Thursday, March 1, 2007

Kinky Boots (2005)

Film: Kinky Boots
Year: 2005
Rated: PG-13
Time: 1hr, 47min
Genre: Biopic, Comedy,
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts
Synopsis: The Price & Sons shoe factory is going under, and Charlie Price doesn't want to make anyone redundant. Charlie finds inspiration employee Lauren and in Lola, a Drag performer from London who constantly has trouble with her boots coming apart. Together, the trio revamp the factory's entire production line, aiming for the big pay-off in Milan!

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What can I say? I'm a sucker for Cinderella stories. And this is one of the greatest I've seen in awhile. Edgerton plays Charlie, a guy who wants to get away from the family shoe-making business, and heads to London with his fiancee, only to find out that his father has passed, and he must now return to the world he tried to escape. His first day on the job, he discover that a large order of theirs has been cancelled, leaving the company with 1,200 pairs of shoes that no one wants to buy! In London, Charlie is knocked out by drag performer Lola (Ejiofor), who begins complaining about how often her shoes fall apart. Inspired by an employee's words to "change the product" and find a niche market, Charlie makes a promise to Lola that he can make shoes for her that will bear the weight of a man and still look kinky. When his first attempt fails miserably ("Don't tell me I've inspired something BURGUNDY!"), Lola forces herself into the factory as their new designer. When their first test pair prove viable, it's a race to make enough shoes for the fashion shoe in Milan.

The central plot is one about trying to fit in. Lola tries to fit in to Northhampton as a man who dresses like a woman, while Charlie tries to fit in to the world of shoes and keep his workforce from becoming redundant. Secondary plots involve the 3 leads (Charlie, Lauren and Lola) dealing with their personal relationships during this new phase in the life of the factory. Charlie must deal with his fiancee, Nicola, who seems to want much more than Charlie. Lauren must deal with her new role in the company and her feelings for Charlie. Lola deals with a homophobic factory worker, Don, and his own childhood memories of a dissappointed father.

This movie is heart-warming and very entertaining. From the frist scene, with a young Lola dancing in girl's shoes outside his father's boxing studio, to the final scene of the trio in Milan, celebrating thier victory. It's a wonderful story, based on a real story, which is always the best.

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