Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay
Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay is a 2002 biographical comedy-drama television film directed by Ed Gernon (in his directorial debut) and written by Patricia Resnick. It stars Shirley MacLaine, Shannen Doherty, and Parker Posey. The film is based on the true story of a corporate war in the mid-1990s between cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash and an ambitious newcomer, Jinger Heath, who launches a rival company. A co-production between Canada and the United States, the film premiered on CBS on October 6, 2002. Both MacLaine and Posey received Golden Globe nominations for their performances, with MacLaine saying the role of Mary Kay was one of her favorite characters. Summary
Cosmetics queen Mary Kay relates her rise to the top of the home-beauty industry to an inquiring reporter, never allowing an opportunity pass to emphasize how many doors she has opened for the working women of America. Ultimately, however, Mary Kay's predominance is threatened by a much younger rival, Jinger Heath, whose BeautiControl company takes an enormous bite out of Mary Kay's share of the market. Caught in the middle is a slightly off-center beauty named Lexy Wilcox. Cast
 Shirley MacLaine as Mary Kay
 Shannen Doherty as Lexy Wilcox
 Parker Posey as Jinger Heath
 R. H. Thomson as Richard Rogers
 Barry Flatman as Dick Heath
 Rachael Crawford as Annika Kern
 Dean McKenzie as Clifton Sanders
 Marnie McPhail as Brooke
 Rebecca Gibson as Tanya
 Catherine Fitch as Beverly
 Maggie Butterfield as Doris
 Terri Cherniak as Liz
 Marina Stephenson Kerr as Chris
 Rhiannon Benedict as Haley
 Paul Christie as Lexy's Husband
 Ned Vukovic as Andy (Doorman)
 Robert Huculak as BC Exec
 Jessica Burleson as BC Rep
 John Bluethner as Boss
 Toby Kennett as Butler

Production
Patricia Resnick wrote the script and Alliance Atlantis executive Ed Gernon made his directorial debut on the film, which was co-produced with Howard Meltzer's TurtleBack Productions and Alliance Atlantis' Ian McDougall. Principal photography took place in Winnipeg from July 3 to 28, 2002. Reception

Accolades

References

External links
 
 

2002 films
2002 comedy-drama films
2002 directorial debut films
2002 television films
2000s biographical films
2000s satirical films
2000s American films
2000s Canadian films
2000s English-language films
American biographical films
American comedy-drama television films
American satirical films
Canadian biographical films
Canadian comedy-drama television films
Canadian satirical films
Comedy-drama films based on actual events
English-language Canadian films
Alliance Atlantis films
Biographical films about businesspeople
Biographical television films
CBS network films
Films about companies
Films set in the 1990s
Films shot in Winnipeg
Films with screenplays by Patricia Resnick