JULIAN JARROLD

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5. 

USA/United Kingdom, 2005.  Miramax, Harbour Pictures, Price Productions.  Screenplay by Geoff Deane, Tim Firth.  Produced by Nick Barton, Peter Ettedgui, Suzanne Mackie.  Music by Adrian Johnston.  Production Design by Alan MacDonald.  Costume Design by Sammy Sheldon.  Film Editing by Emma E. Hickox.  Cinematography by Eigil Bryld.  

Joel Edgerton has been raised by his father to revere the family business: they are the owners of a shoe factory that produces England’s best-made men’s Oxfords. When Senior dies, Junior (Edgerton) is taken away from his life of pursuing his dreams in the world of business and placed at the helm of the family business. What he discovers is that production is severely down and the factory is about to go under. Thankfully, a chance encounter with a drag queen (Chiwetel Ejiofor) reveals to him that any possible success for the factory is to break into a niche market: women’s boots for men.  Actual ladies’ footwear can’t bear the weight of the average man, inspiring our hero to hire Ejiofor as designer for the kind of flashy, sexy footwear that their quaint little Northampton has never seen before. Ejiofor himself is a square peg in a round hole in the hamlet, but his devilishly charming personality soon makes him its cause celebre. This kind of breezy, uplifting British comedy about narrow people pushing their boundaries is a genre at this point (Saving Grace, Greenfingers, Calender Girls), and while this one doesn’t stand head and shoulders above the rest, it does reside comfortably among them as a sweet, thoroughly enjoyable escape. The performances are all wonderful, with Ejiofor a particular stand-out in every single scene:  watch him perform disco hits on his glittering nightclub stage, it’s hard to believe it’s not really his career.

Golden Globe Award Nomination:  Best Actor-Musical/Comedy (Chiwetel Ejiofor)