It's a predictable and preachy stab at a comedy with heart, and its subversive silliness is eclipsed by an overwrought humanity.
Kinky Boots (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:104
Fresh:60
Rotten:44
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Kinky Boots relies heavily on the Full Monty formula of Britcoms, while playing it too safe in a desperate attempt not to offend. Ejiofor's performance is its redeeming virtue.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for thematic material involving sexuality, and for language.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 14, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $1,692,769
Synopsis: From the makers of "Calendar Girls" comes an uplifting British comedy about two outcast dreamers who finally figure out how to stand up for themselves . . . in thigh-high leather stilettos.... From the makers of "Calendar Girls" comes an uplifting British comedy about two outcast dreamers who finally figure out how to stand up for themselves . . . in thigh-high leather stilettos. Inspired by a surprising true story, KINKY BOOTS stars Joel Edgerton ("Star Wars: Episode III") as Charlie Price, the young Englishman who inherits his father’s failing shoe factory and, in a rousing comedic turn, Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Dirty Pretty Things") as "Lola," the feisty female impersonator who turns Charlie's world, and the entire luckless factory, inside out and on its way to the catwalks of Milan. With a mix of brassy humor and heartwarming poignancy, KINKY BOOTS explores what happens when people who have spent their entire lives trying to fit in suddenly decide to truly stand out. Charlie Price thinks he has finally escaped the dead-end industrial town of Northampton with his ambitious fiancée Nicola (Jemima Rooper), when his father suddenly passes away, leaving Charlie unexpectedly in charge of the sinking family business in sturdy shoes. Trapped between a world of cheap knock-offs and to-die-for Jimmy Choos, Price & Sons seemingly doesn't need a manager so much as it needs a savior. With mounting dread, Charlie soon realizes that to even stay afloat he's going to have to lay off many of his dad's loyal, life-long employees. Then, one dark night in Soho, Charlie is literally smacked in the face with an idea that could bring the factory roaring back to life. When Charlie meets tough, tender Lola and her teetering high heels, everything changes. They might come from completely different walks of life, but both men have reached a point where they have nothing left to lose by taking a risk. Deciding to buck tradition and boring loafers, Charlie sets out to conquer the brave new world of sexy cross-dressing footwear, with Lola as his fashion advisor. But it isn't just the assembly line that the disarming Lola transforms. As the make-or-break Milan fashion show approaches, everyone in the factory – from the macho Don (Nick Frost "Sean of the Dead") to the stalwart Mel (Linda Bassett) to Charlie's "sole" confidante Lauren (Sarah Jane Potts) – finds the unlikely dreams of Lola and Charlie catching fire. --© Miramax Films [More]
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Jemima Rooper
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Jemima Rooper, Linda Bassett, Nick Frost, Robert Pugh, Josh Cole, Kellie Bright
Director: Julian Jarrold
Director: Julian Jarrold
Producer: Nick Barton, Suzanne Mackie
Composer: Adrian Johnston
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
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Release:
Sep 5, 2006
Reviews for Kinky Boots
First-time director Julian Jarrold brings to Kinky Boots the dry humor and blue-collar insight that we expect from England's legendary Ealing Studios -- and that's high praise, indeed.
Though screenwriters Tim Firth and Geoffe Dean worked from fact, director Julian Jarrold makes everything feel much more contrived than fiction.
The brilliant Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things, Serenity) is fabulous as the outrageous Lola.
There's nothing remarkable about Kinky Boots, and only Ejiofor's spectacular performance makes it worth a trip to the theater. But that's enough.
The only surprises come from Ejiofor, who invests Lola with more depth than his eye shadow and miniskirts would otherwise suggest.
Chiwetel Ejiofor dishes out another magnetic performance despite a storyline that wavers from innovative to obvious.
Jarrold's film reportedly is based on fact, but that doesn't stop it from seeming pretty preposterous.
There's no denying that some audience members are likely to find this predictable silliness amusing. And the cast certainly seems to be buying into it.
Ejiofor's unbridled confidence sells the character and makes the movie.
Ejiofor sure can sashay and belt out a show-stopping number, but Kinky Boots is too busy putting on its heels to kick 'em off and boogie.
It's the acting of an earnest and capable cast that overcomes a weak screenplay with irresistible charm and surprising poignancy.
It may be very Prince Charming, but it's a story that's definitively old.
It's difficult to tell if Lola is the only interesting character because he's written that way, or because the actor is so clearly in a class above the rest.
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