High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)

Fun fun fun!
What would happen if Monty Python made a heist movie? Well, chances are it might bear a resemblance to this film. 2 lovely ladies get caught up in a bank robbery. They have information on the robbery and they try to blackmail the not-so-nice bank robbers. What transpires are a zany sequence of mis-adventures.

The lovely Mary McCormack steals the show as the nurse who has "had enough" the with rude & nasty bank robbers. Physically she is stunning, and she has a wonderful screen presence. I now want to see more movies that she's done after seeing this one!

A word of caution about this film. While most of it is fun & games, there are a few dark moments in the movie. The film can best be surprised as a black comedy. This might be prudent to consider if you're looking for a movie that is 100% good fun.

One other detail is that the movie takes place in Britain. It's fun to hear the British accents as they jamber on about the mysterious bank robbery. All in all, a very good farce!!

You're just going to pay? Have you gone completely Tonto?
It is not often that I use this word in film reviews, but High Heels and Low Lifes was a very cute movie. While it did follow a very formulaic caper approach, there were elements that were very original and stood out in this film. It had a crisp semi-humorous story coupled with two actresses that were very into their roles. There were some dark elements that I was not expecting when they were dealing with the gangsters that kept my attention until the very end. This was one of those films where you knew exactly how it was going to end, but you still had fun watching your characters get there. This film was a no-brainer, but in a good sense. If you are looking for a fun, caper film that takes no energy to watch than this is the film for you. That is exactly what I was looking for when I watched this film, and it worked perfectly. Let me tell you why.

My biggest satisfaction from this film came from the very unrealistic portrayal of London's dark underbelly. It begins with a very sinister retrospect on the crime in this populated city with images of hardcore robbers doing what they do best. That is the last glimpse we have of that world because by the end of the film the darkness sheds to light and we are handed a fantasy world all our own. The bad guys go from their darkened world and into mansions full of color, ambition, and cartoon blunders. It is this sense of unreality that kept me focused on this film. Here we have two women that are having this "movie" adventure while hiding in bushes, wearing dark sunglasses, and fighting with guys in the cow pastures, yet on the other hand we have these criminals that truly want to kill them. There are huge guns fired, people get shot, and there are even some literal explosions. It reminded me of when Elmer Fudd was hunting for Bugs Bunny. There is some horror to the realization that Fudd only wants to "kill the rabbit", but there is humor in the unrealistic events that occur due to Bugs' outlandish style and Fudd's ignorance. So, when you look at the cover of this film, do not be fooled. What I am trying to say here is that the unreal story is what kept my attention. I don't know if the writers wanted to create a real world with these heroes, but in my eyes they didn't. This was a fictional story, and I couldn't see this happening in real life ... and that worked for me.

I must say that Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack are not at the top of Hollywood players list, but they seemed to carry themselves well in this picture. I think the reason that they worked was because it was a small film. Driver and McCormack do better in these small budgeted films than they do in the blockbusters. I don't think I have ever seen a big-budget Minnie Driver film that I would say was "amazing", and the same goes for McCormack. High Heels and Low Lifes is their type of film. Thankfully, director Mel Smith knows that and knew what he had to work with. He keeps the tone low on this film, making the humor not laugh-out-loud, but grinable. There wasn't really anything spectacular about the direction of this film, and that was perfect for this film. At times directors of these smaller films try to reach out and become to artsy with their craft, this was not the case here. Smith stayed on the path of this film and worked his magic with the greatest of ease. He was not trying to go over the top, but yet successfully kept this film from sinking.

Overall, this was a "cute" film. I will use that word again because I cannot think of a better way to describe this simple film. It was easy on the eyes and on the mind, and if you are in the mood for that style of film than High Heel and Low Lifes will provide it. Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack play off each other exceptionally well while Mel Smith eases behind the camera. There is nothing spectacular about this film. I probably will never see it again, but it was worth watching once. It is always good to have these types of films around. Those that do not try to go overboard, yet give you exactly what you went in looking for. I was impressed.

Grade: *** out of *****

Formulaic frolic trips over its 'Heels'
First published in the Stanford Daily, Nov 8, 2001


In "High Heels and Low Lifes," bosom buddies Frances (Mary McCormack) and Shannon (Minnie Driver) get wasted in a London nightclub to drown their sorrows and celebrate Shannon's birthday. Despite being as tipsy as tops and being thoroughly incapable of uncorking a bottle, they overhear a dimwitted bank robber providing live commentary as the event happens. Frances writes down his mobile phone number with a steady hand. They miraculously sober up and, upon the cajoling of the conscientious Shannon, they approach the police with the tip. Predictably enough, the police, occupied as they are with ingenuous junkies and riotous revelers, have no time to deal with bank robbers. Frances, an aspiring American actress, who can't even impersonate a tomato from outer space, persuades Shannon to join her in a blackmail caper.

What follows stretches the imagination to breaking point. The dim-witted sidekick, Danny, like all low lifes, is holed out in the East End. His boss, Mason (Kevin McNally), acts like an investment banker and lives in a country mansion. Mason, in turn, is under the tutelage of Kerrigan (Sir Michael Gambon), who would pass for a member of the House of Lords if not for the small matter of a hideous Essex accent! Add to that two bumbling detectives, one more interested in hitting on Shannon (understandably), and you have the perfect formula for cheap thrills. Leave your brains behind and have a good laugh.

Like good Londoners, the girls make their first call from the ubiquitous red phone booth. Like all red London phone booths, this one nearly knocks them out with its stench of stale piss. Frances's attempts at impersonating a tough-talking blackmailer illuminate her failed career as an actress. Curiously, the bad guys are dumber than the audience and mistake her Yankee drawl for the voice of a member of that exclusive club, the British underworld. Until the last 10 minutes of the movie, attempted blackmail only results in the shooting of a bum, and the merciful exit of Danny. Finally, after a lot of contrived rigamarole signifying nothing, the climax shifts to Mason's stately country home for a decisive shoot out. The good guys let loose with canons while the baddies retaliate with peashooters. No prize for guessing who wins.

Blackmail works. McCormack is dreadful as Frances. Driver would give most nurses an inferiority complex. Substitute a tight plot for the girls' tight clothes, and you'll have a whale of a time. Moreover, Shannon can give you a few lessons on how to dump your boyfriend.