comfortable with who you are and figuring out what you want. Both Collette and Diaz are excellently cast. (As she did for her breakout role in Muriel’s Wedding, Collette gained weight to play the role.) I was impressed by the way Grant retains the essence of Weiner’s story (and often more, right down to a reference to the Pepper Hamilton law firm that gets repeated) while tightening up the plot. In a few cases, I thought Grant improved upon the novel by mildly altering a couple things I found corny or fanciful.
IMDB linkreviewed 10/3/05
No comments:
Post a Comment