User reviews

Old wounds, family secrets, screwed up relationships with perfectly logical explanations. A film that starts beautifully and then spends an inordinate amount of time meandering to finally arrive to its soft but beautiful center. Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette have wonderful moments as the star crossed sisters. Their feelings as genuine as they are, never seem to find a common ground until Shirley MacLaine makes her entrance. I must confess I was very moved by her, by her performance. Her most human and real in many, many years. She is the glue that keeps all the elements together and presents them to us with that unmistakable flair of hers for feisty truths and uncompromising tough love. I don't know quite how I feel about Curtis Hanson as a director. Personally, my favorite of his films is "Wonder Boys" and in a way "In Her Shoes" is closer to that one, without being as good, than any of his other movies. However, I'm recommending it wholeheartedly, specially to my sisters.

In Philadelphia, the irresponsible and selfish Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is a drunken easy woman having sex with many men. Her sister Rose (Toni Collette) is the opposite, responsible lawyer but needy and having complex, compulsively buying shoes to relief her frustrations. Maggie is expelled from her father home by her stepmother, and Rose lodges her sister in her apartment. When Maggie has one night stand with Rose's boyfriend, Rose sends her sister away. She finds letters and postcards from her missing grandmother Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine) that she believed had died that lives in a retirement compound in Florida hidden in her father's drawer, and without any option, she decides to travel to meet Ella. With Ella, Maggie changes, becoming another woman and improving the relationships in her family.

"In Her Shoes" is a feel-good comedy with an excellent lead trio of actresses. The story about sisterhood and parenthood is bitter sweet, alternating funny and dramatic moments and with a nice conclusion. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Em Seu Lugar" ("In Your Place")

Enjoyable but slightly flawed, In Her Shoes is definitely deeper than a chick-flick in the handling of the characters. Toni Collette is excellent as usual, as well as Shirley MacLaine, yet I couldn't help thinking while watching that I should read the book it was based on and get a deeper look at these people and their lives. I felt the film could have gone into more detail and I expected it to be longer, as so many plot developments felt somewhat simplified to fit them all in to a 2-hour running time. That's my biggest criticism of the film, but it was enjoyable in general and I had a wonderful time watching. A few other things I enjoyed: the Rocky reference (my favorite), and the opening sequence during the credits. I have to credit this last one to both screenwriter and director for this incredible opening, which in completely visual terms sets up the film's themes. The titles are presented in cuts between the two sisters, highlighting both their conflict and their connection to one another. Generally, it has a nice balance between dead-seriousness and light drama, but I wish there was more of it to comment on.

I was very surprised by this movie. I try not to expect too much of films my girlfriend can't wait to see. I was surprised this didn't follow the usual 'mills & boon' formula with sisterly love hate peppered loosely. Certain references in particular to the shoe thread throughout kept the interest of the majority of girlie's around, but the evolving relationships of the main characters were finely crafted and kept the interest of non-chick-flicking shoe-loving shopaholic minority. The music was nice backdrop to the lives of Rose and Maggie, but for my money, the use of E.E. Cummings poems took this past the norm and into the quite enjoyable category.

If you're not a chick flick fan worth the viewing time.

If you are, well worth the entrance fee too.

CHICK FLICK! Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick fliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick! What else could you possibly expect from a movie about sisters that involves shoes and a search for their grandmother? That's all you need to know. You either like the genre, you don't like the genre, or your girl forces you to watch the genre with her. Accept which one applies to you and go with it. If you're chickflicktose intolerant then this obviously isn't for you.

That being sad, I must admit that thanks to good character and relationship development, good acting, and believable characters set within a believable story, I enjoyed it. Granted, Cameron Diaz's long legs might have had something to do with enhancing my enjoyment, but I was entertained nonetheless.

Things start off a little slow as the relationship between the sisters is allowed to grow, but once Maggie finds herself in Florida, working at an old folks' home, the story and laughs start to pick up. There's one old woman who is particularly funny. I don't know her name (you'll recognize her by the fact that she's in a wheelchair most of the time), but she reminded me of my grandmother, commenting on how Diaz "puts a postage stamp on her bottom and calls it a swimsuit" and acting shocked that there are now pants that exist with "'juicy' written across the hiney." How can you not be entertained by a crotchety old woman's outlook on how the times have a-changed?

