Kinky Boots (Comedy)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: B-     Film: B-

 

 

In a world where 99.9% of the movies “based on a true story” are awful, Julian Jarrold’s Kinky Boots is an only slightly formulaic comedy about an English shoe factory in trouble until a new possibility emerges to save it.  The story begins when a young man named Charlie (Joel Edgerton) becomes the one man most in charge of saving the place, which is on the brink of bankruptcy.  There is the lady friend (Sarah-Jane Potts) who he is becoming more and more interested in, while trying to figure out what to do.

 

The factory has been making the same old boring shoes and boots for decades, which have been their reliable signature, but times have changed.  Suddenly, one man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enters the picture and changes everything.  He is a cross-dresser who wants the latest, greatest and most exciting new fashions around.  Charlie meets him and the topic lands up being shoes and if the troubled factory could produce a crazy, sexy, wild shoe or boot that would be appealing and possibly be they vehicle to save the company.

 

With an excellent cast of supporting actors with great comic timing and personality, the film’s screenplay by Geoff Deane & Tim Firth gives them plenty of memorable moments, even though it has some predictability.  What few minor problems this offers, the film more than makes up for in charm, energy, chemistry and great pace that make it a little gem.  Like The Full Monty, this is another one of those little films that could and you owe it to yourself to take a look and enjoy.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image was shot in Super 35mm and nicely so by cinematographer Eigil Bryld, but this transfer has detail limits, though this is colorful at times appropriately.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is good, but the film is dialogue-based and much of the activity unfortunately is more towards the front speakers.  It is still well-recorded and the choice of music is a plus.  Extras include deleted scenes with optional director commentary, making of featurette, featurette about the real shoe factory from the film and very good feature length audio commentary by Director Jarrold and actors Edgerton, Ejiofor & Potts.

 

Overall, a fun disc to get your hands on.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo