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Sole
Queen KINKY BOOTS: Directed by Julian Jarrold. Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Cinematography by Eigil Bryld. Music by Adrian Johnston. Starring Joel Edgerton, Jemima Rooper, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett and Sarah-Jane Potts. Miramax, 2006. PG-13. 107 minutes.
It's a formula that's come to define British comedy: facing unemployment, stodgy British laborers embrace their wild side, becoming more human in the process. When it works — as it does in The Full Monty (1997) and Billy Elliot (2000) — you can feel the stiff upper lip begin to quiver. But in order for the fish-and-chips-out-of-water bit to work, a film has to be willing to take some chances. The new film Kinky Boots, about a centuries-old shoe factory that dumps Oxfords for dominatrix boots in a desperate attempt to survive, is more flat-footed than its title implies. Kinky Boots is about Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton), the unassertive but well-meaning heir to Price & Sons, a reputable shoe factory in ragged Northampton. After breaking his father's heart by leaving the business, Charlie returns to run the company after his father dies of a heart attack. The movie isn't afraid to suggest that the elder Price died of his disappointment in Charlie, which made me reach for the shoestrings I felt cinching around my heart. Charlie's fiancée (Jemima Rooper), a terrifically self-absorbed businesswoman, wants him to sell the factory. When Charlie discovers that his father was hiding the company's losses — the documents are right there in the desk drawer — he can't help feeling like he's destined to be a failure. Enter Lola the drag queen, who knows a thing or two about survival. Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) carries Kinky Boots on her broadly muscled shoulders. Ejiofor plays Lola as tough-talking but intensely fragile. She's an ex-boxer who escaped her father's cruelty by giving up looking like a man altogether. While onstage at her nightclub, she can handle the jeers and cheers alike: she's a gorgeous, intelligent, full-throated performer. But offstage, it's clear the insults are getting to her. She has a taste for vodka, and I'll be darned if her footwear doesn't seem to be giving her trouble. Lola meets Charlie when Charlie attempts to rescue her from an alleyway mugging — or worse — which is strange because Lola is the size of an NFL linebacker. At any rate, after a little awkwardness on Charlie's part, they decide to collaborate on full-length zip boots for the transvestite set. It doesn't sound like much of a business plan to me, but their pairing sets the rest of the movie in motion. In order to save Price & Sons, these boots must make it to the catwalks in Milan, and time is running short. You get the idea: it's not a realistic movie. Sexuality is everywhere and nowhere here. There's Lola, of course, whose cabaret greeting welcomes "Ladies, gentlemen, and those who are yet to make up your mind." There's also an engagement, infidelity and sweet romance. None of these are addressed or made to appear in any way complicated. Only once does Lola really talk about being a drag queen. It's an effective scene, and I found myself waiting for the pearls of wisdom. Lola's advice to Charlie? "Let's just pretend we know what we're doing." Sure, guv. That'll pay the bills. If you buy Charlie and Lola's unlikely friendship, you'll find this light fare pleasant but unspectacular. Kinky Boots at least can't be accused of trying to do too much. There are enough comic moments to keep you in your seat. If, on the other foot, there are too many clichés for you to abide, you'll find Kinky Boots predictable and insignificant. Other than Ejiofor's performance, I didn't find much to like here. I prefer my footwear a little more substantial. Kinky Boots opens Friday, July 7 at the Bijou.
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