Review: Shopgirl

Got the chance to see an early screening of the new Steve Martin/Claire Danes movie, Shopgirl last night. Shopgirl is the story of a young lady who works in L.A. at a Saks 5th Ave store at the glove counter who lives an empty existence until she meets two completely different men in her life. The first is Jeremy played perfectly by Jason Schwartzman as the crazy slacker who's into designing fonts and guitar amps. Then there is Ray played by Steve Martin as a rich millionaire who may have the charm and money but has problems with commitment. Who wins her heart is the plot line more or less.

Shopgirl is based on Steve Martin's novella of the same name. Martin also wrote the screenplay for the film which at times sets up certain plot elements only to leave them hanging in favor of some cheap laughs. However I really enjoyed this movie. People will make the easy comparisons to Lost in Translation in its female point of view, but that would be doing it a disservice really. Shopgirl is a very meditative film on being single and lonely. Much like Martin did from the male perspective in the much loved classic, The Lonely Guy, Martin explores this angle from the female side with much more maturity and grace. At points the film is very operatic on a very simple level. And I really liked that a lot. These characters don't have much in life, and what little things they do have are filmed in a very simple style but are supplemented with a great score by Barrington Pheloung. Director Anand Tucker shoots the movie in a very simple but elegant style. Much like Michael Mann's Collateral I thought this film did a great job of capturing the feel of LA. Claire Danes gives a subtle and is probably her very best performance. Schwartzman is great and turns in another wonderful quirky performance and gets the majority of the laughs in this movie. Martin at first looks kind of uncomfortable in his role, but soon turns things around into a nice performance worthy of note. I'd rather see him do things like this than his Pink Panther remake coming out. (that movie makes me nervous) I would recommend Shopgirl. I didn't know what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised coming out of the screening.