If reading comprehension has got you down and you're still struggling with whether or not you want to see this, let me break it down even further. This is a story about the love between sisters. They fight, they drift apart, they find out their grandmother is still alive, and they make their way back to each other. All sorts of lessons on love, self-discovery, romance, and who owns whose heart are explored. There's even some sappy poetry reading thrown in for good measure. I know that this all sounds like a huge shot of estrogen, but thankfully, things never get as syrupy as you might expect.

That doesn't mean there's any shortage of attempts to strain a tear out of the female (and non-manly) eyes. I almost missed out on some dialogue thanks to the sniffling of the four ladies sitting in front of me. So gals, bring your tissues. Guys, if your gal brings you along then bring the sewing kit. You'll need to sew 'em back on after this one. All right, everybody knows what to expect now, so enjoy.

First things first. I didn't like Cameron Diaz as an actress. 90% of her movies were brainless...but they were delightful indeed. But in "In her shoes" I saw a TOTALLY different Cameron Diaz. I saw a great actress, maybe her best role in her entire life. The movie tells us a story about 2 sisters, Maggie (Diaz) and Rose (Toni Collette). They are totally different from each other. While Rose is an outstanding Lawyer, responsible and VERY shy, Maggie is a lazy, drunk, irresponsible and a troublesome girl, who wants just spend money (stealing or not) on unnecessary stuffs. The way how they fight, blame, and love each other is really impressive. Cameron and Toni REALLY WERE sisters, and that realism was what made me love this movie. You will laugh, you will cry, you will learn about love, and you will learn about forgiveness. This is one of the most beautiful movie that I've ever seen. Watch, rent, BUY it if necessary... You will not regret, I assure you!

Cameron Diaz amazes in this delightful little film. ALERT! For all men! "In Her Shoes" is the perfect movie to see with all the important women in your life: Wife or girlfriend(s), daughters, sisters, mother, mother- n-law, aunts, cousins, friends and grandmothers! You've got my 100% guarantee that all of them will love it! So you can please them all and treat yourself to some eye candy, too, because scenes abound with Cameron Diaz romping around in a scant bikini in this rather amusing and interesting story which interweaves a patchwork of unusual family ties.

Diaz plays Maggie, the very attractive inveterate party-girl. Rose (Toni Collette), the successful workaholic lawyer, plays counterpoint to her sister, Maggie. When an industrial size faux pas, committed by Maggie, drives a Grand Canyon size wedge between these polar opposite siblings, Maggie tempestuously decides to cut ties with Rose and relocate to Miami in order to seek out her estranged grandmother (Shirley Maclaine) whom she has not seen since she was a little girl. The sisters take advantage of this forced hiatus in their relationship to achieve personal growth and self-improvement.

😊😊Fate, as it so often does in real life, plays an important role both in the development of the story and in the lives of its characters.

The nuanced on-screen chemistry between the three leading characters is exquisite! "SHOES" shows some rather original and interesting elements. Observing the artistic growth of Cameron Diaz over the years, I now consider her an exceptional actor. Here, Diaz fleshes out her character; converting each action and reaction into world-class natural! In one close-up, her face fills the entire screen,at a moment when Maggie is feeling extremely tired and stressed. She clearly projects a frail, aging fatigue at the precise real-time twilight of her youth! Not many Divas would lend themselves to such a scenario to improve a scene!

8.5*....... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!!!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

Positives: An interesting poem, a couple of moments where you actually cared what was happening. Negatives: Film lacked focus and direction - seemed to meander for the most part. Toni Collete's character was so bland, it didn't give her a chance to really act. Cameron Diaz's character was so shallow - probably about what she could handle - but you really didn't care about either of them throughout the movie. The middle is the only part where a couple of interesting things happened - the beginning and ending where completely lame. And there was really no resolution to the title "In Her Shoes" other than Cameron Diaz's character taking and using (and ruining) various pairs of shoes (yawn). While this movie had a couple of moments that were interesting, at the end we just rolled our eyes and regretted wasting the 2 hours.

