Movies from the Heart—In Her Shoes

From last week’s weighty Match Point we move this week to a much more light-hearted film—In Her Shoes [2005] by Susannah Grant.

In many ways, this film reminds me of Cinderella—the classic fairytale about the good daughter and her evil stepsisters—as this film centers on the relationship between two sisters. And, of course, their relationships.

Take a look at the trailer for the film.

Of the two sisters. Rose is perfect in terms of how she lives her life—she has a good job as an attorney, she’s a responsible person, and she finally has a promising boyfriend—another lawyer in the firm. These are all nice things to have, because the one thing she doesn’t have is beauty. And that’s the one thing her sister has in spades. Maggie is absolutely gorgeous—she can get any man she wants. And she seems to want them all. But she’s completely irresponsible, lives off the good graces of her sister, and has absolutely no moral center.

Then Maggie goes too far. She’s been kicked out of dad’s house because of her horrible ways—and her stepmother won’t put up with her a minute longer. Because Maggie isn’t just annoying, she steals to keep up her party girl lifestyle. She’s living with her sister as she has no money and one day her sister’s boyfriend comes by when Maggie is alone in the apartment. And guess what? Maggie seduces him. And Rose catches them in the act.

For Rose, this is the last straw. She’s bailed her sister out again and again. She’s always been there for her… and then her sister does this. It’s unconscionable. After all, Maggie can have any man she wants—why does she have to go for the only man who’s ever shown an interest in Rose? Her sister’s boyfriend. It’s just too cruel and Rose kicks her out. And in typical Maggie fashion, she says “Where am I supposed to go” because, of course, Maggie is the only thing on Maggie’s mind.

So where does she go?

She has the address of a grandmother her parents had said was dead—who lives in a retirement community in Florida. Figuring no one can turn away a granddaughter, she shows up there—to grandma’s amazement and delight. She’d been prevented by her daughter and son-in-law from having a relationship with her two granddaughters and she’s quite happy to take Maggie in.

So while Rose is struggling to put her life back together—alone, without the boyfriend—Maggie is enjoying the Florida sunshine. And she’s scamming grandma—which grandma soon discovers. And Rose? Being unable to stay in the firm with the man who’d betrayed her, she quits her job and becomes a dogwalker.

Rose is soon surprised when another lawyer at the firm gets in touch with her, to see how she’s doing. And a romance develops. And this is a good guy.

I won’t tell you more but suffice it to say that if you’re writing a film with two parallel stories, this is a film you should study. It’s hard to keep the transitions between two stories in different cities seamless enough to keep an audience’s interest, but In Her Shoes does it.

Next week we’re back to look at film based on a classic—Rumor Has It.

Copyright © Diane Lake

04Aug24

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