IN HER SHOES (U.S. / 2005)

Director Curtis Hansons recent work has been nothing but ambitious: two complex literary adaptations, L.A. Confidential (1997) and Wonder Boys (2000), were followed by a tough-as-nails drama 8 Mile (2002). And while his latest effort, In Her Shoes, might seem like a compromise with its transient, glossy exteriors supporting archetypal characters, Hanson has been able to infuse them and the film with some depth and a touch of wit. Cameron Diaz plays Maggie, a narcissistic, illiterate party animal sans a direction in her life whos practically living off of others. One of them is her responsible yet sensitive older sister Rose (Toni Collette), a corporate lawyer in Philadelphia (another city on the East Coast besides Chicago and Boston that seems to be filling in for New York nowadaysthankfully, I say). Eventually, a confrontation involving the latters man and weight problems forces the former to seek out their grandmother (Shirley MacLaine), who was believed to have abandoned the sisters at a young age after their mother died. Any sitcom-ish tendencies present in the early sequences are offset by the great chemistry between the sisters. But the film finds its true rhythm once the scene partly shifts to Florida, where Maggie goes through a gradual transformation with some help; same goes for Rose whos finally able to find someone who acknowledges her for who she is. So its a shame that Hanson tends to lose sight of the big picture during the prolonged third act, in which the "chick-flick" quotient also threatens to reach unbearable levels. But he consistently coaxes strong, understated performances from the trio who make the film work.

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*Available on DVD in the U.S. (Fox).