Acting Analysis – In Her Shoes

Posted by Avner Engel in Acting Reference

A couple of nights ago I watched a chick flick called “In Her Shoes” with my lovely girlfriend. I love chick flicks as they have so many great lines to animate to.

While we were watching the film, there was a part that got both of our attention. It was so good that we had to pause the film, rewind it and watch it again and again.

At the start of the film, Rose (played by Toni Collette),  is in a relationship with her co-worker. At some stage during the movie she is told she is going to go on a business trip with the collegue she hooked up with. Clearly you can imagine she is all excited that the two of them will get to spend more time together away on business.

The part that caught our attention was her reaction when she finds out the guy she is involved with,  has sent someone else to replace him on the trip. The acting choice is so simple, yet very clear and so effective.

At the start of the shot, she is walking out of the building towards the car, fixing her hair to make sure she looks nice and attractive. Then she steps out of the font door and smiles to the doorman, here we can read a subtext of excitement and anticipation, then as she approaches the car, we see a character seated there, and once he pops his head down, we cut to her and we see her reaction where she slumps her shoulders in disappointment once she sees its not the guy she likes.

What stood out to me so much about this sequence is that there is barely any dialogue yet the acting, and the subtext of what the characters are doing is crystal clear.

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