Customer Reviews

Shopgirl

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Let me start of by saying that I loved this movie. I loved it for the simpleness in which this story is presented. I loved it for its acting, the wonderful portrayal of interesting characters by three wonderful actors. I loved it for its unassuming telling of a what I like to coin a "coming of love" story. I loved it for its character development and for the way humor is interweaved.

This is the story of Mirabelle, portrayed by Claire Daines, a twenty-something girl from Vermont that is living in L.A. and works as a shop girl in a famous department store. Each night, Mirabelle comes home to her plain second story apartment, calling for her cat Sylvia that continously hides from her. Mirabelle's life is as simple as her wishes. She is not out for fame or fortune, but rather is looking to be recognized as a person who is valuable, has something to offer and should be loved for all the right reasons. When Mirabelle meets Jeremy, a scruffy artist that is awkward and socially inept, she gets involved with him because "sometimes women just want to be held", as she hears on a radio talk show. But there is no romance with Jeremy and when Ray Porter, an older rich man offers her roses, dinners and polite conversations, Mirabelle is soon swept up by his gentlemanly behavior. While Ray can offer her all the things that young girls dream off - beautiful dresses, quiet dinners by candle lights, weekend trips to NYC - he also remains emotionally distant. The viewer watches Mirabelle get involved with both men, learning not only about herself and what is important to her, but also about life's and love's complications.

While the story centers around Mirabelle, both Ray and Jeremy are also very well developed as characters. Ray, portrayed by Steve Martin, is a man who does not allow himself to open up emotionally and eventually recognizes that he may have missed out on love all together. Jeremy, portrayed by Jason Schwartzman, comes to recognize that there is much more to be found in a partner than just a body for sexual adventures. The one criticism I have is around Martin's secondary role as the omnipresent narrator of the story. His background narration seems out of place and is often not needed, as the story is so well portrayed by the characters themselves.

In the end, this is a story with characters that the viewer can relate to in one way or another. It is not a story of finding the ideal partner in life, but rather about recognizing that life, love and relationships are complicated. This is not your typical Hollywood love story and don't expect a fabulously idealized romantic ending. What this movie does very well, though, is to portray a very realistic portrayal of what actually happens in relationships and how people cope with breakups, dates and life itself.

Contemplative, serene and very very quiet, "Shopgirl"manages to makes its points through the piling up of many small, muted gestures and kabuki-like scenes.
Mirabelle (Claire Danes in a subtle, ingratiating performance) is lonely and her job as a Saks 5th Avenue salesgirl affords her no opportunity to meet anyone...that is until she meets super-rich Ray Porter (Steve Martin) and at the same time super-poor, Jeremy ( a manic Jason Schwartzman).
Like the novella on which it is based, "Shopgirl" offers up a simple triangle of three lost souls looking for a mate: Mirabelle, the dreamer without the wherewithal emotionally or socially to do much about pursuing her dreams, Ray: filthy-rich, worldly...who sees what he wants in Mirabelle and easily gathers up her bony, rail thin soul in his arms and Jeremy: bright, ambitious, socially and physically inept bursting with big love and big feelings who targets Mirabelle as the receptacle for all of his stuff.
All of this ends on a bittersweet note: neither tragic nor heart-poundingly upbeat. But like Life outside of the Movies: it goes like that sometimes.

Based on the novella of the same name by Steve Martin, this deeply moving, sometimes funny film feels like a glimpse into reality for movie watchers. Here we have characters that are truly affected by what takes place around them. That have real emotions and react to real situations. What results is a slowly-unfolding story of love, lust, and how humans deal with it all.

Claire Daines plays a 20-something who moved from Vermont to LA to make a name for herself as an artist. She starts dating a young slacker (Jascon Schwartzman) and soon after also starts dating an older entrepreneur (Steve Martin). Each time she goes on a date with Martin we see the awkwardness that results in an older man pursuing a (much) younger woman. But it's never played off for simple laughs. It is shown to us in a very realistic honest way.

Although the film could be classified as a romantic comedy, or a dark comedy, or a light drama... or something along those lines, I don't think it really falls into any of those categories. It's more the story of a young woman finding her way in life. Claire Danes is remarkable, and so are Martin and Schwartzman. The acting in this film really help set the mood, as does the lighting, and cinematography. It really feels like this film was put together very carefully for our viewing pleasure.

I'm such a fan of all the people associated with this, and even though it disappointed me, I think it's worth seeing. For me,it's one of those lovely flawed little movies you catch at 3 a.m., thinking, "hmm, not bad... could've been even more..."

