MOVIE REVIEW: Kinky Boots 2005Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) returns to his hometown of Northhampton to run his family's shoe factory after his father's death. When he looks through the ledgers, he discovers the factory is in financial ruin. Charlie feels that his only choice is to lay off some of the workers. Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts), one of the workers set to be laid off, tells Charlie that he should shift the focus of the business, keep the workers and the factory open. The Price factory has been making the same shoe for many years and Lauren feels it is time for a fresh approach. While in Soho one evening, Charlie spots several guys roughing up a "woman". He attempts to help her and is accidentally hit on the head with a shiny red boot. When he wakes up he discovers he is backstage at drag bar. Drag queen Lola/Simon (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is preparing for his show and tells Charlie that it was he who accidentally hit him with his boot, and that he broke the heel in the process. Lola also informs Charlie that he has trouble finding boots that fit properly. Charlie's creative wheels begin to spin and he persuades Lola/Simon to help him design a line of sexy boots that are sturdy enough to hold the weight of a man. Meanwhile, Charlie's fiancee (Jemima Rooper) is trying to persuade him into selling the business to a contractor who wants to turn the factory into condos. Will Lola save the day or will Price Shoes go out of business? No more spoilers from y'all!
Yay for the magical Black drag queen! Although I have a problem with the whole "Magical Negro" concept, Kinky Boots was a really entertaining flick. It starts off a little slow but it picks up once Lola arrives on the scene. Chiwetel Ejiofor is such a great actor. I first discovered his talents in Dirty Pretty Things and I've been a fan ever since. He doesn't disappoint here either, his performance of Lola/Simon was brilliant. Not once did I feel like the performance was derogatory to the LBGT community. Lola's production numbers rock! The shows are splashy, campy, and over the top...just how I like my drag shows. The only problem I did have with the film is the desexualization of Lola, but that's a common thing with "Magical Negro" films. The Magical Negro can never have a love interest of their own, they are there only to ensure the White counterparts in the film are happy. Let me get off my soapbox. The directors were able to pull this off with very mild language and no nudity. I believe this film was meant to be a moralistic tale of acceptance and perserverance and it is done effectively without coming across as being too heavy-handed. From what I understand, this film was based on a true story but the outcome is slightly different from the film.
VERDICT: 3 Soul Claps
Labels: Movie Reviews
This entry was posted
on Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 8:38 AM.
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