Parents' Guide to

Kinky Boots

By Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Brit comedy is more warm and quirky than kinky.

Movie PG-13 2005 107 minutes
Kinky Boots Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Almost Nancy
Almost Nancy Adult
January 23, 2019
age 8+

Took 7,8,and9 year olds

Other than one number where “Red is Sex” there is no reason not to take children to this show (other than the length of the production). The young children I took were ecstatic! The play is beautiful and teaches one to accept themselves and others as who they are. If you are uncomfortable with transgender issues then that is on you. Unless you have taught your children to encompass bigotry, they will surly not be offended by the fabulousness! Again, the term sex is used as a descriptive term in one number, but it is a small naughty moment in what is otherwise a story of believing in yourself and accepting others.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
2 people found this helpful.
Christy L.
Christy L. Adult
March 18, 2017
age 12+

Common Sense misses the mark on this one....

We took our 12 and 13 year old boys to this and it was fantastic - they have seen Stomp, Wicked, and Avenue Q and they loved this. It had very positive messages about being who you are, self acceptance, and accepting others for who they are. I don't recall any drugs or drinking, and there were no sex scenes whatsoever. There were a couple jokes that were adult in nature, but nothing this age group is not already exposed to with middle school peers. This was a great opportunity to explore with our kids the reality of the different types of people that exist, how we can all work cooperatively and benefit from one another's unique qualities, and how to handle situations of discrimination. AND the music, dancing and performances were light, funny and very entertaining.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) is a small-town guy desperate to escape his father's stodgy shoe factory for the glamour of London. Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a drag queen constantly on the run from bigoted men and constantly in need of more sturdy footwear. When Charlie's dad dies suddenly, Charlie finds out he's in charge of saving the factory -- but outsourcing of shoe manufacturing has rendered his father's indestructible oxfords unsellable. So Charlie and Lola work together to save the company and produce over-the-knee boots strong enough to hold the weight of an over-six-foot black man. "Price Shoes has built its past on making a range of men's shoes," he says to his staff. "It only makes sense, going forward, for Price to make shoes for a range of men."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):

Though it doesn't reach Sex and the City heights of shoe obsession, it's still a heartwarming story about how important fashion is in helping feminine people express themselves. Kinky Boots is about shoe-lovers uniting, and a reverence for footwear of all types.

The film could have been a depressing forced march through screeds on bigotry and global trade. But director Julian Jarrold's light touch, and Ejiofor's delicate and sympathetic portrayal of Lola, make it anything but. It's sweet. It's quirky. It has a cheeky sense of humor, and it's imminently watchable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about gender presentation and discrimination. How are people in your life treated for acting against gender type? Do you make fun of boys for acting feminine or mock girls for being stereotypically masculine? How does Lola deal with it, and how would you deal with it if people ostracized you in a similar way? What examples have you seen in the media of this kind of discrimination?

Movie Details

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