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"IN HER SHOES" (2005) (Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Heavy Mild Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Minor Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: After they have a falling out, two distinctively different sisters rediscover themselves, each other, and their long estranged grandmother. PLOT: Rose (TONI COLLETTE) and Maggie Feller (CAMERON DIAZ) are sisters who couldn't be more different if they were strangers. Rose is a successful if frumpy and slightly overweight lawyer who's shocked when she manages to bed her boss, Jim Danvers (RICHARD BURGI), since she doesn't otherwise have much luck with men. Maggie, on the other hand, is an unemployed partygoer who has no problem having casual sex, such as with a former classmate at a high school reunion. Her partying ways, however, eventually are too much for her step-mom Sydelle (CANDICE AZZARA) who kicks her out of her and husband Michael's (KEN HOWARD) house. With nowhere else to go, Maggie moves in with Rose, but her lifestyle, not to mention her seducing Jim while Rose is away, eventually drives a wedge between them, with Rose ordering Maggie out. Desperate for a new start, Maggie heads south for a surprise visit to her widowed grandmother, Ella Hirsch (SHIRLEY MacLAINE), who hasn't seen the sisters since they were girls due to circumstances beyond her control. Ella is surprised but happy about the visit, and manages to convince Maggie to get a job in a nearby nursing home, all while Maggie tries to convince her grandma to get to know widower Lewis Feldman (JERRY ADLER) who's obviously sweet on her. Rose, meanwhile, has left the legal world and started her own pet walking service, all while getting to know former coworker Simon Stein (MARK FEUERSTEIN) who's as passionate about her as he is the rest of his life. With the sisters in opposite parts of the country, they rediscover themselves and learn things about each other, their grandmother and the past tragic situation that changed their lives forever. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast, the original novel or "chick flicks" in general, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For thematic material, language and some sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: TONI COLLETTE plays a hardworking if frumpy and slightly overweight lawyer who doesn't have much luck with men, but manages to bed her boss, only to later discover him in bed with Maggie. As a result of that and building tension between them, Rose orders Maggie to leave, quits her job, rediscovers herself and falls for Simon (with whom she sleeps), only to have her sister's shadow still influence her and her way of thinking. CAMERON DIAZ plays her unemployed, party-going sister who has casual sex with various men (including Rose's lover), suffers from dyslexia, uses profanity, drinks to the point of being drunk, and steals money from various people, all before reinventing herself in Florida. SHIRLEY MacLAINE plays their wise, but long-estranged and widowed grandmother who had all but given up on ever seeing them again. She takes in Maggie when she has no place else to go and helps turn her life around. She also must figure out how to deal with Lewis and his obvious attraction to her. MARK FEUERSTEIN plays Rose's former coworker, a lawyer who's just as passionate about her as he is the rest of his life. He has sex with her, but becomes concerned when she begins to withdraw from him without explaining why. CANDICE AZZARA plays the sister's mean and condescending step-mom who kicks Maggie out of the house and puts on an embarrassing bridal shower for Rose, all while fawning over her own daughter. RICHARD BURGI plays Rose's boss who ends up sleeping with both her and then Maggie. KEN HOWARD plays the sister's father who allows Sydelle to control the household and is still affected by a previous tragic event that changed all of their lives. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 10 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue are present, as are several partially seen sexual encounters (with movement, sounds, etc. and such material that's a bit much and steamy for a PG-13 rating), while other sex is implied or occurs off camera. An attractive and shapely woman is seen in all sorts of revealing attire that shows varying amounts of bare skin. Tense family material involves a falling out between adult sisters and talk of their mother's suicide when they were kids and its effects on them, their father and the removal of their grandparents from their lives. Some of that leads to bad attitudes, while other characters exhibit various degrees of other bad attitudes, including one man who aggressively comes on to a woman in an unwelcome manner (that leads to some brief violence). Various characters drink (one to the point of drunkenness), while a few smoke. Some brief crude material (including the sound of vomiting) is present. And one character has a reading disability noted as being dyslexia. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some bouncy camerawork from time to time in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Maggie vomits from being drunk (we see the motion, but only hear the act) and later is still drunk when Rose arrives to pick her up. Maggie has a beer. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar. Maggie tells Rose that she just got them two rounds of drinks, with Rose replying that's only because the guy thought he was going to sleep with her. Maggie agrees, but says she didn't. Rose has a beer by her. Two strangers wonder if Maggie wants to get a drink with them and after a brief pause, she agrees. Maggie has wine. Rose makes some comment about Maggie getting some rum and cokes in the past. Simon and Rose have beer. Rose takes a swig from a wine bottle to test it before pouring some for Simon and herself. Ella, her friend and Lewis have cosmopolitan drinks. The girls' father and step-mom have white wine, while others, including Rose and Simon, have wine with dinner. Ella has wine with dinner. Rose and Amy have what look like mimosas as do others at a bridal shower. Miscellaneous people have champagne at a wedding, as does Rose. Ella calls for champagne to celebrate Rose's engagement. Rose has a drink. Various people have champagne at a wedding reception. BLOOD/GORE Maggie vomits from being drunk (we see the motion, but only hear the act). Maggie gets a job shampooing dogs, with her boss saying "You know about anal glands" and then telling her to squeeze, with Maggie replying "Ewwww" (but we don't see any related activity). We see a dog's urine land in some snow. