听 Although he's perhaps best known for macho police thriller LA Confidential, director Curtis Hanson has made a conscious effort to mix it up. In Her Shoes stars Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette as squabbling sisters in what could easily have been a B-grade chick flick. Instead critics praised its quiet blend of "wit and sensitivity" and the positive buzz ensured a healthy box office return.
Sole Survivors
Sadly this DVD doesn't boast much in the way of extras. Cast and crew break down the themes of the story in The People In The Shoes featurette, all of which are pretty obvious, eg screenwriter Susannah Grant sums up the relationship between Maggie and Rose, saying, "The person who knows you the best is the person who can hurt you the most." More interesting is a look at the bigger picture, with Hanson noting that this kind of film, about "emotions and relationships" has become a rarity in Hollywood. As a veteran of the industry, Shirley MacLaine picks up on this too. She adds that playing the girls' grandmother was a daunting prospect because it was such a departure from the big, brash characters she's come to be associated with in her later years. Of course just when the featurette starts to get interesting, it ends.
Old School
A Community For Acting Seniors gives the spotlight to the wrinkly, pastel-clad residents of the Florida-based retirement community where the latter half of the film is set. Hanson cast them as extras and, for some it seems, that 15 minutes of fame has gone to their heads. Consider the old coot who had the job of gawping at Diaz as she strutted by the pool; he says he felt happy with his performance except that, "Personally, I wanted to fall out of the chair." We're guessing Hanson had to rein him in a bit. After all, his budget probably didn't extend to hip replacements...
The Casting Of Honey Bun is another featurette thrown in for novelty value. Honey Bun is the "pug mutt" Maggie rescues from the pet shelter and Hanson is hoping that it will encourage other people to do the same. He also talks briefly about the process of getting the dog to deliver the right action in any given scene.
While a dog's ability to pee on cue is impressive, overall this DVD offers few insights into the moviemaking process. Hanson doesn't give a commentary and Diaz and Collette get little talk time. On top of that, the challenges Susannah Grant faced in fleshing out Jennifer Weiner's original novel are pretty much ignored. For a film as well crafted as this, it really is a shame that the extras are so fluffy.
EXTRA FEATURES
