Kinky Boots

If you'd like a delightful little British film that happens to feature drag queens, then I recommend Kinky Boots . It's a cute, predictable film where the performance of ChiwetelEjiofor truly makes the entire movie work. You may remember him from such a hodge-podge of movies as Love, Actually, Serenity, The Inside Man, and others. This strikes me as his most unusual -- or at least the most remarkable from those that I've listed -- for he really gets to strut his stuff as Lola, a drag queen that provides the inspiration needed to save a factory (and town) from bankruptcy.

Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) has just escaped Northampton and his family's shoe factory for London... when his father dies and Charlie must return home. Upon his return, he finds that his father has kept everyone working, but has failed to sell many shoes and the business is practically bankrupt. While his fiancee seems bent on turning the factory into condos, Charlie is told off by a cute factory worker and inspired to do something. Fate lands him face-first in Lola's path and Charlie comes upon the idea of heels that can hold the weight of a man. While Charlie's first attempt is rubbish (Lola gasps, "Please, God, tell me I have not inspired something burgundy!"), Lola starts designing stilettos and we have a movie. (A movie based on a true story, I might add.) Naturally, there's the clash of a drag queen in a quiet, Midlands town -- there's arm wrestling and arguments but the only surprise would have been if things didn't turn out all right in the end (though Charlie adds a bit of amusement to the Milan runway show when it looks like he might be the only model). Ejiofor does some fun cabaret (including, you guessed it, "Whatever Lola Wants") and he's really quite good.

It's sweet and it's charming -- go slip on some Kinky Boots and form a new appreciation for stilettos.