"In Her Shoes" is noteworthy for its crisp dialogue, lively repartee, and multi-dimensional characters, For her novel and for her screenplay, Jennifer Weiner and Susannah Grant, respectively, both deserve an extra curtain call for exemplary work.

Because of the careful scripting, all three of the leading characters played by Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley MacLaine were strong roles with no single character dominating the script. The two sisters, Rose and Maggie, shared the focus in the first half of the film, and MacLaine's grandmother Ella provided a strong impetus in the latter portion.

While all three performances were superb, the trickiest role was Maggie the tomcat. Cameron Diaz brought depth to the role, and one scene especially stood out when Maggie's learning disability was revealed. As she struggled with her reading of the poem in the hospital room, a new dimension of the character suddenly emerged. The scene was sensitively played by Diaz, and the dialogue was, once again, dynamic, sustaining dramatic interest at a point when the impetus of the film could have been lost.

It was impressive as well that the screenplay offered some delectable dialogue for the small parts, especially in the members of the retirement community of Florida. There were many delightful and humorous moments. Yet, the screenplay provided depth and detail in a rich emotional tapestry.

One character that deserves special acknowledgment was the Professor, blind and dying in the Florida hospital. The role was played with great understatement by Norman Lloyd, a veteran character actor who performed with Orson Welles' celebrated Mercury Theatre. Prior to his stunning success in "Citizen Kane" and even before his notorious "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, Welles was a luminary in the New York theatre. One of the great Shakespearean productions in America in the last century was Welles' 1937 production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" that was part of the Federal Theatre Project. Norman Lloyd played the small but crucial role of Cinna the Poet, and, although Lloyd battled with Welles during the rehearsals, the death scene of Cinna the Poet underscored the theme of fascism that Welles wished to evoke. "In Her Shoes" provides Lloyd with another small, but memorable role. Lloyd's was a riveting performance, and the film would not have been the same without it.

Part of the genius of Shakespeare was his ability to individualize and make memorable even the tiniest roles in his plays. This was the strength as well of "In Her Shoes" and an example of some of the finest screen writing in recent years.

Poor Shirley MacLaine tries hard to lend some gravitas to this mawkish, gag-inducing "feel-good" movie, but she's trampled by the run-away sentimentality of a film that's not the least bit grounded in reality.

This was directed by Curtis Hanson? Did he have a lobotomy since we last heard from him? Hanson can do effective drama sprinkled with comedy, as evidenced by "Wonder Boys." So I don't know what happened to him here. This is the kind of movie that doesn't want to accept that life is messy and fussy, and that neat, tidy endings (however implausible they might be) might make for a nice closing shot, but come across as utterly phony if the people watching the film have been through anything remotely like what the characters in the film go through.

My wife and I made a game of calling out the plot points before they occurred -- e.g. "the old man's going to teach her to read and then drop dead." Bingo! This is one of those movies where the characters give little speeches summarizing their emotional problems, making you wonder why they still have emotional problems if they're that aware of what's causing them. Toni Collette (a fine actress, by the way, and one of my favorites if not given a lot to work with here), gives a speech early on about why she buys so many shoes and never wears them, spelling out in flashing neon the film's awkward connecting motif. At that moment, I knew what I was in for, and the film was a downward spiral from there.

Grade: C-

Don't be too harsh on this film. A chick-flick? Perhaps, but lots more than that! This film is about women relationships with just the right touch of comic relief many of these films normally lack. Hats of for everyone who contributed to this film! A good script, great acting and stellar craftsmanship of director Curtis Hanson make this one hit the bulls-eye, or very close indeed. I expected a decent comedy, which - in part - it certainly is, but the performances are so good and the characters so alive and breathing that I soon forgot about the initial comic aspect of the film. Right from the start, the film sucks you into the story, which just ring true.

Two sisters with quite opposite characters, sexy, uneducated party animal Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and the somewhat dull responsible lawyer Rose (Toni Collette), are unwillingly confronted with each other. They learn that they can actually learn something from their deficiencies and combine the strands they have - with help from their grandmother - to improve their lives.

Curtis Hanson expertly directs in an appropriately modest fashion He knows his job and manages to focus on character development but doesn't forget to add the occasional comic relief. The cast shines with Cameron Diaz in what might be her best role so far. The still vastly underrated Australian Toni Collette, who shined as the vulnerable ugly duckling in MURIEL'S WEDDING (1994), is just perfect in her role a Rose, and there's Shirley Maclaine as the sister's grandmother with a somewhat low-key part, but she knows how to handle it, expertly. A treat!

Perhaps some minor flaws: The story takes some time to get going. A bit too much focus on Cameron Diaz's legs, which is completely unnecessary and Maggie's partial illiteracy and incapability to get a job might have needed somewhat more background or explanation. What beautiful woman, no matter how stupid she might be, could have any difficulty finding a job? Highly unlikely. But these are minor quibbles.

Worth your time, even if you are one of three guys in a crowd of three hundred women in the cinema;)

Camera Obscura --- 9/10

A relationship with a video store clerk is an important thing when you like to watch movies. He can let you have Star Wars III the weekend before its due to hit the shelves, or he can waive the late fee, or unofficially give you free rentals because you've rented over 1000 movies from him.

Most importantly, when you can't decide what to watch, he can tell you what he thinks, and make a few suggestions. If you have a good relationship, he'll put more thought into it, and you'll know better how your tastes and his intersect. This happened to me last night.

So my video go-to guy suggested, in a bold and shocking move, In Her Shoes, which at first glance is nothing but a sappy chick-flick that even my Girlfriend balked at. He insisted, pointing out that the director, Curtis Hanson, had also made Wonderboys (but forgetting to mention L.A. Confidential, for some reason). He described its merits, and eventually convinced me and my Girlfriend.

And so I watched In Her Shoes, best described as a character driven drama with some funny moments. It was very good, and my faith in the Video Guy is renewed. This movie is probably the first time I ever liked Cameron Diaz in a movie. Toni Collette is great, as is Shirley MacLaine. The rest of the supporting cast is strong. While there is no real umph behind the visuals, the movie doesn't really suffer from it, in as much as the focus is character, not visual.

My only reservation about this movie is that it comes on a little strong by times. It achieves levels of saccharine sweetness that jar the overall mood of the movie. The overt sentimentality, while awfully effective (barely a dry eye in the house), leaves a bad aftertaste. The same, I think can be said of a few comedic moments, that while funny, seem to stand out as maybe not part of the right movie. I'm glad I didn't watch it by myself, but as a couple movie, go for it.

I'm planning a overhaul of my rating system, given that I'm not sure about the efficacity of the old one. In the old system, I think this movie would be a 3.75, maybe a 4 at a stretch, outta 5. My Girlfriend loved it.

I don't remember why I decided, besides a free ticket, to watch this movie in the first place. I'm sure it wasn't Cameron Diaz; I don't find her beautiful (without mentioning "The Mask": I saw her and I went…Wow!) or talented, and nothing she's done is still in mind today. I'm sure it wasn't Jennifer Weiner's novel; I don't know he she is and I didn't know the novel existed.

Probably my only reason was Toni Collette, an actress I remember for her last movies, but I know very well if I go back in time carefully. I have seen her work and I have liked her surely always, but she's generated me the same image every time I watch her. I'm fond of the roles she chooses because they remind me of the mother of a friend of mine. What I said about the same image is because when you see her you sense you'll get that compulsive, restrained portrayal.

From Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, you'll get the crazy, wild and uninterested grown woman that believes she is still in high school. The two women play the film's main characters, the Feller Sisters; and they introduce themselves, and talk, separately, about the things that occur in the picture. Believe or not, this is the way they probably are in real life.

