Shopgirl

I haven't seen such great movie in a good time! I didn't expect much of it, but I was totally surprised. What a brilliant work of Steve Martin! The screenplay, based on his novel was written really well. I liked how they made mostly pretty obvious, regular things so watchable. Acting was stunning, the characters were totally believable and had a lot of soul. (Esp. Claire Danes was stunning in this.) I almost had a feeling that movies about love, life, meeting new people are no longer interesting for the filmmakers. After this flick, I don't believe it anymore. It's filled with romance, emotion, and the delightful, subtle humor. This is exactly that kind of movie you'd like to see with your girlfriend/boyfriend.

Just had the opportunity to view Shopgirl at the Toronto International Film Festival, and found the film to be just the way it was supposed to be. During the introduction of the film, Director Anand Tucker spoke of Martin being very emotional during the filming of Shopgirl, as the scenes played out exactly as he had envisioned. I felt the film was beautifully shot, reminiscent of a ballet. I didn't find the voice over narrative, conducted by Martin, to be a detraction, but rather an enhancement, bringing a sense of films from another time, and somehow, a reminder of the Bogert era. Perhaps it's because I'm viewing from the point of view of a woman, but it seems there are far too many Mirabelle's and Ray's in the world, and in my experience, few too many Jeremy's who actually improve themselves in order to capture the attention of their interest. But then, that's just my take. I appreciate that this film kept faithful to the author's intent of the story, and didn't extract a totally different kind of film so that the box office might benefit.

I didn't finish watching this film. I almost turned it off near the beginning because it was so boring, but decided to wait until Steve Martin appeared to see if it picked up at all. It didn't. I didn't believe in the relationship between Danes and Martin, she didn't seem like the kind of character that would be seduced with gifts of expensive gloves by a man 34 years older. It might have been believable if Steve Martin was handsome or charming, but he was neither. There was zero on-screen chemistry between Martin and Danes. The photography, lighting, music and acting were all excellent, just a poor script. One of the signs of a weak script is the use of voice over, like when Danes and Martin are having dinner and suddenly there's Steve Martin's voice over explaining what Claire Danes is thinking. Things like that should be demonstrated in the acting - show, don't tell.

I cannot in a million years understand why anyone would give this movie a good review. There was never a reason for anything in the plot, there was no character development anywhere, and the dialogue was close to nearly non-existent. Are we supposed to feel sorry for this young, naive girl who first sleeps with a complete idiot who she can hardly stand being around? Who then turns around and starts having a long affair with an uninteresting senior citizen older than her father who makes it known up front that he has no long term interest in her? The only twists are when idiot and sleeze-ball also get some on the side. How do we suddenly go from Jeremy sleeping with blonde-bimbette counter girl who is trying to take naive Vermont I'm-not-a-prostitute-but-I'll-let-him-pay-for-anything-and-everything girl's sugar daddy, to the first two being back together and madly in love? Nothing makes sense this whole movie. You keep thinking it might suddenly come together and become more than black and white, BUT IT NEVER DOES. SKip this stinker. It's not worth the 50¢ it cost me to rent it.

Having been a longtime fan of Steve Martin as a serious and a comedic actor, as well as a writer, I've been fairly disappointed in some of his more recent films like "Bringing Down the House" and "Cheaper By the Dozen". Thankfully "Shopgirl" is a return to Martin's intelligent brand of dry comedy as well as a return to some of the more serious characters he's played. Martin (who adapted his own novella for the screen)plays Ray, a wealthy older man who sets his sights on the pretty glove salesgirl, Mirabelle. The much younger Mirabelle (Claire Danes) is struggling to find a place in a city where it seems impossible to find a human connection. She's a shy, smart,struggling artist, who is also being courted by the more age appropriate, but hopelessly immature Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman). The "love triangle" aspect of the story seems take a backseat to Mirabelle's own personal growth. Jason Schwartzman takes a break from playing weirdos to play an actual human being in Shoipgirl. Yes Jeremy is comic relief, but he's also someone who undergoes a tremendous transformation. Schwartzman portrays this with quirky humor, but also with sympathy. Initially it seems as if Martin is trying too hard to be serious as Ray, but this evolves into a real performance as an immature older man who is simultaneously awkward and charming. But Claire Danes is the revelation here. I've been a fan of hers since "My So-Called Life" and I've seen her shine in films that didn't live up to her talent, and I've seen her do well in underrated gems. Hopefully "Shopgirl" won't fall into the latter category. Danes' Mirabelle is intelligent and strong, but also tremendously vulnerable. She doesn't know her own strength. She's smart but her fear of loneliness leads her to do things that she knows are stupid. She's pretty but she wills herself to fade into the background. In short, she's a person with strengths and weaknesses which are written on Danes' always expressive face. She is the heart of the movie. If there is justice in Hollywood (a doubtful proposition) this sinfully underrated actress will get more than just critical acclaim for her performance (an Oscar nomination would be appropriate). A lot of people have criticized the slow pace of the film and the "unrealistic" nature of the relationship between Danes and Martin. However, the film explores both characters reasons for entering into their relationship which go beyond the stereotypes of "golddigger" and "cradle-robber". The pace of the film doesn't fit with our expectation's of a romantic comedy. But I would hesitate to call it that. Yes there is romance and comedy, but traditionally romantic comedies follow a formula, that "Shopgirl" deviates from. Nor would I call it a romantic drama- it doesn't fit that mold either. Instead it is something unique, subtle, witty, heartbreaking, and a category all it's own.

