In Her Shoes

On paper, it could be just another throwaway chick-flick: two very different sisters – one an uptight lawyer, the other a boozy tart – wrestle with life, love and their relationship with each other. But with the director of ‘LA Confidential’ at the helm and a solid source novel at its core (Jennifer Weiner’s bestseller), this achieves a level of sophistication rarely seen in the genre. ‘Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café’ strikes one as one of the more recent mainstream examples, and that was 14 years ago. But this is less worthy, packing in dark humour and decidedly flawed characters alongside the expected moral conclusions.

Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is not only a flirt, but a thief and a liar. Tracking down her estranged grandmother (Shirley MacLaine), she discovers a world of wizened wisecrackers – not to mention amiable elderly men giving her the once over. Life doesn’t end when you get older is the message: in fact, the film implies, your communication skills improve. Female communication is one of the film’s enduring themes, and although some lines verge on the trite, they’re given impact by convincing characters. Toni Collette is particularly able as lawyer Rose, a toned-down, smarter version of the Bridget Jones role she once rejected. Broad physical comedy and a high truism count mean not everyone will love this – those who can’t stomach ‘Sex and the City’ (referenced here) should approach with caution. But considering it doesn’t star Maggie Smith or Judi Dench, it’s surprising how mature and moving this female-focused drama is.