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see that Maggie has stolen Jim's money. We see a flashback to a mean customer. We see a flashback to Maggie and some guy changing a sign from reading "Canal" to "Anal" by removing the "C." Rose and Maggie get into various tiffs about their differing views of life and each other that then escalate until they have a falling out. Maggie steals money from her step-mom. A stranger (who's offered to give Maggie a lift to the impound lot to get her car) comes on to her in the backseat of a car, putting his hand on her leg, making her uncomfortable. When they get out, she runs to her car, but he grabs and pins her on it. In return, she hits him several times, including a knee to the crotch and then speeds away. Maggie has sex with Jim (knowing full well that Rose likes and just slept with him). Maggie calls Rose a "fat pig." Rose finds cards from her grandparents that her father never gave her or Maggie following their mother's suicide. Maggie is a slob in Ella's place. Maggie looks to steal money from Ella, but is caught in the act. Rose's step-mom puts on a slideshow at Rose's bridal shower that shows less than flattering early pictures of Rose, all to make her look bad. Spotting Rose chatting with Jim (her former, brief lover) and where her dress strap has fallen down off her shoulder (but nothing has happened), Simon is jealous and mad at her. FRIGHTENING SCENES A stranger (who's offered to give Maggie a lift to the impound lot to get her car) comes on to her in the backseat of a car, putting his hand on her leg, making her uncomfortable. When they get out, she runs to her car, but he grabs and pins her on it. In return, she hits him several times, including a knee to the crotch and then speeds away. Maggie learns that one of her beloved patients has died (his room is now empty) and she meets the man's grandson afterwards. GUNS/WEAPONS While mad at her step-mom for embarrassing her in front of others at her bridal shower, Rose pulls and briefly directs a large kitchen knife at Sydelle (played for partial laughs). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Sh*t for brains," "Oh sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Screw(ed)" (sexual), "Laid" (sexual), "Retard U" (as in university), "Shut up (you fat pig)," "(Crazy) bitch," "Whores," "Tramps," "What the hell is that?" "Boy, that sucks," "Tuckus," "You saved my ass," "Gone kooky," "Miss hotsie-totsie pants," "Pissed off," "Law freaks," "Does this mean I'm your bitch," "A total ass of yourself," "Heinee," "That bitch," "Jerk," "You're screwed," "A living hell" and "Hootchie mama." Maggie pours milk into a container of ice cream and eats from that. We see a flashback to Maggie and some guy changing a sign from reading "Canal" to "Anal" by removing the "C." Maggie wears all sorts of revealing attire. Maggie has a tattoo on the small of her back. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 10 "s" words, 3 slang terms for sex ("laid" and variations of "screw"), 1 using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 3 hells, 2 asses, 1 damn, 7 uses of "God," 3 of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "Jesus" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see Maggie in her bra (that shows cleavage) as she makes out with a guy while drunk in a bathroom stall at her class reunion. We see her leg up along his side and there's some movement and sexual sounds in the subsequent head and shoulders shot, but she then gets sick and vomits. When she's done, she asks the guy, "Is that it?" and he says it is. We see Rose making out with her boss while returning to her place. We then see them in bed, post-sex, when a phone call gets Rose out of bed. Later, when Rose returns home with Maggie, the latter spots the hastily removed clothes all over her place and even picks up her bra, acting surprised by the discovery. Maggie shows cleavage and a lot of leg while lying down, waiting for Rose to pick her up (while drunk). Maggie says she knows what she's good at, with Rose saying "Besides that" (a possibly sexual reference). We see Maggie in her bra and panties. We see Jim in his boxers. The camera goes up Maggie's body, representing Jim's point of view of her. We see Maggie in just a t-shirt. Maggie wears a low-cut top. Maggie mistakenly says "annaphallic" for "anaphylactic." Maggie shows cleavage in a variety of outfits throughout the film. Maggie makes a comment (not about herself or anyone in particular) about "being screwed in an alley" by a billionaire while his frigid wife waits in the car. We see Maggie wearing some sort of boxers. A guy in a bar drops some innuendo by asking Maggie if she'd like to join them for "something wet." The sisters joke about and imitate their stepmother (who always talks up her own daughter) proudly talking about her daughter's vagina. Maggie tells Rose that she just got them two rounds of drinks, with Rose replying that's only because the guy thought he was going to sleep with her. Maggie agrees, but says she didn't. Rose then says that there's more than sex (for getting by in the world), with Maggie saying that's a good thing since Rose would otherwise starve. Rose then says Maggie needs to grow up and get her act together because "middle-aged tramps are pathetic." We see Maggie's bare lower back as she bends over and her short top rides up. Maggie answers the door at Rose's place and stands in front of Jim wearing just a dress shirt and very small panties that show parts of her bare butt cheeks. She