Shopgirl (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Shopgirl' is a quirky romantic comedy directed by Anand Tucker & written by Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin; & he also stars in the film. Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) is a melancholy artist who is barely able to scratch out a living in Los Angeles. Having left her parents in Vermont, Mirabelle has found that her job as a shop girl in the glove department of Saks Fifth Avenue is not the kind of new life she was looking for. Blah job, blah apartment, inconsistent attempts to pursue an art career, etc. have made her very susceptible to the advances of 2 particular men. 'Shopgirl' tells the story of her relationship with these 2 men, whom she chooses, and if true happiness can be achieved. I was intrigued throughout the film, but its production is rather bland & it lacks depth of character.
One guy is Jeremy (a funny Jason Schwartzman), a penniless graphic artist who lacks the necessary social skills to romance a woman. Somehow, he uses enough charm (barely a thread of it in his body) to actually make love with Mirabelle. But he embarks on a road trip as a rock band's groupie; and enter Ray Porter (Steve Martin). He is the 'other' man. Ray is a wealthy divorcee who is captivated by Mirabelle's beauty and her sadness. Although he is nearly 30 yrs. older than her, Ray is smooth enough and rich enough for her to be interested. They meet at various restaurants, a relationship blooms, & she falls in love.
But does he love her or merely want her around at his disposal? Can she convince him to love her in return? Is her head in the clouds? And what of Jeremy? While he travels on the road with the rock band, he is desperately seeking advice from the band & self-help books to try to win-over Mirabelle for good. Would she even want to give him a second chance? It's a cute plot (with some very serious undertones going on, but we won't really go there). But the movie flounders a bit in the middle. And a complete lack of depth to the characters makes it hard for us to understand them.
At various moments through the movie, a voice-over narrative explains some situations and what our characters are thinking/doing. Why can't they say/show us themselves? Couldn't a more thorough script have been made to negate the use of voice-over, at all? I question, "Why did Ray say that to her?" or "How come she has stopped taking her anti-depressants?" or "What does she have against her parents in Vermont", etc. Very little is explained and that makes it hard for us to connect as an audience; the movie's intentions are not clear. Speaking of anti-depressants, that is a potentially huge character arc for Mirabelle and it is completely thrown by the wayside here. It is a subplot that could have made things clearer for us as we see her make some important decisions in the end.
Claire Danes has one of those mysterious faces that almost become a character in-and-of itself. Her sense of loneliness & troubled love (why be interested in goofball Jeremy and/or an older prick like Ray?) is conveyed well here. And while I was mehhh on him in Marie Antoinette, Jason Schwartzman, as Jeremy, is my favorite character. Steve Martin changes things up by going anti-comedy. His character is borderline loathsome/barely sympathetic. Then again, right when you've written him off, he becomes likeable. This film gets a B-/2.5 stars out of 4 because while the story is good, musical score is great, has a nice supporting cast (including Bridget Wilson-Sampras as Lisa) ... 'Shopgirl' is barely romantic, barely comedic, & falls flat when trying to show depth of character; it's pretty necessary in this movie.
One guy is Jeremy (a funny Jason Schwartzman), a penniless graphic artist who lacks the necessary social skills to romance a woman. Somehow, he uses enough charm (barely a thread of it in his body) to actually make love with Mirabelle. But he embarks on a road trip as a rock band's groupie; and enter Ray Porter (Steve Martin). He is the 'other' man. Ray is a wealthy divorcee who is captivated by Mirabelle's beauty and her sadness. Although he is nearly 30 yrs. older than her, Ray is smooth enough and rich enough for her to be interested. They meet at various restaurants, a relationship blooms, & she falls in love.
But does he love her or merely want her around at his disposal? Can she convince him to love her in return? Is her head in the clouds? And what of Jeremy? While he travels on the road with the rock band, he is desperately seeking advice from the band & self-help books to try to win-over Mirabelle for good. Would she even want to give him a second chance? It's a cute plot (with some very serious undertones going on, but we won't really go there). But the movie flounders a bit in the middle. And a complete lack of depth to the characters makes it hard for us to understand them.
At various moments through the movie, a voice-over narrative explains some situations and what our characters are thinking/doing. Why can't they say/show us themselves? Couldn't a more thorough script have been made to negate the use of voice-over, at all? I question, "Why did Ray say that to her?" or "How come she has stopped taking her anti-depressants?" or "What does she have against her parents in Vermont", etc. Very little is explained and that makes it hard for us to connect as an audience; the movie's intentions are not clear. Speaking of anti-depressants, that is a potentially huge character arc for Mirabelle and it is completely thrown by the wayside here. It is a subplot that could have made things clearer for us as we see her make some important decisions in the end.
Claire Danes has one of those mysterious faces that almost become a character in-and-of itself. Her sense of loneliness & troubled love (why be interested in goofball Jeremy and/or an older prick like Ray?) is conveyed well here. And while I was mehhh on him in Marie Antoinette, Jason Schwartzman, as Jeremy, is my favorite character. Steve Martin changes things up by going anti-comedy. His character is borderline loathsome/barely sympathetic. Then again, right when you've written him off, he becomes likeable. This film gets a B-/2.5 stars out of 4 because while the story is good, musical score is great, has a nice supporting cast (including Bridget Wilson-Sampras as Lisa) ... 'Shopgirl' is barely romantic, barely comedic, & falls flat when trying to show depth of character; it's pretty necessary in this movie.