Dir: Julian Jarrold. UK.2005. 106mins.

Ealing-style comedy meetsAlmodovar-style extravagance in Kinky Boots, a likable triumph of theunderdog comedy celebrating tolerance, drag queens and fabulous footwear. Thefilm has a good number of marketable elements from the intriguing premise tothe slinky soundtrack and the star performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor but it lacksthose special goosebump moments and surges of emotion that make for a surefireinternational crowd-pleaser like The Full Monty or Calendar Girls.It may be based on true events but its feel-good aspirations often feel alittle formulaic and may consequently damage its across-the-board appeal. BVIrelease the film in the UK in October following its world premiere atEdinburgh.

The Ealing element comes inthe story of Charlie Price (Edgerton), a young man who inherits a shoe factoryin Northampton. The belief in old-fashioned craftsmanship has sustained thisfamily business for over a century but now the combination of cheap imports andexpensive designer brands have left it on its uppers. Who wants sensiblebrogues in the era of Jimmy Choo'

Closure seems inevitableuntil he comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress. The damsel proves to beLola (Ejiofor), a glamorous cabaret artist who provides him with an idea forsaving the company by serving a niche market of drag queens desperate forstylish boots that don't crack under their weight.

Lola's designs and Charlie'ssteely determination seem like a winning combination if only they can overcomethe prejudices of some of the workforce and Charlie's snooty fiancee Nicola(Rooper).

Making smooth progressthrough some predictable material, Kinky Boots benefits enormously fromEjiofor's charismatic performance as Lola. Dressed to the nines, he looks likea combination of Diana Ross and Beyonce, belting out some catchy GuyChambers-written numbers with the feline growl of an Eartha Kitt and thepanache of Tim Curry in Rocky Horror mode.

He also impresses in themore sensitive scenes as he defends his right to be a man in a frock andcommands the respect of everyone else, especially chauvinistic factory workerDon (Frost). He resists the temptation to just camp it up and always goes forthe emotional truth of a scene.

Kinky Boots doesn't really make the most of its supporting castwith the likes of Frost and the estimable Linda Bassett struggling to makesomething substantial of their thinly written roles. Edgerton is personableenough as Charlie and there's an appealing performance from Sarah Jane Potts asLauren, the loyal employee who finally registers on his romantic radar.However, it is Ejiofor's film as he swaggers around in heels or confronts theghosts of the past with equal aplomb.

Handsomely crafted and stylishlyshot by Eigil Bryld, Kinky Boots adds up to a promising debut featurefrom television veteran John Jarrold that only really lacks that little extraoriginality and edge in the screenplay to guarantee a bigger impact.

Production companies
Harbour Pictures
Price Productions Ltd
Stage 4 Ealing Studios
Miramax

UK distribution
BVI

International sales
Miramax/BVI

Producers
Nick Barton
Suzanne Mackie
Peter Ettedgui

Screenplay
Geoff Deane
Tim Firth

Cinematography
Eigil Bryld

Production design
Alan Macdonald

Editor
Emma Hickox

Music
Liz Gallacher

Main cast
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Joel Edgerton
Nick Frost
Sarah Jane Potts
Jemima Rooper
Linda Bassett