"If the 'Shoes' Fit…"
by Scott Mantz

"In Her Shoes"
Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette,
Shirley MacLaine
Directed by Curtis Hanson

Sister act!  Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz embrace their differences in "In Her Shoes"

As much as I hate to admit it, my brother and I have absolutely nothing in common.  That doesn’t mean we don’t love each other; it just means that we don’t have anything in common.

For starters, he lives in New York, and I live in Los Angeles.  He has a wife and three kids, and I’m hopelessly single.  He loves sports, and I love “Star Trek.”  He reads the Wall Street Journal, and I read Entertainment Weekly.

Kind of makes you wonder how two kids who grew up under the same roof in Philadelphia could have such wildly divergent personalities, interests, opinions and lifestyles.  But these are just some of issues that author Jennifer Weiner covers in her second novel, “In Her Shoes.”  And while the book centers on sisters instead of brothers, it hardly matters – where sibling rivalry is concerned, one size fits all.

That’s precisely why the film version overcomes its perceived label as a “chick flick” to appeal to both women and men.  It also doesn’t hurt (for the men, anyway) that Cameron Diaz looks amazing and spends a great deal of time in a bikini.  But more importantly, she gives an excellent performance and has terrific chemistry with co-stars Toni Collette and the great Shirley MacLaine.

Diaz and Collette play Maggie and Rose, two sisters (ironically, from Philadelphia) who are polar opposites.  Maggie is a sexy, but messed-up party girl who can’t hold a job, while Rose is an insecure, but responsible attorney at a top law firm.  About the only thing they do have in common is their shoe size (they’re both an 8 ½), but that’s hardly enough to sustain a relationship.

After a huge falling out, Maggie bolts for Miami, where she crashes with her estranged grandmother, Ella (Shirley MacLaine).  Rose might have put up with Maggie’s crazy lifestyle, but Ella will have none of it and quickly puts her to work on getting her act together.  This sets the ball rolling on a long-awaited reconciliation between Maggie, Rose and Ella, who soon learn how to make peace with themselves, with their past and with each other.

Curtis Hanson may seem like an unlikely candidate to direct a film like this, but after getting his start with B-grade thrillers like “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle” and “The River Wild,” he was also an unusual choice for critically diverse dramas like “L.A. Confidential,” “Wonder Boys” and “8 Mile.”  For the most part, Hanson – directing from a screenplay written by Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”) – rises to the occasion by keeping the focus on the key issues that both divide and bond siblings, regardless of their gender.

But “In Her Shoes” is a little sluggish at time, especially until about 50 minutes in, when Shirley MacLaine makes her first appearance.  At this point, the film splits between Philadelphia and Miami, with the events in Philly happening so fast that it’s hard to get a sense of how much time has passed by.  And even with the added sub-plot regarding Rose’s budding relationship with a charming co-worker (Mark Feuerstein), the film feels too long, running about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Fortunately, the movie is rooted by strong performances from all involved.  After showing off her acting chops in “Being John Malkovich” and “Vanilla Sky,” Cameron Diaz once again proves her talent with an assured, vulnerable turn as the black sheep of the family.  Toni Collette also gives a strong performance, but the film gets a prestigious seal of approval from Shirley MacLaine, whose anchored, understated turn lovingly recalls her Oscar-winning performance in “Terms of Endearment.”

“In Her Shoes” may not be particularly revealing as to why siblings grow apart, but that’s okay.  The fact is, they do grow apart, but they will always have each other to come back to.  And that makes me feel a lot better about my brother, because it means that we actually do have something in common – we’re brothers, and that’s the single most important bond we need.

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