Movie-holism | In her Shoes

2005. Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine.

Mmm. I liked it. A topic rarely seen on the screen, not like this anyway: sisterhood. Really reminded me of my relationship with my sister. Usually the Hallmark channel syrupises the thing right out of recognition. Toni Collette might have overdone it a wee bit, teeny, hard to notice really. But on the whole she stole the cake, the eating utensils, the table and the kitchen. As usual. There are always things in her performance that you can say, "Wow, I haven't seen that on screen." And that impresses me. In this case, she is laying on her bed with her friend and she's crying because Cameron Diaz (frustratingly gorgeous, inconsiderate, boyfriend-stealing sister) has fucked her boyfriend, in Collette's house, in her bed. Here's the thing: Collette digs her thumb and forefinger side into her two eyes in an effort to prevent herself going over into hysteria. You recognize it, you know what I mean? I have done that, but I have never seen the reflection of that action on the screen/mirror.

Elbows - something that really gives the dis-intimacy away in movies is when people are sitting at a table together and they are far from each other. Collette and Diaz's elbows don't do that. Even in the kitchen chat/flirt scene in Bridges of Madison County, that Streep gushed about, the intimacy of elbows is missing. Eastwood didn't know his lines for the day and the flies were driving them mad, but they giggled. Streep said she didn't have a clue what Eastwood was going to say, and he would change his dialogue on every take. So that Eastwood is the charming true Eastwood - I think, anyway. Another real intimate moment in movies. Sjoe, they are rare.

The Shoes are cute too, not usually my thing, but the Shoe dresser has good taste. Maybe a bit on the sexual fetish side in real life, but recast here as comfort 'food'.

{Tanya Pretorius' Bookmarks:Me, Movie-holism: In her Shoes}