Shopgirl
by Anand Tucker
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Sam Bottoms, Steve MartinDirector: Anand Tucker
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Writer: Steve Martin
Producer: Andrew Sugerman
Producer: Ashok Amritraj
Producer: Jon Jashni
Producer: Marcus Viscidi
Producer: Meredith Zamsky
Producer: Nick Hamson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Unknown; Spanish (Dubbed), Unknown
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
Published: 2006-04-01
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Movie Reviews of Shopgirl
Movie Review: The romantic comedy in its best form
Summary: 5 Stars
Shopgirl succeeds so well as a romantic comedy because it's modest, witty in all the right places, quiet and subtle, and superbly written and acted. Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) is stuck in a dead end job working at Saks, and slowly paying off her student loans ($45 at a time) while struggling as an artist. The main story takes place between her and Ray Porter's (Steve Martin) relationship, but in the beginning, we are introduced to Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman doing what he does best), a socially incapable person; by incapable, I mean he's not very good at it (socializing). Jeremy is very awkward, embarrasing to himself, and sometimes we just feel downright bad for him, but he adds a witty humor to the mix, making it more of a romantic comedy than just your average date movie (although I would seriously reccomend this as a date movie). She goes on a date with him in which he has to borrow money from her to pay for the date, and it eventually leads to one of the funniest, and most awkward sex scenes in recent cinema. Mirabelle then meets Ray at Saks, while he is trying to decide what color of gloves (for a woman) that he should buy. We then get a little snippet of men's taste versus women's taste. Ray suggests that he buy the grey pair of gloves. Mirabelle responds by saying "Play it safe" (meaning that grey is the safe color). He gets the black gloves after her suggestion. This is one of the techniques that Steve Martin, who wrote the screenplay based on his best-selling novella of the same name, uses; these very subtle differences between men and women that draw us in. Mirabelle goes home one night to find a package at her doorstep, and, upon opening it, finds the pair of black gloves that Ray had purchased with a note asking her to dinner. Upon their first date, we get a sharp contrast to Jeremy. Ray is at least 25 years her senior, and he is very wealthy, but he does not seem to desire her company as much as Jeremy, who, at this time, has left the picture for most of the middle, having gone on tour with a local band. Ray seems to lead her on for most of their relationship, careful not to get too close, but also careful to not let her get too far away. He discusses this matter with his therapist, but not with Mirabelle, and he says that the relationship can't go very far, and basically he keeps her around so that he can sleep with her when he is home from business. He lavishes her with gift upon gift, and almost seems to be a father figure to her rather than a love interest. This is also important, because Mirabelle's father, not that it's his fault, doesn't speak very much because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from Vietnam. Mirabelle has not really had a huge father figure in her life until Ray comes around. But, as their relationship develops, she starts developing more of a romantic relationship with him which seems more on her part than his. Ray is clearly not looking for a long-term relationship, and she, in his point of view, is basically someone to keep around for sex. Although we want to like Ray, we can't help but notice the way he treats her. While the film gives extensive commentary on life and relationships (some of which can be quite depressing), the film adds in humor at different parts. There is a scene towards the end involving mistaken identity, where one of Mirabelle's co-workers (Bridgette Wilson; you may remember her from Billy Madison) mistakes Jeremy for Ray in an attempt to make Ray cheat on Mirabelle. The bedroom scene and the following day are both hysterical and they lighten the mood of the film. All of the performances are fantastic. Claire Danes really fits as the girl torn between feelings, who is just trying to make the right decisions. Steve Martin subtly plays Ray, a role that he probably wrote having himself in mind for the film. He plays Ray so well that even when he treats Mirabelle terribly, we still kind of admire him in his own way; maybe it's the age and experience thing. And, of course, Jason Schwartzman does this kind of role best, and we've seen hints of this character in other performances (I Heart Huckabees comes to mind). Steve Martin's work comes alive wonderfully in this film adaptation.
Summary of Shopgirl
SHOPGIRL - DVD MovieAny fan of Steve Martin's 2000 novella will enjoy this pitch-perfect adaptation, which glowingly captures the bittersweet tones of a May-December romance. Martin wrote the screenplay and stars as Ray Porter, a button-down 50-something executive who reaches out to a much younger woman as a Los Angeles playmate. The book and movie, though, are both primarily about Mirabelle (Claire Danes), a 20-something with a pile of promises, debt, and depression, as she fades away into a slow corner of Saks selling unneeded formal gloves. She's a wisp of a person, with a cat who doesn?t love her, and when she finds a suitor, it's Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), a scruffy artist who babbles on about speakers. When the gentlemanly Porter calls, his appearance in her life begins to make her whole. It also immediately sets her up for sadness--Ray thinks of Mirabella as a precious outlet for sex, while Mirabelle, very mistakenly, sees Ray as a potential lifelong mate. Martin deftly turns the novella's prose into dialogue, allowing the movie to feel full-bodied, and the film also works as a comedy, as we witness Jeremy's growth on the road with a rock band. Schwartzman would walk away with film if not for the perfectly cast leads: Martin does another smart turn away from his wild-and-crazy moniker, Danes has never been better in an Oscar-worthy performance, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras aces her role as a hot-to-trot co-worker of Mirabelle's. Whoever's decision to have Martin be the omnipresent narrator, though, should be penalized, as it?s confusing to have him in two roles, and the information is pretty useless, even robbing the film of a final grace note. --Doug Thomas
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