It's a good movie, overall. A solid "worth seeing." Claire Danes is lovely and luminous and just wonderful. Martin is OK as the suitor. Schwartzman is pretty much terrible despite almost saving things in the last 10 minutes. I did actually like the irony of Martin as narrator -- hey, the guy is detached, it's his defining quality, so I loved his "narrating" events as we saw them with an ironic sensitivity the character himself was lacking.

On the negative side, I have to say that I felt that Steve Martin (while his book was a slight, lovely treasure) may have not been exactly the right choice for the film's Ray. He is so aloof it's hard to gauge his feelings from afar, much less for poor clueless Mirabelle. He's like an icecube. Yet I still bought the relationship and liked his character (he's very interesting and bizarrely realistic).

But speaking of realism (or not)... My main problem with the film is with Schwartzman's character, who is not just "clueless," he is basically autistic or was raised by wolves or monkeys or something. The guy is gross, unkempt, cannot even go on a decent date with Mirabelle without embarrassing or mooching off her. He's a skit unto himself. He's embarrassingly crass and seems to have no idea of the beauty or coolness of Mirabelle in any way. A few rock self-help tapes later are supposed to transform him into a prince, but I don't buy it for a second. Even in the best of times with Mirabelle, I simply hoped that this guy had learned enough to shower.

I liked Martin's novella, and love his other work (and adored "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and "The Pleasure of my Company"). But my problem wasn't with Ray... we see his hollowness, his loneliness (affecting because he has no idea it exists), etc., throughout. I loved the scenes where he cared for Mirabelle beyond sex, the ways we saw he loved her without being able to articulate it.

But for Schwartzman's gross stupid comedy relief guy to have any chance at being the prince, the movie needed a major rewrite.

Worth seeing but prepare for an overly-intrusive score, and for a somewhat detached and slow (if often lovely) movie experience.

Shop Girl is such an "LA" film. Not only is it set in Los Angeles, but the film also evokes the city's very unique sensibility. Based on Steve Martin's best-selling novella, Shop Girl is all about big city isolation and loneliness and looking for love in all the wrong places. Working from a script by Martin, director Anand Tucker has made a quiet, delicate and nuanced film, featuring some fine performances from its three very appealing leads.

Claire Danes plays Mirabelle, a beautiful, dreamy and messed-up artistic young woman who sells gloves for evening wear at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and lives in a quaint apartment in the suburb of Silver Lake (just down the street from where we live!).

Lately, Mirabelle has been having a hard time of it - her student loans have been piling up, and she's been suffering from bouts of depression; it's as though she's been spending all her time in Los Angeles just waiting for something to happen, her situation endemic of the routine isolation experienced by women who drive to and from their solitary apartments, perhaps hoping someone eventually will offer them love.

One night at the local launderette she meets the emotionally immature and unkempt Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman). Jeremy is your typical Silver Lake urban grunge, who earns his living decorating amplifiers for rock bands and lives like a pig. He's far too unsophisticated for the lovely Mirabelle, yet they are both artists and the same age so a connection gradually develops.

However, it is the older and far wealthier Ray Porter (Steve Martin) that really beguiles Mirabelle. Ray takes an instant liking to her when he purchases a pair of gloves. Ray is so much more appealing. A dot-com millionaire with mansions in L.A. and Seattle, a private jet and enough money to make a girl feel like Cinderella every night, he's made Mirabelle the envy of all the other girls at Saks Fifth Avenue, especially vamp Lisa (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras). Ray steadily showers Mirabelle with gifts whilst, making it perfectly clear that this is a casual relationship.

The stage is set for a love triangle, with the sensitive and easily hurt Mirabelle, facing some harsh decisions about who to love. Obviously, Jeremy is not right for Mirabelle the way he is; he's ambitionless and cheap, and a bit of a dummy. Only through reinventing himself will Jeremy ever have any hope of obtaining Mirabelle's love. Ray may be rich, but he's also rather cold, and insensitive to Mirabelle's feelings - most importantly he remains non-committal.

But are Jeremy and Ray really that different? Mirabelle must learn to make love the basis, and assess how well each man gives it as well as receive it. She's an intelligent, perceptive and intuitive girl, who knows what she's getting into, but she finds herself getting caught up in a situation that she's just not able to emotionally handle.

Whilst the plot is a bit lightweight and feathery, the movie is mostly buoyed by the performances of Danes, Schwartzman and Martin - who is very good at playing against his comedic type. Danes beautifully captures the affecting, fragile inner quality of Mirabelle's life. It's a brilliantly understated performance that never resorts to histrionics or mawkishness. She gives her heart even when it is broken but never pleads for our sympathy.

