Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
Own it on DVD September 5, 2006
Director
Julian Jarrold
Cast
Joel Edgerton……….Charlie Price
Chiwetel Ejiofor……….Lola
Sarah-Jane Potts……….Lauren
Nick Frost……….Don
The Movie
There’s an identifiable difference in comedy when one compares England and the U.S. The pinnacles of American comedy, the Animal House and Airplane types, are a bit more slapstick-oriented and pole fun at easily identifiable things. British comedy, on the other hand, is generally much more quirky with films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail representing the peak of the genre in the island country.
It’s interesting to note this because if Kinky Boots was made in America, it’d be much different in both plot and type of humor. It’s easy to see how some music video director would make the film into a weird combination of slapstick humor and cross-dressing jokes, most likely starring a rapper turned actor like Ice Cube. While Joel Siegel would call that “the best comedy of the year,” it’s more natural that a story featuring cross-dressers and leather boots would come from a country whose comedic tastes are quirky enough to accommodate a rather unique story.
Kinky Boots stars Joel Edgerton as Charlie Price, a man who has just inherited a family business on its last legs. One of the biggest employers in the area, Price & Sons Ltd is one of the top shoemakers in the country but is in danger of closing down due to diminishing sales. Charlie is at a loss of what to do, as a condominium developer has made him a handsome offer on the factory and his pending nuptials seem to drive him towards this. Determined to keep the factory up and running, if only in some vain attempt at continuing his father’s legacy, inspiration hits Charlie in the form of a drag queen named Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor). In one last shot at trying to keep the factory alive, Charlie wagers everything on designing patent leather boots for transvestites; his hope is that the fashion shows of Milan will allow him to save the company from going under with sufficient sales.
And on the face of it, there’s plenty of ways the comedy could go. It could turn Lola into an offensive caricature, insulting both mannish-looking women and drag queens alike. It could make Charlie and the rest of the heterosexual world look foolish, making Lola look triumphant in a world designed against her. The way it turns out, and the least offensive to all parties, is that it turns into a quirky comedy about two people trying to figure out who they are.
And the film’s focus and plot is just a big extension of Charlie and Lola dealing with personality issues about their place in the world. Julian Jarrold wisely takes the story and deals more with the two of them juxtaposed against their task of saving the factory. For Charlie, the boots and the factory represent part of his old life. He wants more out of his life than running his dad’s old factory, which he has worked in since youth. He has a tremendous fiscal opportunity by selling it, but with his father’s death comes the fast-tracking of his emergence into adulthood. The factory is his family legacy and deep inside Charlie doesn’t want to be known as the one who ended it. His subordinates at the factory don’t respect him much more than as the guy who signs their paychecks; having lost the man they revered, Charlie is more of a replacement than he is their boss. Always the boss’s kid, never the boss, Charlie has to struggle with a factory and he life he seemingly doesn’t want while trying to be the type of son he feels his father would want him to be.
Lola has the same sort of issues in her life in terms of acceptance, as Lola’s father ostracized her because of the cross-dressing, and dealing with it is something she struggles with constantly. Being a successful drag queen is wrapped up in the father-son dynamic of her past; success is measured against her father’s acceptance.
And it’s different to write of a male playing a female character in the feminine for most of the film, of course, but Ejiofor is offbeat enough in the role to make it work. While mainly a supporting character or a deliciously evil villain as of late, most recently as Denzel Washington’s partner in Inside Man, Ejiofor gives a strong performance as the conflicted Lola. Allowed to use his British accent fully, Ejiofor inhabits Lola and gives the character a much needed life.
But the key to the film is its script, one of the best of 2006. While some movies would go for some easy gags involving the nature of one of its main characters, and there are some moments where the very nature of having a character who’s a transvestite makes for an easy gag, it has a lot of heart and many good jokes to it.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format, the film has a strong audio component. While there isn’t too much in terms of music or scoring, the dialogue heavy film comes through clearly and well-distributed.
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, there are no issues with the film’s video presentation. While it isn’t a colorful film, or one with majestic cinematography, the film looks great.
The Extras
Deleted Scenes come with optional commentary by Jarrold and it is immediately evident why they weren’t in the film. The four scenes are either unnecessary to the story or break up the film’s flow or pacing; they are entertaining, though.
The Real Kinky Boots Factory is a Featurette that focuses on the true story in which the film is partially based on. Featuring Steven Pateman, the owner of the factory, as well as principle members of the crew it’s a rather unique look at the premise of a rather unique British comedy. Running around 15 minutes, Ejiofor even talks about how he used the transvestites and drag queens used in the film and how he used their reactions to gauge his performance as Lola. It’s also interesting to hear how much he went for to be the drag queen as Ejiofor had to go through each day, as 5-6 hours of makeup (amongst other things) were required out of him.
Journey of a Brogue is a feature that shows how a shoe is made from beginning to end, lasting roughly 90 seconds.
Commentary by Jarrold, Edgerton, Ejiofor and Potts
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Kinky Boots | |
The Inside Pulse
While comedies in America this year have pandered to the lowest common denominator, Kinky Boots in a limited run has so far been one of the funniest films of the year. With an above average DVD release, but one with stellar audio/visual components, it is definitely worth a rental for those who like a comedy with a taste for British humor.
