Kinky Boots – Man(n) trägt Stiefel

Kinky Boots is a 2005 comedy film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, about a traditional Northampton shoemaker, who turns to producing fetishism footwear in order to save the failing family business and the jobs of his workers. The film is based on a real-life story.

Background

The film was inspired by an episode of the BBC2 documentary series Trouble at the Top, which was first broadcast on 24 February 1999. It followed factory owner Steve Pateman who was struggling to save W.J. Brooks Ltd, his family-run Earls Barton, Northamptonshire shoe factory from closure, and decided to cater for the fetish footwear market for men, trading as "Divine".

Plot

A little child on the pier is waiting for his father; while waiting the child puts on red dance shoes with bows on them and starts to dance around the pier. The child, revealed to be a boy, is seen by his father and rushes back and changes shoes quickly, hiding them in a bag before his father comes out disapproving. During the same time in a shoe factory another little boy is being taught of their family livelihood as shoemakers and the value of shoes. The boy is uninterested.

The film cuts to present day, where Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton), the young boy now adult from the shoe factory, is trying to save the family business. His father has died, leaving the sinking company in his hands. While firing people since the factory is losing funds he fires Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts) who, before storming out the door, gives him the idea of looking for something to save the factory.

Charlie travels to London for ideas, where he sees someone who he thought was a woman getting harassed by drunken hoodlums. While trying to interrupt the harassment, Charlie is knocked out and wakes up in a back stage dressing room. In that chance encounter he meets sassy drag queen performer Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the alter ego of Simon, the boy seen dancing earlier. Charlie is intrigued by Lola, who points out that drag queens' shoes are made for women and not for men which is why the heel keeps snapping. Charlie rehires Lauren and they promise to make Lola boots that support a man's weight. While making the boots Charlie sees the possible market of shoes for male transvestites. With the styling eye of Lola, Charlie leads the traditional factory to design and produce shoes for the catwalk in Milan, Italy. However, things go awry as Charlie's girlfriend wants him to sell the company, male employees are unsupportive of the idea, and Charlie is overworking the employees. Still Lola is not afraid to save the day.

Cast

• Joel Edgerton as Charlie Price
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Simon/Lola
• Sarah-Jane Potts as Lauren
• Nick Frost as Don
• Linda Bassett as Mel
• Jemima Rooper as Nicola
• Robert Pugh as Harold Price
• Ewan Hooper as George
• Stephen Marcus as Big Mike
• Mona Hammond as Pat
• Kellie Bright as Jeannie
• Joanna Scanlan as Trish

Reception

Critical response

The film received average to poor reviews on release, with critics decrying the "formulaic britcom plot." Critics aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a combined rating of 57% based on 107 reviews.

Box office

The film earned a total of $9,941,428 internationally.

Awards

Ejiofor was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical by the Hollywood Foreign Press which gives out the Golden Globes.

Musical adaptation

A stage musical adaptation of the film entitled Kinky Boots debuted on Broadway in April 2013, following an out-of-town try-out at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago. Cyndi Lauper wrote the music and lyrics whilst she and Harvey Fierstein co-wrote its book. Director Jerry Mitchell is also the choreographer. The cast includes Billy Porter and Stark Sands.

See also

• Cross-dressing in film and television
• Transvestism
• Fetishism

External links

• Vorlage:Official website
• Vorlage:IMDb title
• The differences from the film and real-life