then walks off, leaving the door open. Later, Rose returns home to find the two of them in bed having sex (he's on top of Maggie and we see some movement between her legs and hear some related sounds), but they stop upon seeing Rose. We see Maggie in just a dress shirt again as she goes through Rose's stuff. Afterwards, Maggie asks Jim for $200, saying that's the going rate and he pays her (for prior sex). Ella's friend jokes that her adult son is on the beach "looking at bosoms." When asked if her adult son is gay, an older woman sarcastically says "I wish." We see Maggie in some small boxers and a camisole type top. All of the older men in the retirement community stare at the nubile Maggie as she walks past them in a very small bikini that shows cleavage and lots of skin. We then later see her sunbathing topless while lying face down (we see a view of her butt in her small bikini bottom). We see Maggie in her bikini top (that shows cleavage) and a short skirt while wearing high heels. Simon reads a passage from Rose's trashy romance novel that has standard, melodramatic writing including bits about the woman's nipple being in the man's mouth, her gasp urging him on, turgid flesh and spasms. Simon then jokes that he's now officially turned on. They then make out on the sofa while clothed, with her turning off the light and him turning it back on again (and back and forth like that several times). We then later see them in bed together under the sheets (presumably after sex), with him jokingly asking if this means "I'm your bitch." Ella's friend says that Ella should be watching "the smut" on cable to bond with Maggie. We then later see them watching an episode of "Sex and the City" where lines of dialogue include something about desert followed by wine and not a lubricant and "that night they made love the Charlotte way...polite." About Lewis, Maggie tells Ella "Just jump him." She then says that half the fun of sex is talking about it, with Ella being a bit uncomfortable and saying that she and her late husband occasionally did. Maggie then says "the first time you got laid" you had to tell someone about it, but Ella says her first time was her wedding night and it was assumed (meaning losing one's virginity then). Rose shows some cleavage in her dress that's also open in the back (we see her bra strap) as she's getting dressed. The camera is on Maggie's cleavage when the door opens (representing Rose's surprised POV of finding her at Ella's place). When Maggie mentions the things she's given up, Rose wonders if that includes having sex with inappropriate partners. After Maggie asks what Simon is like, Rose snaps back, "Why? Do you want to screw him too?" We see Maggie in a tight tank-top. Offering advice about how to get Simon back, an older woman says they should say Rose is sick or pregnant. They apparently tell him the latter because that's what he later believes when he arrives (but is then told the truth). Ella tells Lewis that he's a good dancer, with him joking "You know what else I'm good at" as he suddenly kisses her on the dance floor. Maggie wears some sort of crisscross halter top where the two pieces of fabric cross and cover her breasts, but show cleavage and other skin. Maggie shows a lot of cleavage in a dress. SMOKING Maggie smokes once, while some miscellaneous people are briefly seen smoking. Ella stops Maggie from smoking when the latter tries to light up. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Maggie's step-mom kicks her out of the house for being drunk again. Rose and Maggie get into various tiffs about their differing views of life and each other that then escalate until they have a falling out and Rose demands that Maggie move out. Rose finds cards from her grandparents that her father never gave her or Maggie following their mother's suicide. We hear that Lewis' wife is dead (from sometime before the movie starts). We hear that Ella has been widowed for three years (due to her husband dying from having cancer). Ella says she doesn't have any kids, but later admits that she had a daughter, Carolyn, who we then later hear killed herself (and was mother to Rose and Maggie). Maggie is shocked and saddened to her that her grandfather (who she barely knew due to her grieving father cutting her and Rose off from their grandparents) is dead. Ella says that the girls' father pushed her away following their mother's suicide, with Maggie replying that it would have been nice having a grandmother (saying that Ella should have tried harder despite her son-in-law's actions). Ella is upset about her daughter's past suicide and a note that said to take care of her girls. Rose is upset with her dad over his earlier removal of her and Maggie from their grandparents. Rose talks about hearing her parents fight in the past, with their father telling their mother that she wasn't fit to a be a parent and that he was going to put her away. We then hear that their mother committed suicide two days later (when Maggie was 6 -- Rose was older). Maggie learns that one of her beloved patients has died (his room is now empty) and she meets the man's grandson afterwards. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Relationships with siblings. When asked why she puts up with Maggie, Rose says it's because she's her sister. Suicide and the impact on family members. Dyslexia. Casual sex. Maggie looks to steal money from Ella, but is caught in the act. Ella then gives Maggie a second chance, saying she'll match whatever she can make in a regular job. VIOLENCE A stranger (who's offered to give Maggie a lift to the impound lot to get her car) comes on to her in the backseat of a car, putting his hand on her leg, making her uncomfortable. When they get out, she runs to her car, but he grabs and pins her on it. In return, she hits him several times, including a knee to the crotch and then speeds away. While mad at her for sleeping with the guy she likes, Rose pushes Maggie up against a wall and tells her to get out of her life. Reviewed September 24, 2005 / Posted October 7, 2005

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