Shopgirl
Based on Steve Martin’s 2000 novella, Shopgirl is a boy meets girl story done over again but with a bit more panache than the usual. If based solely on the storyline, Shopgirl is not a huge standout from your average romantic tale. But the movie’s saving graces: the wonderful casting, acting, dialogue and satisfyingly break-the-mold ending definitely make up for the so-so plot. Based on these very redeeming qualities, Shopgirl is decidedly one of the better date movies in recent years.
Mirabelle, perfectly portrayed by Claire Danes, is an attractive, young recent college grad who is trying to make it in Los Angeles. An aspiring artist, she works as a high-end glove-selling shopgirl in Saks Fifth Avenue. It is there, sitting behind the counter, looking as bored as you would expect of someone who sells clothing for the hand, that Porter (Steven Martin) first spots her.
Although Mirabelle had been unremarkably dating unromantic slacker, Jeremy, played by the unmercurial but always interesting Jason Schwartzman, she is easily wooed by the elder Porter. From the start, the dot-com-millionaire attempts to make it clear that he is not interested in anything serious. But, as all stereotypically doe-eyed young women will do, she interprets this sentiment in such a way as to make it more digestable for her ears. It turns out, for a short time, to be a wonderfully symbiotic relationship with Mirabelle receiving the attention, gifts and lifestyle she craves and, well, I think it’s pretty obvious the benefits for an older gentleman dating a pretty, young woman.
Through the course of the movie, the flaws in the April/December romance are spit in our face. Of course we recognize that the deluded Mirabelle has invested far more into this relationship than she rightfully should, but more than that we observe how the differences in age, class and experience manhandle the union. In between snippets of this dysfunctional relationship, we catch amusing glimpses of the discarded Jeremy and his ongoing saga to improve himself. While working as a roadie for a rock group, he studiously spends his downtime with self-help books and audio tapes. It appears, after all, that Jeremy may not have been as unworthy as Mirabelle had perceived him to be.
Barrington Pheloung supplies the ideal musical accompaniment to this occasionally comedic but most often dysphoric drama. The soundtrack guides us through the sad and maddening ups and downs of the odd coupling and the overriding theme of trying to find ourselves in this world. Through this movie, we can view a version of the trials we all go through to find happiness.
Grades
Overall: A-
Story: B
Acting: A
Visuals: B
Originality/Innovation: B
Enjoyability: A-
DVD Extras: C
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