I just got home after watching it, and I really think I lost a couple hours with something pretty much meaningless. I thought it was going to be a fun movie, but it ended up being a "nothing" movie. At least, wait until you can see it at home, so you don't regret about paying too much and you can stop watching it at any time. Anyway, I'm really surprised people are giving it good reviews. Could be that I wasn't in the right mood, although I don't think it was that. This had to be a 10 lines of text review, and I don't think it is worth writing that much about this movie. Just wanted to alert people about what to expect.

After some of the lesser films Steve Martin has been in lately, namely Cheaper by the Dozen, Bringing Down the House, and the like, it's a welcome sight to see him doing serious work. Shopgirl, adapted by Martin from his novella, is arguably his most serious work, and easily his most dramatic performance. However, in the world of Oscar prospects especially, the film will likely receive few accolades. Despite strong efforts from the cast, the film crashed between depressing drama and farcical comedy with none of the grace required. The main issue with the film is Anand Tucker's direction. Only his second feature film, following 1998's Hilary and Jackie, Shopgirl is played far too serious. A heavy camera seems to plod its way through scene after scene. Several moments, mostly those with Jason Schwartzman in them, try to lighten things; but even some fairly good laughs cannot remove the feeling that this isn't a very happy film. It is perhaps unfair to blame Tucker for the mood entirely. Similar complaints were leveled against Martin's original novella. But how much more endearing, how much more fun, this film would've been under someone like Rob Reiner. It is, after all, a comedy of relationship errors. There is drama here but the heart and soul of the story is in the laughter. The mistake is entirely in playing it as a drama with comedy, not a dramatic comedy. The other main flaw is the tedious, and essentially needless, voice-over narration. Whether in screenplay format the narration read fine, or if it was added later to clarify the film for mainstream audiences, it detract. The actors are all capable enough to express their emotions without explanation. It is not hard to tell when a young woman goes home to an empty apartment and a cat that she is lonely. As remarked by a man sitting behind me: "A movie loses something when it has to be explained." The problem with the narration here is that Shopgirl doesn't need to be explained, but is. Not helping the dreary atmosphere is Barrington Pheloung's ridiculously over-dramatic score. Echoing the work of Alexandre Desplat, especially Girl With a Pearl Earring (produced by Tucker), Pheloung seems insistent upon forcing drama into every note. The music plays less as an underscore than as an upstaging diva. Other technical work reaches must loftier heights. Nancy Steiner's endearing costume design, a cross between her work on The Virgin Suicides and a Day/Hudson comedy, gives instant heart to the characters. Danes' Mirabelle benefits the most. Likewise the art direction, by Sue Chan and David Smith, is delightful. Danes' apartment has an apt Vermont-meets-L.A. feel whereas Martin's two homes are cold and hollow, like his character. The curious thing is that when all the elements come together Shopgirl is an enjoyable experience. As it was playing I really liked it. But when all is said and done there is something missing. Once you stop laughing you realize it is a profoundly unhappy film. Despite the strong and endearing performances the film is simply too sad to win any hearts, but well-meaning enough not to send any away.

