If the Shoe fits, wear it, is the attitude of Cameron Diaz as Maggie, the trampy-drunken-party-girl-sister to Toni Colette’s straight-laced Rose, when Maggie crashes at Rose’s apartment stealing both money and her Jimmy Choos. Based on the book by Jennifer Weiner and directed by Curtis Hanson (who’s all over the map from “L A Confidential” to Eminem’s “8 Mile” to this) seems to know his quirky and strained relationships, even when it comes to women. But while this one is a sure chick flick, it goes much deeper, analyzing the blood that binds in family. Afterall, we can pick our friends and lovers, but we’re stuck with our relatives. So, when “scrunchie” wearing Rose the vanilla-attorney-sister-by-day, throws her unemployed-partying-little-sister out, it’s the beginning of the evolvement of Maggie’s character and the movie’s true direction. Maggie, Amtraks it to Florida in search of her long lost Grandma (Shirley MacLaine), Grandma’s pocketbook and a couch to crash on. Instead, she finds evolvement in life’s deeper meaning, shedding her self-absorption at just the right pace. The movie takes us “Cocoon’ style through the world where senior citizens can impress a lost girl, thus the addition of MacLaine’s character, will help the film skew well with a variety of women. While Diaz as the family black sheep is not a likable character, we love her performance, which is a stretch away from her usual ditzy cute choices. This intelligent role could take her career in a new direction. Three Crowns.
