Kinky Boots

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The Full Monty put Sheffield on the cinematic map and Kinky Boots arguably does the same thing for Northampton. Sharing a production credit (Harbour Pictures) and co-screenwriter (Tim Firth) with Calendar Girls, this follows the same formula of fictionalising a true story. Mild-mannered Charlie Price (played by Australian Joel Edgerton, who cracks the difficult Northampton accent) inherits an ailing shoe factory and, after a chance meeting with Soho drag queen Lola (Dirty Pretty Things' Chiwetel Ejiofor), embarks on a bold new business plan. Despite opposition from his fiancée and the prejudices of his workforce, Charlie moves into reinforced heels for the "specialist" male market. While the outcome - at a make-or-break fashion show in Milan - is as predictable as Charlie's romance with worker Sarah-Jane Potts, this is big-hearted stuff that should be applauded for eschewing star names.