I simply do not understand how other people on this site could have given this score above, say, oh, a three. As a comedy, it fails; it isn't at all funny. As a drama, it fails; you are never given any reason to connect with the characters, and the so called twists (Steve martin sleeps with some random woman, Jeremy returns to town in a new suit) don't do anything to alleviate the mind crushing boredom. As a romance, it fails; the main characters are essentially shag partners, not really romancers. The acting was bearable, but it was just so BORING. Nothing happened throughout the whole movie, and other than that, nothing was explained. Why did Steve Martin take a like to the shopgirl? Indeed, why should we care? It was narrated towards the beginning of the film that this girl had value; which put me in the mindset of her getting a better job and putting her life back on track, not working at the EXACT same job, the only difference being her new sex buddy Steve Martin (who by the way, could easily be the girls father). The one liners are awful, and it is just so mind numbingly tedious. The people who claim that this is the best film they have ever seen are either clinically insane or have exceptionally poor taste. One of the people who reviewed this claimed that it was "a continuation of Steve Martins bitter humour," which it clearly wasn't, as there were no jokes. At least not funny ones. Steve Martin needs to loosen up and stop appearing in poor mens children comedies, and absolutely mind numbingly terrible romances. Add to it a non-ending and you've got yourself the worst movie of 2005. Edit: Saw a little of this a few weeks ago, (August 08) and it's still just as shite.

This movie was good because it was so awful. I saw The Jerk within the last two years, and once I overcame the urge to walk out of the theater I laughed more at Shopgirl. (For those who've seen it, remember Steve Martin's Ray Porter "heroically" pushing a pill out of the foil for Claire Danes? Words fail to capture how pathetic that scene was, but on screen, the magic of cinema reveals the wonderful power of unintentional comedy.) Not even Mariah Carey's Glitter or Keanu Reeves' Sweet November could rival this film for unintentional humorous scenes. For that quality alone, it should still be showing nationwide. And for that, too, Steve Martin should return to comedy. His crossover to drama, apparently in imitation of his colleague Bill Murray, is sad and misguided. Who read his script and okay-ed it? The director Steve Martin as Executive Producer paid to make his film? For that matter, who read his novella and recommended it? Steve Martin needs to make at least a single friend who will tell him the truth no matter what, truths like "Shopgirl sucks, and you have idea how deeply embarrassed you will be after it." Thank God there were some negative reviews. The problems with this movie occur on so many levels (script, direction, shot selection, continuity, editing, etc. ad nauseum), a thorough critique would undoubtedly be longer than Mr. Martin's "novella." To begin with, Mr. Martin's notion of human personality types is, put kindly, immature. Apparently, women in LA are either artistic quiet non-natives who dress with quirky (i.e., absolutely terrible) vintage/thrift styles incapable of manipulating people's emotions OR Beverly Hills stereotypes -- women who only want trinkets from men, dress ostentatiously, act like expensive prostitutes, etc. Even the "doctor" friend of Mr. Martin in the film has only her own satisfaction in mind. In the end, however, a major contradiction occurs. After hurting Claire Danes' character, she discovers that Steve/Ray has paid off her student loans. Her Beverly Hills counterparts at the department store would never be capable of getting $39,000.00 in one fell swoop from the men they bilk and cheat through sex. Girls from Vermont, runs Mr. Martin's logic, are even bigger whores than the plastic clichés he shoves down the audiences throat. The men fare little better. Ray Porter and Schwartzmann's characters (the latter being the ONLY redeeming role in the film, and not until the second half of the film -- and without Rushmore, the role would've seemed even weaker) are ridiculous. Both are wildly improbable lovers for Danes' character. Why would a pure, wholesome, ingénue from Vermont like Ray Porter? Steve Martin isn't good looking enough to seduce a younger woman even with millions of dollars. His wealth also reduces any chance that middle-class men will relate to him in any imaginable way, other than their pathetic salivation at Mr. Martin's quotidian middle-aged fantasies. Two great lines (slightly paraphrased), both Schwartzmann's, and INtentionally comedic show why Mr. Martin needs to abandon his sad-old-rich-guy schtick and pick up a banjo: 1) "It feels like marshmallows hitting my balls." 2) "I was reading this book-on-tape..." These harken back to Martin's glory days, days when he said things like, "This is the best pizza-in-a-cup I've ever had." I have to finish. I apologize for going on. I have no animus toward Steve Martin, but this film was shockingly bad turns wonderfully open to attack. See it without accepting its premises, and I promise you'll be shocked how funny it is.

I went into Shopgirl with high expectations, and, unlike some other films that dissappoint me, all the hype was right this time. I loved this movie. Claire Danes was perfectly cast as Mirabelle, and seems able to pull off the "torn- between- two- men" role. Jason Schwartzman, who plays Jeremy, the first of the two men to fall for Mirabelle, is adorably goofy, and effortlessly slips into character. And Steve Martin, who plays Ray, the second (and *MUCH* older) man to fall for Mirabelle, is the kind of character who you want to dislike, but can't help falling for. I recommend this movie to anyone. It's an adorable, charming little gem of a film.