Shopgirl
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Movie Reviews of Shopgirl
Movie Review: Sensual and Emotionally Haunting but especially Wonderful.
Summary: 5 Stars
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:)
Movie Review: Quirky, beautiful, sincere... not for everyone
Summary: 5 Stars
It took me long enough but I've finally watched this film. I was living in Germany when it was released so...
What's surprising is how beautiful this film is. It seems to start out droll and somewhat morose. That was the trap. Even as it was seemingly touching but depressing it unfolded from that less than impressive bud into a flower of haunting beauty- with its fair share of thorns.
The seems simple enough: a bored, attractively handsome young women is looking for her place in life, in Los Angeles as she sells gloves in a SAKS 5th Ave. store, a garment no one wears anymore (is this a metaphor for our notions of old fashioned romance?).
Her life is not empty, but it is not exciting or even very interesting. She's acutely aware of this fact.
On the chance that letting her guard down might yield something happening, anything happening in her life she goes on a date with a shy, quirky, socially awkward artist. He's poor as dirt. She wants something more in her life. It's a weird but not useless coupling. It's also not what she'd hoped for. Still, he's better than nothing, right?
Along comes a man who is both interested in her, but also has wealth, taste and maturity going for him. Too bad he's not willing to open up. He clearly has feelings for her even as he denies them to himself and her. Oddly enough he goes to great lengths to make her a part of his life, enough so that she lets her artist go believing the new man in her life might be the "one".
The artist takes the time to do some growing as part of the road crew for a traveling rock band.
Hopefully that's enough to get you interested or warn you off depending on the type of films you like.
This is clearly a more artful film and I find the romantic comedy label to be misleading. In this case artful is not odd. It's also not riddled with the standards. The motives of the players are discovered through their actions, sometimes small gestures and just plain old atmosphere. I love films that don't beat me over the head with a "message". I likewise don't like films that talk down to me (unless it's obvious, like a joke).
As the story unfolds I'm left with the idea that it's fine to like these characters as much for their all too human flaws as well as for their hopes and small triumphs.
The score, sound editing and cinematography, as well as art direction are beautiful supporting players for the story.
Also worth mentioning is Steve Martin's brief but beautiful narrative used to frame some of the essence of these people's lives.
I'm also surprised at some of the negative remarks concerning this film and the viewers expectations.
That's too bad but also expected. After all this is a film that seems quite unlikely from the guy who started his cinematic career as "The Jerk" (still a fun film).
He's come a long way and he wears very well with age.
Movie Review: Low-Key and Hilarious
Summary: 5 Stars
This low-key comedy/drama was written by Steve Martin, based on his novella of the same name and it's truly a great movie. I can't recall when Steve Martin has done better work, it's been a few years. This is a completely different Steve Martin than the one we've seen inhabiting family comedies lately. The movie stars Claire Danes as Mirabelle, a girl who works behind the glove counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in Los Angeles. While at a laundromat, Mirabelle meets Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), a young uninspired man who has a knack for saying the wrong thing. For some odd reason, Mirabelle is attracted to Jeremy...Until one day at Saks she meets Ray Porter (Martin), a rich older man who has a lot more to offer than Jeremy. This is one of those movies that can really be explained in like 20 words or less, but that doesn't begin to really unearth the plot of this movie.
It's a pretty simple plot, but it's deeper than that at the same time. Martin's script captures the awkwardness, sadness, and happiness of relationships perfectly. I've always known Steve Martin was a good writer, I mean he co-wrote "The Jerk". But this shows a completely different side to Martin, the slightly off-beat romantic side of him...But don't get me wrong, the script still has plenty of Martin's wittiness. His characters are very well written and detailed, but this is only fueled by how good the actors are. Claire Danes is a pretty obscure actress for the most part. The last movie I saw her in was "Terminator 3". But hopefully she's using this movie to revamp her career, because she proves her that she's a great actress. Mirabelle is a kind of mysterious, yet layered character that Danes breathes life into and does it so well. Martin's character Ray is a character we've seen Martin play before, the hopeless romantic older guy and this is truly THE Steve Martin role. His performance is extremely toned down, but worthy of an Oscar nomination.
But despite these two great performances, the best performance goes to Jason Schwartzman who I've never even viewed as a particularly good actor.
Schwartzman plays the socially inept Jeremy to a T. Everytime Jeremy appears in the movie, I was laughing. He says the wrong thing so perfectly, all the time. But, anyway, that brings me to my next argument. What the hell happened at Oscar time? Yes, this movie was low-key but that is what's so good about it. I think it could've gotten at least 4 nominations; Best Actress (Danes), Best Actor (Martin), Best Supporting Actor (Schwartzman), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Martin). The low-key aspect is pretty much what got it robbed. Oscar doesn't like low-key...Oscar likes big explosive acting,
think Sean Penn "Mystic River", Hilary Swank "Million Dollar Baby", and
George Clooney "Syriana". I highly recommend this movie, it's one of the best romantic comedies of 2005.
GRADE: A
Movie Review: Coming of love
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: A Story of Love in the Real World
Summary: 5 Stars
Mirabelle (Claire Danes of Romeo + Juliet) moves from Vermont to Los Angeles to start her career as an artist. She lives in Silver Lake, works at SAKS in Beverly Hills, and draws at night. That's all what demure Mirabelle did until two very different men arrived at the doorstep of her life and knocked.
One of the guys is Jeremy Craft (Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore), a sloppy, dopy struggling artist that does stencil artwork for an amplifier company. They meet at a Laundromat and Jeremy does very little to impress Mirabelle, but the Vermont transplant is lonely and depressed (she's on anti-depressants) that she finds this goofball somewhat appealing.
Shortly after Mirabelle reluctantly opens the door and lets Jeremy in, Ray Porter (Steve Martin) comes knockin'. He's a wealthy, refined computer mogul with homes in Los Angeles and Seattle and a keen desire for Mirabelle. He seduces the impressionable girl with fancy dinners, expensive gowns, and a slew of other things that lots of money can buy. Mirabelle is entranced by Porter's pouring affection she opens the door wide open for him to walk right into her heart. She tells Jeremy she's seeing someone else when he calls to tell her he'll be on the road with some band.
Craft and Porter are both appealing and repulsing in their own very different yet very parallel ways and Mirabelle has feelings for both of them. The time will come when she is faced with a single decision: I can either hurt now or hurt later. What will it be? Whom will she choose? Who's going to remain in her life? her heart? Who will walk out of the door?
I really enjoyed this film. I was especially moved by how real it was in terms of emotions, reactions and performances. I also loved how the character grow and change and how their experiences and interactions make each one of them a better person in the end.
The direction/editing is also very clever and engaging. The soundtrack is great, but alas it's not available in stores (I still don't understand how that works!) It's definitely one of the better produced romantic films I've seen in a while.
All in all, Shopgirl is a great adult, contemporary love story. It's a great date flick for it reaffirms the importance of reciprocal love in which both parties inspire and admire each other. Go see it!