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 With
the exception of a few films, Cameron Diaz has made a name for
herself by being the funny, tall, beautiful actress known for stealing
scenes with her comedic timing and physical assets. Never afraid to belt
out an off-key tune for a few laughs, Diaz is also never shy about
shaking her butt for the cameras if it means box office dollars.
However, as anyone who follows her personal life knows, Cameron Diaz
means business and she's not just some ditzy blonde the paparazzi can
push around. Audiences will get to see the more serious side of Cameron
Diaz in her new film, In Her Shoes. Directed by Academy Award-winner
Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) and based on the best-selling
novel by Jennifer Weiner, the film focuses on two sisters with little in
common except size 8½ feet. When Maggie (Diaz), the irresponsible and
sometimes-employed party girl, moves in with her attorney sister, Rose
(Toni Collette), the two immediately clash. Rose eventually boots Maggie
out, and with nowhere to go, Maggie seeks out the grandmother (Shirley
MacLaine) she never knew she had. It is only after Maggie moves into her
grandmother's retirement home, where her grandmother's neighbors
immediately label her as a gold-digger, that the two sisters discover a
true appreciation for one another— aided along the way by the legacy of
their mysterious mother and the grandmother they never knew existed.
Despite trailers showing Diaz's bikini-clad character drawing
attention amongst all of the retirees poolside, In Her Shoes showcases
Diaz as the talented actress she is rather than the long-legged beauty
she's become known for. After a string of comedies that simply showcased
the 33-year-old parading around in her underwear, audiences have almost
forgotten about her ball-busting role in Any Given Sunday or even her
psychotic performance in Very Bad Things. Diaz shines brightest in the
few dramatic or dark comedies she's starred in, and the heart-rending In
Her Shoes should remind audiences that she's not just big screen eye
candy— she's worth every penny of that $20 million check she received
for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. "Cameron's portrayal of Maggie is
truly magical," says In Her Shoes director Curtis Hanson. "She brings to
the role a great understanding of how attractiveness can be an asset in
our society. She also knows how appearances can be a mask. The wonderful
thing about her performance is the way in which she illuminates Maggie's
fears, insecurity and vulnerability. So even when Maggie's doing
horrible, unspeakable things— thing you would never do to a sister—
Cameron makes us believe there is a goodness inside her. You can see
that Maggie is yearning to be taken for more than just a pretty face or
the girl with the great body. You feel for Maggie because you realize
how badly she wants to make a life for herself, and you understand how
her lack of self-confidence makes that so hard."
While at first glance the role of Maggie might not seem that deep
or challenging— when audiences are first introduced to the character
it's during her 10 year high school reunion, where a very drunk Maggie
is screwing one of her former classmates in a bathroom stall-- the
character's sexuality plays an important part in Diaz's performance.
Audiences get to see that life isn't easy simply because one is
beautiful, a lesson Diaz knows all too well with the paparazzi
constantly following her every move. "I'm in at least five to ten
magazines a week, and there are at least five different stories going
on," Diaz recently told GQ's Marshall Sella when asked about her and
boyfriend Justin Timberlake's experience with the tabloids. "I'm getting
married or breaking up; Justin and I are moving in together; or I want
to get married. None of it's true. Not any of it! People are so obsessed
with it all. The idea that people are together just to get married and
have children— not every relationship ends up that way. I find it all to
be a bit disconcerting. But I do understand that it's all part of the
process of being an actress. I find it far easier to immerse myself in
the roles I play rather than the roles that magazines seem determined to
place me into."
 In
Her Shoes helps illustrate the point that looks don't necessarily
equal "happily ever after" by juxtaposing Diaz's character with Toni
Collette's Rose. Although at first Rose struggles with her weight issues
and living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, the Princeton educated
attorney eventually finds happiness and true love while Maggie struggles
just to find a place to call home. At one point during the film, Diaz's
character comes to the realization that she is acting like a whore, and
asks her latest one-night-stand for the usual asking price of $200 to
help her get back on her feet. Of course, Maggie's behavior stems from a
secret she's been hiding since she was a child, which is the main reason
she can't keep a steady job and instead has to rely on her looks to get
through life. "Maggie is like a child," Diaz states. "She seems tough
and outgoing, but she's really very lonely, selfish and self-centered.
To make her way through life, she can only use sexuality, looks and
charisma. Eventually, she realizes these things are running dry, and
that she must adopt a different way of living by relating to the people
who love her. But she has always seen herself as a victim. She never
takes responsibility for her actions, so she doesn't really understand
how she has arrived at such a bad place. When Rose throws her out, she
truly has no friends to rely on, no place to go. She is desperate and
terrified, and everything she does stems from that fear."
As audiences eventually find out, Maggie's personality is also
heavily influenced by her mother, a woman whose mental problems
eventually led to her taking her own life. It is only after Maggie and
Rose visit their long-lost grandmother that Maggie discovers the truth
about how her mom died, and the two sisters realize that despite their
differences, without each other, they'd truly be incomplete. Regardless
of how Diaz's emotional performance is received among critical circles,
after a two-year absence from the big screen (Shrek 2 excluded, since
Diaz just provided vocals for the film) fans will just be happy for the
actress' silver screen return. UB
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