Image credit: In Her Shoes, 2005
I was so saddened to hear about the passing of director Curtis Hanson last month. I’ve featured his films LA Confidential and Wonder Boys on Cinema Sips in the past, but this week I’m excited to write about one of his less frequently lauded films In Her Shoes (DVD/Download). An unconventional choice for Hanson, this quasi-rom com could have veered off into Hallmark Channel territory. But with his skilled hand it became a beautiful film about the relationship between sisters, the joy and pathos of aging, and the quest we’re all on to find professional fulfillment. The fact that it features sugary pink drinks and designer shoes- well, that’s just icing on the cupcake.
Adapted from the wonderfully fun novel by Jennifer Weiner (one of my personal favorite writers), In Her Shoes is about two sisters (Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz) who have a falling out, and struggle to find their way back to each other. Along the way they reunite with a long-lost grandmother (played by Shirley MacLaine), and discover the love and self-confidence both had always lacked. Sure there’s some romance, a lot of cute shoes, and bikini shots of Cameron Diaz after she moves into her grandma’s retirement community. But there are also some great scenes about the struggles many of us face in life, and that really triumphant moment when finally, at last, you figure out what you’re meant to do. Watching this movie just makes me hopeful.
In an effort to bond with her too-cool-for-school adult granddaughter, Shirley MacLaine spends an evening watching Sex and the City and drinking cosmos. It’s a cliche, but I’m sorry, cosmos are delicious! And for this movie, the drink fits. While watching In Her Shoes, I recommend drinking a Cosmopolitan.
Cosmopolitan
1 ½ oz Vodka
1 oz Cranberry juice
½ oz Cointreau
½ oz fresh lime juice
Lime wedge
Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime.
What always delighted me about this film was the spot-on depiction of Florida retirement communities. As a child of Florida snow-birds, I’ve always daydreamed about just running away to the land of early bird specials, white pants, water aerobics, and cocktail hour. It’s only the lack of decent Tex-Mex there that stops me (and okay, my really great life back in Texas). Lucky for me, I’ve got In Her Shoes, and that really great Florida-set episode of Seinfeld to remind me of what I’m missing. Cheers!
Cinema Sips 