The title of the movie comes from the title of the novel, and the camera shows the shoes from time to time, the screenplay deals with them. Susannah Grant wrote the feature, being the first of a multifaceted working pair. "In her shoes" is Grant's second written dramatic comedy, after Sandra Bullock's starring role in "28 Days". But Grant's versatility is explained in the fact that she's written character pieces ("Erin Brockovich"), series ("Party of Five"), romantic films ("Ever After") and even a Disney production ("Pocahontas").

Director Curtis Hanson completes the singular pair. What a talented man! He directed his short amount of films; he received his Academy nomination for directing and his Oscar for writing. But again; the versatility…Hanson directed blockbusters ("The River Wild"), thrillers ("The hand that rocks the cradle"), fantastic character dramas ("Wonder Boys") and if you could call it like that, star vehicles (Eminem's "8 Mile"). He came unharmed from every project.

"In her shoes" leaves everyone unharmed too. The movie is doing no wrong to anybody. It tries to accomplish many things, it threatens with several closures, and it seems unsure and tricky, kind of like real life. It displays this real life perfectly, with some perfectly cast actors, and it wants the best for each individual.

Am I forgetting something? Oh, yes, maybe a group of old people, in which the incredible Shirley MacLaine stands out, as the caring grandmother of the rival sisters. With a whole life to reconstruct, the pro actress leaves us clear why she is who she is. I was thinking of Jane Fonda and her comeback last year with a movie I wrote about. I'm not comparing, they're both great but…She disappeared from the map; MacLaine stayed.

Having previously tackled a wide range of themes in his films, Director Curtis Hanson delves into the love/hate relationship of two disparate sisters in the film, In Her Shoes. The result is an enjoyably entertaining comedy/drama featuring a number of topflight performances and some hilarious dialogue.

Maggie Feller (Cameron Diaz) is an irresponsible, practically illiterate alcoholic who sleeps around and mooches or steals to get by in the world. Her sister, Rose Feller (Toni Collette) is a self conscious, workaholic lawyer who is dating her boss and indulges in her one passion, fashionable dress shoes. (Maggie's obsession with Rose's sexy heels recalls an ongoing theme of television's Sex and the City.) Both sisters lost their psychologically impaired mother to a supposed car accident that affected their family over the years. One day Maggie is thrown out of her house by her step mother and dad. Finding refuge with her sister, Rose, she proceeds to make life miserable with her carefree attitude and interference that ends in embarrassment and anger for both. As Rose's romantic and professional life is turned upside down, Maggie is sent packing and turns to one last hope, her maternal grandmother she never knew, namely Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine). Ella works in a retirement community in Florida, and Maggie's appearance causes quite a stir. When she lost her daughter, Ella lost touch with her granddaughters, and Maggie's 'visit' serves as a catalyst for reconnection. Maggie's visit becomes a reawakening of sorts for herself and a chance for Ella to rediscover her lost family. Meanwhile, Rose is at a crossroads in her life and decides to change course in her job and finds romance from an unlikely source. Anxious to reunite her granddaughters, Ella resorts to extreme measures to bridge an emotional gap as her two girls begin to discover their own identities in unique and unexpected ways.

This is a gem of a film. It says something when you realize early on that you are watching something special. Curtis Hanson (L.A.Confidential, Wonder Boys) has struck gold with Susannah Grant's (Erin Brokovich) adaptation of the best seller by Jennifer Weiner. The film is really about the secrets and lies that cripple a family over time and how a strange course of events revisit the relationships or lack thereof. Hanson and the company do a marvelous job of balancing some very funny dialogue with more serious, dramatic scenes. There are some great, memorable lines, some of which are funny and smart without losing sight of the context of the story. A number of scenes are touching and affecting in their sensitive handling of real emotions without becoming clichéd. It's nice to see real people who change over time and how seemingly inconsequential supporting characters gradually come to the forefront.

