Following a path well-trodden by the likes of The Full Monty, Kinky Boots depends upon financial strife to elicit out-of-character enterprise from its protagonists. And of course it’s always useful to have a helping of sauce on the side: in this case, sexy tranny footwear. It’s an immediately engaging set-up and, like Calendar Girls, is boosted by its ‘true story’ basis.
Amusing culture clashes emerge as Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) teeters into the old-fashioned shoe factory to challenge the preconceptions of the workers, especially comically macho Don (Shaun Of The Dead’s Nick Frost). But while Ejiofor strikes the right note as the flamboyant-yet-fragile transvestite, Joel Edgerton proves almost too good at being mild-mannered Charlie, failing to convince as a romantic hero.
Attempts to draw parallels between the pair’s parental problems appear contrived, too; this is stronger on good-natured humour than character and plot. While the London drag-club scenes bring colour and comedy, later factory sequences suffer through self-conscious plotting. So while Kinky Boots is a pleasant comedy, it’s not a contender for the ‘next Brit hit’ crown.