Martin plays Ray Porter with a calm coldness and he's obviously a successful businessman who seems to have sufficient funds to do whatever he wants. But he's also lonely and bored and somewhat shut down emotionally; Ray knows Mirabelle's isolated. He's able to spend money on her, but never in ways that feel tawdry and you never get the feeling that he's just being a "sugar daddy" - there's real love and affection there.

And then there's the marvelous Jason Schwartzman as Jeremy. He's a sweet and kind young man, but he has no idea how to seduce a woman and it is only by going on a kind of spiritual road trip that he can learn how to elevate himself to Mirabelle's stature. The film does have it's faults - the soundtrack is a little heavy-handed, and Tucker lays the sentiment and pathos on when he doesn't really need to, but the movie is always compelling and we get to the see the lovely Claire Danes shimmer vintage dresses and high heel shoes, she also drives a pick-up truck and puts on glasses.

For local viewers, Shop Girl provides some great scenes set in and around the funky Silver Lake and there are also the dreamy and poetic views of the City of Angels to admire. Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky infuses his camera work with a deep sense of longing, as though Mirabelle's tale is just one of the many stories beneath the swaying palms and roaring expressways of people who just want to be loved. Mike Leonard April 06.

Someone here wrote that Claire Danes was "luminescent" and "angelic" in this movie. True, she captivated me, and she and her performance held my attention - one can sense the loneliness, vulnerability and romantic loveliness of her character. No so for the loutish, unshaven younger guy (though he did clean up good when he shaved and spiffed up in the latter part of the film), and the wooden, soulless Steve Martin character who could not bring himself to return the love of that lovely young girl. Rent the movie in order to see Danes. Otherwises fugettaboutit.

Steve Martin's career arc continues its undeniable path toward dignity with the "Shopgirl," the film adaptation of Martin's own novella. Having left the early manic days of arrows-through-the-head, King Tut, and "The Jerk," long behind him, Martin has moved into that rare air occupied by only himself, Bill Murray, and (occasionally) Robin Williams - great comedians who are also fine "serious" actors and storytellers.

I have been a fan of much of Martin's later work, including his one-act play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," excluding of course his major-studio dreck such as "The Pink Panther." What separates "Shopgirl" from his other works is that Martin has finally invented characters who do not talk just like Steve Martin. These two characters are the young lovers, Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) and Jeremy Kraft (Jason Schwartzman). There is one character who sounds exactly like Steve Martin, but that is Ray Porter, who is played by Martin, so perhaps that can be forgiven.

"Shopgirl" is ostensibly the story of Mirabelle, a starving artist crippled by student loans and working a dull retail job selling gloves at Saks. It's no surprise that she's on medication for depression. So lonely is Mirabelle that she takes an interest in Jeremy, a hugely self-centered "artist" (his medium is stenciling, his passion is fonts). Jeremy is so pathetic that he offers to go Dutch on a movie, and then asks if he can borrow some money. I won't mention here Jeremy's other creative cost-cutting measures! The fact that the gorgeous Mirabelle is willing to go on a second date with Jeremy is a testament to how empty her life is.

And then Ray Porter walks into her life. Porter is one of those guys who occasionally pop up in coming-of-age stories for women. He is rich, intelligent, handsome, and values the intoxicating joy of courtship before taking a woman to bed. Ultimately, he's just as focused as Jeremy in getting Mirabelle in the sack, but he wants her to really want it first.

Mirabelle quickly sheds Jeremy for Ray, and Ray sets about seducing Mirabelle. For Ray, seducing women is pretty easy, given his vast wealth from software and his considerable charm. But Mirabelle never asks herself why this charming, rich man is still single. Could he have commitment issues? Never mind - at first, Mirabelle is sufficiently happy with the attention Ray is paying her to let this sleeping dog lie.

While the Ray-Mirabelle romance progresses, Jeremy begins his voyage of discovery on the road with a rock band promoting his "designer amplifiers." In a typical Martin-esque twist, the rock band teaches the cad Jeremy about the importance of inner peace, yoga, and treatin' a woman right. Jeremy returns from the road to win back Mirabelle, and now he is armed with his own brand of charm and an awareness that other people have feelings.

Everything in "Shopgirl" proceeds at a stylish, methodical pace. Martin knows better than to rush anything, and you find yourself really caring about these three people.

Indeed, there is only one jarring problem with the movie, and that is Martin's choice to serve as the movie's omniscient narrator as well as Porter. This is never explained, and it makes one question who Ray Porter is - is he the actual, flawed human being in the movie, or is he some kind of divine construct used for the Education of Mirabelle? For such a witty, charming movie, it is a jarring note that is deeply unsatisfying.

