Kinky Boots

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven 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.

TV Guide Maitland 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.

Chicago Tribune Michael 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.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger 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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Winda 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.

Los Angeles Times Carina 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.

Chicago Reader J.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.

LA Weekly Chuck 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.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The best reason to check the film out is Ejiofor's performance, which is packed with grace and wit and pathos.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance alone makes it worth giving your "Full Monty" DVD a rest and heading out to Kinky Boots.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Trite? Sure. Obvious? And then some. But a lesson to be taken to heart nonetheless.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Not since ''Mannequin on the Move" has a flamboyant black man brought so much fabulousness to stiff white heterosexuals.

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.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An above-average entry in this niche genre, wherein groups of working-class people band together against adversity.

Rolling Stone Peter 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.

Variety Derek 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.

The New York Times Stephen 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.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

This English heart-warmer isn't all that kinky. It's actually quite sweet-spirited, as well as unswervingly formulaic.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

A sweet-tempered, mildly entertaining picture.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa 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.

Village Voice Matt Singer

Boots is unforgivably tame; only foot fetishists (or possibly Imelda Marcos) could get off on such desexualized, PG-13-rated fare.

Premiere Ethan 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.

San Francisco Chronicle Neva Chonin

Really, the only thing kinky about this movie is its title.

New York Daily News Elizabeth 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.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

The movie is so determinedly lightweight that it floats above the fray, stopping only for the occasional mild chuckle.

Miami Herald Peter 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.

Washington Post Desson 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.

USA Today Claudia 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.

Dallas Observer Luke 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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Kinky Boots doesn't seem to realize that its time came and went long, long ago.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

I once said I'd watch Chiwetel Ejiofor act in any piece of disposable fluff, and now I have.