Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Kinky Boots is a comedy about Charlie (Joel Edgerton), a man who has never had an interest in his father’s Northampton shoe factory, Price & Sons, LTD. Because of that, he has no idea about the factory’s financial instability until after his father death. His fiancée, Nicola (Jemima Rooper), wants him to close it down so they can move to London, but Charlie’s not keen on the idea. And as they look for places to live in London, Charlie keeps his thoughts about Price & Sons, LTD from her.
While in London, Charlie runs into a drag queen, Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who has a hard time her keeping her high heels from breaking. Seeing an opportunity to turn the family business around, Charlie asks Lola to help him design women’s shoes for men. Lola agrees, then takes up residence in the small town of Northampton to be close to her new job. Everything is going well until some of the employees show displeasure about working with Loa, and Nicola discovers that Charlie has no plans to close the factory.
Some Thoughts:
I went into Kinky Boots thinking it was going to be better than it is. The story is fairly basic; man must save family business from ruin. The twist, and what makes this story stand out, is that the family business is going from making traditional men’s shoes to something more exotic, footwear for drag queens.
I have no problem with the acting, pacing, camerawork, or production values. They’re all fine, it’s the story that’s lacking. Part of the problem is that there isn’t enough tension between Lola and the factory workers. I’m not saying there isn’t any, just that I would expect Lola to have to win over more than just one person. Not only that, but it should take more than a single arm-wrestling match to do it.
Lola being accepted by the factory workers isn’t the only bit of drama that gets glossed over. Basically, anything to do with Lola is rushed, from her gender identity to being accepted in a small town. And while the film does have some amusing moments, none of them are insightful. We never get a full sense of what Lola and Charlie are going through or their motivations. Because of the lack of insight and tension, the movie isn’t able to give the viewer the emotional payoff this type of story deserves.
The Final Verdict:
Kinky Boots lack an emotional punch, and the story is not as outrageous as one would expect, making it difficult to recommend.