"The movie is so well-cast, sympathetically acted and delicately directed -- and so genuinely touching and funny -- that it leaps right out of the narrow confines of the family bonding formula." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "Collette's performance is so full of juice and the beneficiary of good dialogue that Diaz's may end up being underrated." Mike Clark USA TODAY "In Her Shoes draws charm and power from the fresh, soup-stirred cast, notably in MacLaine's flinty and rueful good sense." David Elliott SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE "So how is Hanson going to deliver a chick flick with the romantic comedy elements that Hollywood has honed over decades of time and millions of dollars in any way that his core audience will respect? The answer is: pretty well." Andrew L Urban URBANCINEFILE "It’s a mature and intelligent work which explores with sympathy and candour not only Maggie’s empty lifestyle but also the restricted world of her more ‘sensible’ sister, whose collection of shoes goes mostly unworn. The performances are top rank, Toni Collette is quite wonderful, but Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine are also very good." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES

"Will MacLaine grab an Oscar nomination in the Supporting Actress category with her bare teeth? You have to ask?" Lisa Schwarzbaum ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "The efficiently etched conflict between the sisters serves as a great start to a full-blooded, mature comedy-drama that spotlights sibling rivalry, personal awakening and the vexed issue of prolonged adolescence." Jim Schembri THE AGE "I enjoyed the dialogue, the quiet silences, the humour, the symmetry of writer Susannah Grant’s script as adapted from Jennifer Weiner’s novel. Utimatley this is an unpredictable drama brimming with acute observations about family ties-that-bind." Megan Spencer THE MOVIE SHOW SBS "Somewhat against type, MacLaine delivers a relatively “quiet performance”, and it’s this stillness and control that anchors the hurling emotions and gives weight to the tragic family secret that is finally revealed." Selma Nadarajah FILMINK "It's a humorous, heartfelt, strong story with clever character development and have to admit to getting very misty a couple of times. A good film for couples of all sorts." Bruce Redman ABC BRISBANE

The Inside Story

"Call it a 'chick flick' if you must, but it is the best 'chick flick' you will see this year." Jackie K Cooper JACKIEKCOOPER.COM

