Kinky Boots (2005) Synopsis:
Charlie Price faces the impending shut down of the Northampton shoe factory that his family has owned and operated for generations. Just when he feels that all is lost, he has a chance encounter with Lola, a flamboyant transvestite cabaret star. Lola's desire for stylish, kinky boots for herself and her colleagues provides a glimmer of hope for the factory and its employees.
Kinky Boots (2005) Movie Review:
From the poster and what I had already read about the plot, I was able to make certain assumptions before I saw “Kinky Boots,” the new British comedy from the producers of “Calendar Girls.” I had heard that the story was based – loosely, I imagine – on a real shoe factory in England which, when facing money problems, decided to start producing for a more niche market: transvestites. I assumed what I always assume about British comedies like this: there will be a romantic subplot; there will be a cast of colourful characters, probably including old women who have the dirtiest lines; there will be some story of sadness or loss; there will be moments of doubt, and, of course, there will be a happy ending. As there is a transvestite in the story, I also assumed that there would be a subplot about rejection and acceptance.
After seeing the movie, I discovered that, alas, I was absolutely right. But that the movie is formulaic is not the biggest problem; the real, and surprising, issue with “Kinky Boots” is that it isn’t very funny. At times it is sweet, at times amusing, but, if you’ll excuse my complete lack of objectivity, I only laughed out loud twice. When filmmakers limit themselves to a tired formula, they should try, somewhere along the line, to breathe a little freshness into it.
The movie tells the story of Charlie Price, who has recently inherited his father’s shoe company. On a visit to London, he bumps into Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a transvestite who performs at a Soho club, and when she complains about how women’s shoes are not ideally designed for carrying the weight of a man, Charlie sees this as the solution to his factory’s troubles, and goes immediately into the production of the ‘kinky boots,’ with the help of Lola, who acts as designer.
Charlie’s relationship with his fiancée, meanwhile, is becoming more strained, especially as she realises that their plans for a big house and expensive wedding may have to be scrapped. Indeed, Charlie seems closer to Lauren, a worker at the factory. Could there be something there? Surely not.
At times sweet, and with a few good musical numbers, “Kinky Boots” never-the-less suffers from, for one thing, a lack of risk-taking; it felt far too safe, for a movie about shoes for drag queens. The jokes aren’t very naughty (nor generally very funny), and the romance and acceptance subplots are so unoriginal they could have written themselves. “Calendar Girls” tells a similar story, but with better characters, funnier dialogue, and, frankly, better performances; the only one you will really remember from this movie is Ejiofor’s; he carries both joy and conviction in his role.
I feel somewhat torn about this movie; the little demon in my head is telling me that’s it’s too formulaic, and not funny enough, and ultimately pointless, since “Calendar Girls” is a better version of similar material. The little angel in my head, however, is telling me that the movie is innocent fun and sweet enough to recommend, for Ejiofor’s performance if nothing else. As it happens, I saw the movie just after “Thumbsucker,” a fresh, intelligent and at times very funny comedy, which showed up “Kinky Boots” for lacking in originality and for taking no risks, so I guess I’m going to listen to the little demon, who is telling me that as amusing as the movie is for about 45 minutes, you can have too much of a mediocre thing.
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Kinky Boots (2005) review written by: Adam Whyte
7th September, 2008 
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