review - Walk a Mile in My Pradas (2011)

tom arnold with nathaniel marston & tom archdeacon

RECOMMENDED
Walk a Mile in My Pradas (2011)
written by Rick Sudi Karatas & Tom Archdeacon
directed by Joey Sylvester

We can all stand a little magic in our lives this Christmas. Walk a Mile in My Pradas is just the kind of holiday film to brighten your day and put a smile on your face. It pretty much concerns a macho homophobe construction worker Tony (Nathaniel Marston) and a gay coworker on a new job site named Steve (Tom Archdeacon) who cannot get along. Through vengeful spite, each wishes that the other would switch lifestyles, and in the presence of a Christmas tree angel that blinks on and off, puf! the transformation inexplicably takes place. Suddenly Tony starts acting weird - like cooking and cruising guys in Gay bars, and Steve, to the dismay of lover Michael (Emrhys Cooper), begins to check out and fancy chicks. The film's unpredictability is somewhat in the vein of Big, where Tom Hanks' innocent wish comes true and he must face the consequences, no matter how bizarre or uncomfortable!

Growing up Catholic and realizing you're gay is a nightmare. Well, Tony's family (Dee Wallace, Mike Starr) are Italian Catholics and teacher Sister Betty (Bunny Levine) taught Tony as a boy that "gay is evil". Therein lie the roots of his intolerance. Capiche? When Tony encounters Sister Betty in the present - 20 years later - her response? "Times have changed. Get with it!" Oh, these fickle Catholics and their hypocritical devotion! This is but one example of ...Prada's topical hilarity.

Under Joey Sylvester's caring direction, the entire cast is delightful. Marston rightfully underplays his newfound weirdness, as does Archdeacon with his attraction to women. Relying on overly swishy or super macho behavior just would not work, period. Cooper adds color to Michael, who is appropriately baffled and heartbroken at his lover's sudden lack of interest. Equally confused is Tony's fiance Sarah played with restraint by Kirsten Lea. Dee Wallace hasn't been this funny since 10 as the obsessive English teacher/momma who starts mopping the floor incessantly when she even conceptualizes her son as gay. Tom Arnold is a hoot as the laid-back boss sort of caught in the middle of the sexual issue. Poker-faced Levine is a scream as Sister Betty, and kudos as well to writer Rick Karatas as friend Brian and especially to Lindsay Hollister as Laura. Overweight and out of place, she has one of the funniest lines in the movie regarding consternation with bulemia. Bruce Vilanch has a cute cameo as himself.

dee wallace with marston

Of course, there's a happy ending and everyone gets what they want - c'mon, it's Christmas! Is it possible to be lightweight, yet high on sweet? If so,

Walk a Mile in My Pradas fits the bill and makes for perfect holiday fare. It's breezy and uplifting!

4/5 stars

Walk a Mile in My Pradas was a winner in the 2011 Hoboken International Film Festival for Best Trailer and Best Supporting Actor Tom Archdeacon.

lindsay hollister & bruce vilanch

bunny levine as sister betty & rick karatas

emrhys cooper as michael