It would be a little unfair not to label "In Her Shoes" as a 'chick flick' after all, the theme is about two sisters and a long lost Grandmother. It's also true that the three major roles in the film go to women and that's not hard to work out in a film that focusses on two sisters and a long lost Grandmother, now is it? So does that mean there isn't anything in it for the guys? Ladies, does that mean you won't be able to drag them along to the theatre. Of course not! This is a film in which Cameron Diaz plays a big part. And what's so special about Cameron Diaz appearing in "In Her Shoes? Ladies, come on. Just make sure any male within earshot understands that this is another chance to see Diaz running around in skimpy underwear, hankies for a bikini and exposing plenty of tight midrift. Surely that's enough of a carrot to dangle from a stick under their testosterone charged noses. A clever little line such as, "they tell me Cameron Diaz spends half the film in next to nothing", will really suck them in. When it comes to a 'chick flick' most guys can usually come up with a hatfull of reasons why they can't go to the cinema with their wife, partner or mistress. So you'll have to put your foot down ladies and don't take no for ana answer. Most guys need to get in touch with their 'feminine' side. "In Her Shoes" is just the excuse you need to bring that about. Director Curtis Hanson says, "In Her Shoes is not that different from my other films, because all of these movies are about characters who are struggling to figure out what they’re doing with themselves and what they’re doing with their lives, characters who are yearning for human connection and family." Hang on, didn't Hanson also direct "L.A Confidential" and "Wonder Boys". He sure did. I guess I can make sense of what he's saying. It's all about family and that's very true when it comes to "In Her Shoes" a story of two sisters, Rose and Maggie, who bust up and must 'find' each other again. "In Her Shoes explores the challenge of making the most of what we’re capable of," notes producer Carol Fenelon, "about being comfortable in one’s own shoes. Maggie and Rose come to realize it’s never too late to change one’s path." With Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette playing the sisters you may well anticipate that you're in for a treat. And you'd be right. Even though both actresses careers have followed much different pathways both get the connection right in this film. They are believable as sisters. Their onscreen characters are two vastly different people with their distinct foibles. "Maggie is like a child," says Cameron Diaz. "She seems tough and outgoing, but she’s really very lonely, selfish and self-centered. To make her way through life, she can only use sexuality, looks and charisma. Eventually, she realizes these things are running dry, and that she must adopt a different way of living by relating to the people who love her. But she has always seen herself as a victim. She never takes responsibility for her actions, so she doesn’t really understand how she has arrived at such a bad place." Rose on the other hand is a very competent lawyer. Her life is one dominated by her work and an appartment which mirrors her life. Director Hanson is full of praise for Diaz. "The wonderful thing about her performance is the way in which she illuminates Maggie’s fears, insecurity, and vulnerability", he said. "So even when Maggie’s doing horrible, unspeakable things, things you would never do to a sister, Cameron makes us believe there is a goodness inside of her. You can see that Maggie is yearning to be taken for more than just a pretty face or the girl with the great body. You feel for Maggie because you realize how badly she wants to make a life for herself, and you understand how her lack of self-confidence makes that so hard." In a way, the role of Maggie relects a lot on Diaz's career and where she is now. At the age of 33 Diaz is at a bit of a crossroad. She can't keep on playing the 'girlie' roles forever, she needs to look for something meatier in the future just as Maggie discovers in the film. Australian actress Toni Collette shows that her roles in "About A Boy" with Hugh Grant, "The Sixth Sense" with Bruce Willis and "Changing Lanes" with Samuel L Jackson, were no fluke. Hanson was equally full of praise for Collette who once again stacked on the pounds for the role of the elder sister Rose. "Toni takes what is discovered during rehearsal and then continues to burrow down into the most inner recesses of her character," he said. "When it’s time to shoot, the subtle nuances she brings to her portrayal are often breathtaking." Collette's shot to fame in the 1994 film "Muriel's Wedding" in which she played a large girl named Muriel Heslop. For the role of Muriel, Collette stacked on 43 pounds or 19 and 1/2 kilograms. "I vowed to high heavens that I would never put on weight again for a movie," Collette revealed. "But Curtis has this way of getting what he wants and I ended up putting on twenty-five pounds to play the part. Then, once Rose quits her job and begins to fall in love and become a happier person it affects her physically. So I then had to lose the weight through a rigid diet and exercise program during the middle of shooting. I don’t think I’ll be doing this ‘weight see-saw’ thing again. But with "In Her Shoes", it was worth it because that part of Rose’s life really affects and inhibits her." While both actresses do a wonderful job, there is one other actress who outshines them both. Academy Award ® winner Shirley MacLaine, who steals the film, and carries the second half. Forget her last appearance with Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman "Bewitched". Believe me, she is a life-saver this time round. Back to her old form again. "In Her Shoes" author Jennifer Weiner says, "The role of Ella was partially inspired by Jennifer Weiner’s own grandmother, who lives in a residential community for active seniors in Florida. “I always thought it would be an interesting setting for a comic novel because of the mating rituals and the way that everything changes. When you’re sixteen, all you want to know is, does the guy have a car. And when you’re eighty, all you want to know is, does the guy have a car, and can he still drive at night. It’s a place where people are negotiating their lives again, sort of a new start for everybody. It’s kind of a reinvention. And Ella is reinventing herself at the same time that Rose and Maggie are." for MacLaine, who has appeared in around 50 films and has been honoured with the Academy Award ® ["Terms of Endearment" 1984], 10 Golden Globe Awards, two Venice Film Festival Awards, two Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear Awards and the 1999 Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement Award, working at the former Goldwyn Studios "rang with memories of the past." Why? Not only was the interior of Ella’s home built on the same stage where she had filmed "The Apartment", but the rehearsal room Hanson and the cast used had been MacLaine’s dressing room during production of "The Apartment", "The Children’s Hour" and "Irma La Douce". "I was so glad to work in a character-driven piece for a change," says MacLaine. "Ella lives in a community where everything is perfect, very manicured and clean and comfortable. She doesn’t like to confront her own feelings or her sense of having been shut out of the lives of her granddaughters. She’s on her own, not really tending to herself so she has a kind of glossed-over façade. I’ve never played a part like this, and it can be threatening because it’s so authentically subtle. That, plus an early conversation I had with Curtis in which he said he wanted a very quiet performance, attracted me to the role." It may be a quiet role but it's a performance that sure stands out. "In Her Shoes" is a film that should have appeal way beyond the 'chick flick' genre. The performances are excellent and Hanson cuts in with MacLaine just at the right time. And guys, there are three males actors appearing in the film who play a big role in shaping Rose, Maggie and Ella's futures. "In Her Shoes" is a very entertaining film indeed. Crew Bytes "IN HER SHOES" was .......
directed by 2003 Film Preservation Award recipient Curtis Hanson ["Losin' It", "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", "L.A.Confidential", "Wonder Boys" and "8 Mile"]; screenplay by Susannah Grant ["Pocahonta", "Ever After", "28 Days" and "Erin Brockovich"]; adapted from the book by Jennifer Weiner ["Little Earthquakes" and "Good In Bed"]; costume design by Sophie de Rakoff ["Legally Blonde", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Legally Blonde 2" and "Shall We Dance"]; production design by Dan Davis ["Beautiful Girls", "Michael", "You've Got Mail" and "A Guy Thing"]; edited by Lisa Zeno Churgin A.C.E ["Reality Bites", "Dead Man Walking", "200 Cigarettes", "The Cider House Rules" and "The Wedding Planner"] and Craig Kitson ["Point Dume", "They Crawl", "Project Viper" and "8 Mile"]; cinematography by Terry Stacey ["History of the World in Eight Minutes", "The Laramie Project", "American Splendor" and "The Door in the Floor"]; original music by Mark Isham ["Life as a House", "Don't Say A Word", "Moonlight Mile", "The Cooler", "Crash" and "Kicking & Screaming"] produced by Curtis Hanson ["Sweet Kill", "The Silent Partner", "L.A.Confidential" and "8 Mile"; Lisa Ellzey ["Six Bullets From Now" and "Kingdom of Heaven"]; Carol Fenelon ["8 Mile"] and Ridley Scott ["Gladiator", "Black Hawk Down", "Matchstick Men" and "Kingdom of Heaven"]. Casting About "IN HER SHOES" stars .......
1996 ShoWest’s Female Star of Tomorrow Cameron Diaz ["There's Something About Mary", "The Sweetest Thing", "Minority Report", "Gangs Of New York" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"]; IF, FCCA and AFI Award winner Toni Collette ["About A Boy", "The Hours", "Japanese Story" and "Connie and Carla"]; Academy Award® winner Shirley MacLaine ["Ocean's Eleven", "Steel Magnolias", "Postcards From The Edge", "Guarding Tess" and "Bewitched"]; Anson Mount ["Boiler Room", "Crossroads", "City by the Sea" and "The Warrior Class"]; Richard Burgi ["Payback", "Wheelmen" and "Cellular"]; Candice Azzara ["House Calls", "Unstrung Heroes", "Catch Me If You Can" and "Ocean's Twelve"]; Brooke Smith ["The Silence of the Lambs", "The Man Who Wasn't There", "Bad Company" and "Melinda and Melinda"]; Jerry Adler ["The Public Eye", "Getting Away with Murder", "Six Ways to Sunday" and "Waiting For Maggio"]; Francine Beers ["Made for Each Other", "Three Men and a Baby", "Sticky Fingers" and "Keeping The Faith"] and Mark Feuerstein ["Woman on Top", "Rules Of Engagement", "What Women Want" and "Two Weeks Notice"] as Simon. What It's All About

"They feel like real people. They show their flaws and wallow in their misery, but they have a strength that gets them through troubling times and they let you laugh with them." Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM

Maggie and Rose Feller have nothing in common except for their shoe size. Rose is a lawyer working for a top law firm in Philadelphia. She likes her life ordered. Rose, her sister, spends her time partying, getting drunk, having sex with every good looking guys and stealing from everyone she knows. When Maggie is kicked out of home, Rose takes her in. After all they are sisters and anyway, Where else can Maggie go? Their relationship is strained but takes a turn for the worse when Rose comes home from work and finds Maggie in bed with a colleague Rose has been having a secret affair with. With no-one to turn to, Maggie heads for Miami in an attempt to find her Grandmother. Could she be the catalyst for reuniting the sisters? The Verdict "As far as entertainment values go, "In Her Shoes" has a lot going for it thanks to solid performances by Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. And don't let age be a barrier to you seeing "In Her Shoes" because the film livens up a notch or two when the location shifts from 'chilly Phily' to the warmth of Miami and the 'active senior's retirement village'. Great chick flick film for mums & daughters, bonded sisters and any male who can appreciate Cameron Diaz parading around in skimpy underwear and swimsuits. Highly recommended. Very entertaining." The Cast

Cameron Diaz Toni Collette Shirley MacLaine Mark Feuerstein Anson Mount Richard Burgi Candice Azzara Brooke Smith Terrance Christopher Jones Nicole Randall Johnson Kateri DeMartino Brandon Karrer Jon Ingrassia Jason Peck Mary-Pat Green Gene Bozzi Carlease Burke Hamlet Ken Howard Eric Balfour Andy Powers Chihiro Kawamura Marcia Jean Kurtz Alan Blumenfeld Jackie Geary Jill Saunders Mel Alpern Francine Beers Jerry Adler Ivana Milicevic Norman Lloyd Dorothy Kelly Benton Jennings Marilyn Raphael Fran Gellatly Joan Turner Jeri Jordan Ruth Byler David Shatraw

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Maggie Feller Rose Feller Ella Hirsch Simon Stein Todd Jim Danvers Sydelle Feller Amy Lawyer Rose's Assistant Ferocious Shopper Canal House Guy Bartender Cuervo Carl Diner Waitress Doorman Bea Honey Bun Two/Rufus Michael Feller Grant Tim Sushi Waitress Mrs Stein Mr Stein My Marcia Lopey Rabbi Mrs Lefkowitz Lewis Feldman Caroline The Professor Dora Shoe Salesman Mimmy Mrs Stempel Edie Jeri Mrs Haskell The Professor's Grandson

The Crew Directed by Curtis Hanson Adapted from the novel "In Her Shoes" by Jennifer Weiner Screenplay by Susannah Grant Produced by Lisa Ellzey/Carol Fenelon/Curtis Hanson/Ridley Scott Original Music by Mark Isham Cinematography by Terry Stacey Film Editing by Lisa Zeno Churgin & Craig Kitson Casting by David Rubin Production Design by Dan Davis Art Direction by Jesse Rosenthal/John Warnke/John Wildermuth Jr Set Decoration by Teresa Visinare Costume Design by by Sophie de Rakoff Run Time 130 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved