Kinky Boots
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 14, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
This pleasant but predictable affair does one thing very well: showcasing the versatility of Chiwetel Ejiofor. The London actor can be seen as Denzel Washington's detective sidekick in "Inside Man." Watch him chomp down on a New York accent with Washington, and then watch him as Lola (a.k.a. Simon), a cabaret performer in makeup, wig and wild gowns. That's acting. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Ejiofor's polished, energetic performance -- including several song-and-dance numbers -- enlivens what's basically comfort food in movie form, but sometimes comfort food is exactly what the doctor ordered. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Directed by Julian Jarrold and co-written by Tim Firth ("Calendar Girls"), the movie is quite enjoyable, effortlessly well-done on every level, even moving at times, but relatively light weight. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is in the naughty-but-nice British tradition in which characters walk on the wild side but never seem to do anything else there. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWinda Benedetti
Don't let the title trick you. The British comedy Kinky Boots is probably the most kinkless film featuring fetish wear ever to strut its stilettoed heels across the silver screen. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Neatly scripted by Tim Firth and Geoff Deane, this sticks to the "Full Monty" formula of starchy working-class types learning to loosen up about sex, but Julian Jarrold's sincere, low-key direction erases any sense of artifice. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
Kinky Boots is diverting, but it's only worth shouting about thanks to Ejiofor' quietly subversive take on what has become a stock movie character. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
A humanist parable about how to be a good person, live a good life and make gallons of lemonade when life suddenly hands you lemons, it's predictably delightful and delightfully predictable. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The best reason to check the film out is Ejiofor's performance, which is packed with grace and wit and pathos. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance alone makes it worth giving your "Full Monty" DVD a rest and heading out to Kinky Boots. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Trite? Sure. Obvious? And then some. But a lesson to be taken to heart nonetheless. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Don't worry. It just sounds like another bad Sharon Stone movie. Kinky Boots trips on its contrived plot, but this blend of trash and sass is a comfy fit. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
An above-average entry in this niche genre, wherein groups of working-class people band together against adversity. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Not since ''Mannequin on the Move" has a flamboyant black man brought so much fabulousness to stiff white heterosexuals. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Don't think for a second that Hollywood has cornered the market on formula flicks. Ever since the prototypical success of "The Full Monty," those crafty Brits have been running their own mimeograph machine. Read full review
60
VarietyDerek Elley
A London drag queen and a bunch of Midlands working stiffs find common ground and, uh, mutual respect in Kinky Boots, a slick, cross-tracks Britcom whose stride is hampered by its desire not to offend. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
All it wants is to divert you for about 100 minutes and leave you with the glow of vicarious comradeship, as blue-collar blokes and drag queens pull together to save the day. Foot fetishists will drool. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This English heart-warmer isn't all that kinky. It's actually quite sweet-spirited, as well as unswervingly formulaic.
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
A sweet-tempered, mildly entertaining picture. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The fact that this formulaically winsome movie, directed by British TV helmer Julian Jarrold, is based on product-line changes at a real Northamptonshire factory does little to freshen its approach. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMatt Singer
Boots is unforgivably tame; only foot fetishists (or possibly Imelda Marcos) could get off on such desexualized, PG-13-rated fare. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleNeva Chonin
Really, the only thing kinky about this movie is its title. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Julian Jarrold's cheerful, utterly predictable crowd-pleaser affirms that, according to many recent films out of Britain, there's a quirky interest to cure whatever ails you. Read full review
50
PremiereEthan Alter
Even if its premise weren't so achingly familiar, the film's bland humor and oddly conservative depiction of its central character, a flamboyant drag queen named Lola, would still make it seem like a museum piece. Read full review
50
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Ejiofor was a revelation in "Dirty Pretty Things" as a Nigerian doctor forced to live illegally in London. Though he's charismatic as the husky-voiced Simon, he never transcends the movie's pandering agenda. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It would be nice to be able to report that Kinky Boots is a kick in the pants. But this conventional, manipulative British import feels like a re-soled pair of shoes that unquestionably have seen their day. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
The trouble with Kinky Boots is that director Julian Jarrold doesn't seem to know whether his movie would play better to young hipsters or the blue-haired old lady crowd. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The movie is so determinedly lightweight that it floats above the fray, stopping only for the occasional mild chuckle. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Once you notice Ejiofor, you won't stop noticing--and Kinky Boots ensures that you will notice, thanks not only to the nature of his role, but also because there isn't much else here to get excited about. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Kinky Boots doesn't seem to realize that its time came and went long, long ago. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
I once said I'd watch Chiwetel Ejiofor act in any piece of disposable fluff, and now I have. Read full review
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