Review

Review Date: 7-May-06
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Kinky Boots (2006)

"Kinky Boots" is the story of Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton), the mild-mannered scion of a long line of British craftsmen who make comfortable, high-quality, tweed-compatible men's shoes. Just when he thinks he has escaped this legacy to forge a brighter future with his fiancée (Jemima Rooper), Charlie is called upon to save the family business and all the good souls who rely upon it for a living. But times are tough and the market for wing tips is failing. What can a reluctant shoemaker do? On a bender of despair, Charlie meets a drag queen named Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who has repeatedly suffered the indignity and discomfort of a broken six-inch heel. Presto! Stars align, minds meld, Charlie's gal Friday (Sarah-Jane Potts) puts a bug in his ear, and before you know it Price & Son is staking its all on a line of footwear designed for man-sized customers who want their feet to scream "SEX!". The gamble comes down to a make-or-break showcase in Milan, and along the way everybody laughs, learns, and gets a little love.

Yes, "Kinky Boots" is a 21st-century take on Frank Capra in which the quaint old shoe factory and its workers are like a microcosm of Bedford Falls. One major difference between then and now, however, is that Capra slowed down long enough to let his characters eat dinner or throw stones at an abandoned house while "Kinky" director Julian Jarrold rushes through the show like his butt's on fire. Everything about this picture feels cursory, from Charlie's struggle with his girlfriend (being engaged in the movies is nasty business), to a confused exploration of what cross-dressing signifies, to Lola's inevitable portrayal as someone whose Torment spawns pearls of Wisdom such as "maybe women want a man who's like a woman" or "change what you think about somebody else." (By the end he's down to the uninspired "stand by your man.") The movie oozes benevolence from start to finish, but its superficiality prevents the feel-good vibe from fully kicking in. A viewer's chief response is likely to be a slight itch to wrap his or her calves in red vinyl and belt out a show tune.

Even so, it's hard to give the movie the boot with two such likable leads. The ubiquitous Ejiofor is my favorite actor at the moment, an irresistible combination of talent, handsomeness, and the je ne sais quoi that denotes a star. (How many other guys could move effortlessly between a Woody Allen Lothario, a space-age assassin, Denzel Washington's second, and a drag queen?) For his part, Edgerton has a boy-next-door-meets-serial-killer look that renders him very appealing even when Charlie is doing or saying stupid things. So while it's not a wonderful film, these men might make "Kinky Boots" worth trying on as a rental.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.