The acting by the entire cast is strong and you appreciate the little nuances in facial expression and inflection of dialogue that enrich each character. This may be Cameron Diaz's best performance. That's saying something as the glamorous model has been more star than actress in her most popular films (Charlie's Angels, There's Something About Mary) and she is given a juicy role with sharp direction. Toni Collette has always been a solid actress in any film (Sixth Sense, The Hours) but she has found a wonderful character in Rose and makes the most of it. Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment, The Turning Point) is terrific in what is a change of pace role where she eschews makeup to look her age and shows a maternal wisdom that is the stuff of Supporting Oscars. You wish there were more of her in the film, but what's there is delicious. It's nice to see an old pro like Norman Lloyd still displaying his acting chops in what is a minor role of a bed-ridden patient who has a profound influence on Diaz's character.

The performances are complemented by seamless editing which not only captures the right reactions, but effortlessly switches back and forth between the two sisters especially during key scenes that are thematically linked. Although the running time goes over two hours, the pacing is good, and everything seems integral to the storyline. The musical score by Mark Isham is quite effective in complimenting the emotional moments without ever being intrusive.

Despite its strong script, the film never fully explores Maggie's transformation which, while uplifting and remarkable, is never totally convincing given her origins and tendencies. Things get wrapped up in a dreamy sendoff which is perhaps too good to be true, but those same qualities also make for a more upbeat film.

Hanson displays a very keen eye in relating what is essentially a woman's film. Yes, this may be considered a woman's film in its theme and target audience, but considering the fact it is also a well made, funny, and heart rending film about love and family, the women ought to bring along the men. In Her Shoes is not just about rival sisters but rather it is about a family yanked apart and slowly brought together again in ways that are not altogether apparent at the start. How these lost souls meld together is the stuff of high entertainment and substance.

I saw in her shoes by chance and was very touched by the story and the style of the story teller. I kept trying to leave the room to do my chores while my wife sat weeping. I was so curious at what was causing such emotions and got hooked after the first five minutes. It could have easily been done with great mellow-drama but an unstated settle gave it an ease to watch and experience without you being dragged into the mud. The acting was well done. Really good work from Cameron Diaz and Shirely McClaine. The writing of the story from the book was respectable. To those who read the book know that few things were dropped but it hardly effected the story itself. I highly recommend this film.

It's not the best romantic comedy in the market but this movie always makes me cry. I have a sister too and even though our relationship is nothing like in the film I understand their love for each other.

Maggie and Rose are totally different sisters. While Rose is a serious and hard-working lawyer, Maggie is crazy and spoils her life in a party after another, selling her body to earn money. After a great argument, Rose makes Maggie out of her house and she, having nowhere to go, will travel to Florida, where their Grandma lives. There she will discover the sense of helping the other people and to have a decent job (tahnks to grandma!). Meanwhile, Rose will learn how to be more open to new experiences and she will find love. although it has a typical plot, the movie is not annoying at any time. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, it is able to tell you a well structured story, with quite well built characters (unusual in this kind of movies). Acting of Tony Collette and Shirley McLane is unexpectedly good (while Cameron Diaz is just correct), which makes the movie more interesting. It is a genre that artistically is not very good, but, probably one of the best movies of this type. It is quite long (130') but it does not seem so, it is no masterpiece, but is perfect to enjoy relaxed an afternoon or a long bus travel.

I enjoyed this family drama about the story of two sisters which have completely different personalities. At the beginning I didn't expect it was a drama as I really thought it was a comedy, but to be honest I didn't care because the plot really got me involved and I liked it anyway.

I think this movie has a powerful message and even having some Hollywood clichéd scenes, like the wedding at the end, it's really a good film; with a bit of drama but also tenderness and fun (yes, it has a few intelligent jokes. Not enough to be a comedy but enough to make you laugh a few times). I also enjoyed very much the two sisters' characters: MAGGIE (Played by Cameron Diaz) and ROSE (Toni Collette), but I got shocked when I realized that Cameron Diaz couldn't read a poem! Joking!:) I appreciate so much this actress, and one more time I loved her performance.

This film really surprised me, because I was expecting just one of those average Hollywood romantic comedies or something, but instead I got a good drama, with a very nice plot. And if we exclude some clichéd scenes like the one I did refer we really have a good film.