But fans of Steve Martin have probably already seen "Shopgirl." And it is worth mentioning that Danes gives an excellent performance in "Shopgirl" that almost wipes out the stench of "The Mod Squad." Schwartzman lives up to the promise of "Rushmore," and perhaps there can be no higher praise than that.

Check it out.

This movie was billed as a comedy in the video store but it wasn't your usually comedy. Actually, I would never have billed it as a comedy. Yes, Steve Martin wrote the novella and screenplay while also acting opposite Claire Danes but this is not a comedy, as you'd normally define it. It did have some funny events in it like most life events some things have got to be funny or laughter would be an anomaly and not the norm.

I've always been a huge fan of Claire Danes (My So Called Life, Romeo and Juliet); she's unique, elegant beyond her young years, and always enchanting on the screen. The casting of the film was very good from Claire Danes to Bridgett Wilson-Sampras. I even liked Steve Martin as the love interest. The whole film had a very put together look that effortlessly guided you through our Shopgirls' romantic endeavors.

I suppose I should tell you some of the movie before I ramble on and on: it's about a young woman from Vermont living in LA who works at Saks Fifth Avenue and her relationship with a young man of her age and an older man. I suppose that description isn't so enticing but the film really is a bright shining hope diamond in my book filled with beautifully articulated emotion on love, loss, and rebirth.

Claire Danes plays Mirabelle Buttersfield a young woman alone in LA. She's a woman of solitude, creative, full of quiet ambition working hard to pay her school loans and pursuing her artful endeavors after working at Saks. She is also lonely when she becomes involved with a young man named Jeramy played by Jason Swartsman. Of course, Meribelle then gets asked out by a mysterious business man, named Ray Porter (Steve Martin), while at the glove counter at Saks but you soon discover that both Mirabelle and Ray have different ideas on the relationship.

This is a movie of quiet expression. Unlike some movies in which every emotion is discussed and verbalized much of this film conveys its meaning through mood and expression which is beautifully exercised in the enchanted acting of Claire Danes, Steve Martin, and Jason Swartzman. So much of this movie is subtle that it literally surprises you at the end of the movie when you feel both happiness and loss at the same time. Another element to the film was the sensuality of Mirabelle and Ray together. It was both extravagant in the depth of emotion during the intimacy and yet it also was at a distance when the two of them were in a social environment.

The film itself would not have been a success with me with out the fabulous music score by Barrington Pheloung, cinematography by Peter Suschitkzy, and editing by David Gamble. All the elements of acting, writing, and film production gave this film its feel and depth. It reminded me of a beautiful coral bay from the sky beautiful visually with a depth of life waiting to be explored.

I loved this film.

girldiver:)

My god. Some of the people who have ripped apart this movie have utterly missed it's message, point, and beauty. I wasn't going to write a review, but I couldn't stand thinking that those opinions might change someone's idea of seeing this movie. Where I come from with this review: I've read the book, I'm in film as an actress, playwright, director, and screenwriter. The film is amazing and touching. It builds slowly, as life builds slowly. The characters have their oddities but not all people in life are 100% perfect. The characters are far from flat and you care for them because they are part of humanity. The camera work is stunning. I haven't seen the camera work so well since American Beauty or Amalie. I know I will be berated because I personally love this film, but my opinion needed to be out there so that someone might view this movie with an honest eye and have the chance to love it too. I truly hope, for you, that you find this and cherish it.

Mirabelle (Claire Danes), an artist who has moved to Los Angeles from Vermont, works at the glove counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. She stands at her station, day in and day out, watching the beautiful people spend a lot of money on the expensive dresses displayed around her. After work, she makes the trek back to her small apartment in Silver Lake, maybe works a little on her art, has some dinner, and goes to bed, rested for the next day. Oh, yes. She's lonely as hell and bored out of her mind. One evening, at the Laundromat, she meets Jeremy (Jason Schwartzmann), a struggling logo designer, who asks her out. A couple of days later, Ray Porter (Steve Martin), a wealthy, older businessman stops at her counter and buys some black gloves. That evening, the gloves have been delivered to her door step along with an invitation for dinner.

"Shopgirl", based on the bestselling novella by Steve Martin, who also wrote the screenplay, is remarkably true to the spirit and tone of the book. If you loved the book, you will most likely love the film. If you hated the book, the movie will probably leave you with the same feelings.

