“Are you the kind of person that takes time to get to know, and then once to get to know them... they're fabulous?”
Based on Steve Martin’s novella, Shopgirl explores the emotional journey of its main character, played by Claire Danes, and the two men that enter her life through the course of the film.
Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) works behind the glove counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. She appears to be living a very boring life, but in a short time meets two men. One is Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman) - who she meets at a Laundromat and goes on a date more out of desperation than interest. The other is Ray Porter (Steve Martin) - a successful entrepreneur who approaches her at the glove counter. Jeremy is Mirabelle’s age but Ray is old enough to be her father. However, Jeremy is a selfish dork and Ray appears to be a attentive, sensitive man. Which one will Mirabelle eventually choose and are either men what they appear to be? Perhaps the less you know about the plot the better you’ll be so I’ll stop there.
The director calls the movie an emotional thriller since this is a movie which follows Mirabelle’s emotional journey. The film is not a comedy and Steve Martin’s presence should not telegraph that it is a comedy. There are bits of comedy in the film, but this movie is more towards drama.
Claire Danes as the Shopgirl
Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman, and Claire Danes all perform admirably. There is also some fine supporting work by Bridgette Wilson-Sampras as Mirabelle’s coworker who advises her on the ways to “treat” men. Also there is a fine performance from Mark Kozelek as Jeremy’s rock star “mentor” who takes Jeremy on the road and introduces him to self help tapes. Sam Bottoms and Francis Conroy have cameos as Mirabelle’s parents (who had a much bigger part in the novella according to the director’s commentary).
The movie also has an interesting color scheme and visual design. Steve Martin also narrates parts of the film which makes it feel more like a novel. Shopgirl is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
Special features include the 21 minute featurette “Evolution of a Novella: the Making of Shopgirl.” It has interviews with writer, producer, actor Steve Martin, director Anand Tucker, producer Ashok Amritraj, actress Claire Danes, actor Jason Schwartzman, and costume designer Nancy Steiner.
Next are two deleted scenes that total about 6 minutes. Finally there’s a talkative and informative commentary by director Anand Tucker. He mentions that Mirabelle’s parents had much bigger parts in the movie but all of that was cut (unfortunately none of this appears as deleted scenes).
Tucker also mentions that he envisions the movie in 4 movements and tells you which sections he sees as the particular movements. The director talks about how each visual design and costume design reflect each section as well as the circularity of the events in Mirabelle’s emotional journey.
Steve Martin buys some gloves from Danes
Shopgirl tells the story of Mirabelle and her emotional journey. However, don’t think that this is a comedy. Steve Martin plays against type and does it very well in my humble opinion. Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman also give fine performances. Anand Tucker gives an informative commentary and is a director that I may have to keep an eye out for his films.
Shopgirl is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a May 22 release date. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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