KINKY BOOTS
Movie (2005), 107 min
Director: Julian Jarrold
Screenplay: Geoff Deane and Tim Firth

The tagline for this odd movie is “How far would you go to save the family business?” The business is a shoe-making factory in Northampton, well known for its dreary oxfords for men. Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton), last in the line of family owners, is confronted with taking over the factory after his father’s death. This won’t be an easy road for Charlie. The factory’s hand-crafted men’s shoes are losing out in the market to cheaply made shoes from other countries.

Charlie lays off fifteen workers (makes them “redundant,” as the Brits say) and is depressed by it all. His fiancee wants him to sell the factory building to a developer, who will turn the place into swank apartments. But Charlie and his few remaining employees still want to make footwear, even though their market is virtually gone. “What can I do?” Charlie asks. One of the laid-off workers, Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts), tells him to make something “different” to fill a niche. But what is the niche?

The answer comes to Charlie when he meets up with Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a flamboyant cross-dressing entertainer fond of red. Lola turns out to be a good designer and goes to work helping Charlie turn out a line of women’s boots--made for men and constructed to bear the weight of manly cross-dressers. Kinky boots. Yep, I get it.

I couldn't figure out how exactly Lola inspires Charlie, but he gets the factory workers going on hip-high leather boots, to their puzzlement and chagrin. Not only will they build these steel-shank stilettos, but they will show them “big” at a seasonal shoe show in Milan. One of the best lines in the movie comes when one of the women workers picks up what looks like strips of bright-red patent leather to begin stitching up the first pair of boots. “Cover me, girls,” she says to the other workers, “I’m goin’ in.”

On a deeper level, the movie tries to work out issues such as Lola’s actual sexual preferences, but never really resolves anything. As reviewer John J. Puccio put it, “We assume that Lola is gay, but, amazingly, it simply never comes up in the movie.” We also follow Charlie’s relationship with his chilly, self-centered fiancee Nicola (Jemima Rooper) and the reactions of his plain-people employees to the colorful, demanding Lola.

The British have a great way with this kind of movie. Though much of the movie seems stereotypically ordinary--beleaguered guy finds success and love and, along the way, learns something about alternative cultures--it is funny in spots and sad in others. It brings some weird respectability to the extraordinary Lola. Though I couldn’t follow the characters’ motivations all the time, I totally enjoyed the action.

Discoveries: Kindle and early Spain

The amazing Kindle 

I never thought I'd want to read a book "onscreen," but Kindle has changed my mind. It's lightweight and easy to use. Best of all, you can mark spots to which you want to return--no more flags all over the place. You'll want the cover, too. It's also lightweight, folds back behind the Kindle while you're reading, and protects the screen.

The wireless downloads are relatively inexpensive. Imagine having your own portable bookstore. And--more than 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available to read on Kindle, including titles such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island.

 

Read about 14th century Spain
Meanwhile, do you need a soap opera in your life, one set in 14th century Spain? Here's what I'm reading right now:



It's a bestseller about a poor man who has more troubles than Job. The story is long (about 600 pages) but engaging. Plus you can learn all you never needed to know about Barcelona's history.