Steve Martin is developing into one of those personalities who juggles projects that are close to his heart with the more commercially viable projects that he realizes he has to make, so he can continue to make the other projects. So for every "Cheaper by the Dozen", we get a "Shopgirl". If you are able to successfully vet the `commercial' projects from the more artistic projects, you will be able to enjoy many hours in your local multiplex or in front of your DVD player. Martin has never been a great actor, but he is certainly funny and willing to take chances leading to his participation in films like David Mamet's "The Spanish Prisoner" and "Shopgirl". He wants to strengthen his abilities and show that he isn't simply a `wild and crazy' guy anymore. He is an actor who can do drama, romance, mystery and comedy. If he occasionally has to make films like "Cheaper By The Dozen 2" (yes, the first was so successful, he has made the sequel with Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Hillary Duff and everyone else in tow), it is a small price to pay to allow him to make the better, more artistic projects he clearly loves to make. My suggestion: avoid any sequels, whether Steve Martin is in them or not, unless you hear a lot of great word of mouth or critical praise. This includes the inevitable sequels "Wedding Crashers 2" and "The 39 Year Old Virgin: Before the Big Bang".

"Shopgirl" isn't a simple story, despite what you may believe from the trailer. It paints a complex portrait of life and romance in modern day Los Angeles. This and the fable-like quality pervading the entire film help to make it more memorable.

What the film does really well is accurately portray life in modern day Los Angeles. Mirabelle had dreams, at one point, and seems stuck in the reality of having to work for a living. She devotes what little time she can to her art, but the effort is minimal, hindered by the fact that she has no inspiration in her life. I know that this happens to many people who come out here to "make it big". It is a reality. And the film conveys this well. Because she is so desperate for something, anything to happen in her life, she agrees to go out with the strange Jeremy.

Claire Danes does a great job as Mirabelle. Everything she experiences is real and believable and her character's journey is interesting. We understand why she would jump into the arms of the strange Jeremy; she is extremely lonely and needs physical contact. We understand why she would fall for Ray, a man at least thirty years her senior; he is a knight in tarnished armor who takes her on actual dates. He wines and dines her and buys her clothes and expects little from her. As the relationships get mildly more complicated, she reacts in believable ways. At times, she seems like your younger sister. When she is hurt, you want to put your arm around her shoulder and give her a hug.

Steve Martin is also very good as Ray Porter. One of his more sedate performances, it works well throughout. As the wealthy businessman who spends a lot of time in meetings, traveling from his house in Seattle to his house in Los Angeles, he has little time to connect with anyone on a meaningful level. When he meets Mirabelle, the connection is there, he just doesn't know what to do about it. His old habits occasionally resurface, providing some tension to the relationship.

Jason Schwartzmann is, for me, the weak point in the film. During his first few dates with Mirabelle, he is so over the top it stretches credibility that she would ever consent to go out with this weird guy. He is slightly manic, very nervous and not the most presentable person in the world. Yet, she does give Jeremy her number, they go on a date, which consists of sitting at City Walk (a Southern California monstrosity attached to Universal Studios) and looking at the theater marquee. Miraculously, she lets her loneliness take over and agrees to a second date, of sorts, with him. The performance is so at odds with the rest of the film is seems out of place. The character is necessary to the rest of the story, but he seems pulled straight out of a television sitcom. Strangely, as in the book, this character all but disappears for a long period during the middle of the film. We check in with him occasionally, but it almost seems like Martin had the good sense to get him out of the way so we could concentrate on the two more interesting characters in the film, Ray and Mirabelle.

The film opens and ends with similar shots, sweeping views across the Los Angeles freeway-scape. The millions of car lights bleed together to form a sort of abstract painting. Slowly, the camera pans to the stars in the sky (clearly the work of special effects because it is all but impossible to see that many stars in Los Angeles) and slowly moves in on a window in the middle of a sky. Looking through the window, we look down on Mirabelle in her bed. Later, as Ray makes one business trip after another, we follow him into his private plane, as he sits thinking about his life. The camera pans to the window and looks out on a field of clouds. These sequences set the tone for the film, making the story seem like a fable. I would almost call it a fairy tale, but the characters make some decisions along the way which seem hard and remove the overall rosy glow of a "fairy tale", so fable seems to fit. These people are in the real world, but the story is slightly romanticized.

At times, "Shopgirl" almost resembles a play adapted to film. Many scenes involve just Mirabelle and either Ray or Jeremy. In this case, this isn't a bad thing, because it helps to show how insular each of the character's lives are. They don't have a lot of interaction with others, which is why they are so intent on trying to create a relationship with each other.

"Shopgirl" is a good, faithful adaptation of the book and presents an interesting story about three people who form a relationship and bond.