Synopsis: Based on Steve Martin’s best-selling novella, and starring Golden Globe® winner Claire Danes (The Family Stone), Golden Globe® nominee Steve Martin and Jason Schwartzman (Bewitched), Shopgirl is a disarmingly funny love story. Mirabelle, brilliantly played by Danes, is an aspiring artist working behind the glove counter at a Beverly Hills department store when she meets two very different men – Jeremy (Schwartzman), a socially inept guy who doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and Ray (Martin) a wealthy entrepreneur who has the world at his feet. Filled with the mixed signals and missteps of a modern romance, Shopgirl is a fresh and witty, warm and funny romantic comedy you can’t help but fall in love with.
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Shopgirl 8.0

‘Shopgirl’ is based on a short story by Steve Martin. He also wrote the screenplay, co-produced the film and eventually agreed to star in it at the director’s behest.

Not bad for the ex-“wild and crazy guy”.

In ‘Shopgirl’, we follow Mirabelle, a young woman who has moved to L.A. from Vermont. Lonely, and bored with her daily travails, she ends up dating two different men, at different times. This is the story of those relationships, and how they eventually change the three parties involved.

It’s a lightly funny film, but, for the most part, it’s a solid, mature drama (something that Martin is not recognized for, despite his frequent efforts to expand). Unlike many Hollywood films, it delves deeply into the hopes, desires, desperation, disappointments and hurt of relationships without flinching or casting blame – it simply tries to tell the tale soberly, honestly.

It can get a little pretentious and cutesy at times, though, and that is entirely the fault of the writer’s new age-y aspirations; it’s quite clear that Martin would like to inspire and speak a “truth” that will either connect with the viewers or open their eyes. These moments could be a little too much for some, but, thankfully, they are infrequent and most of the screenplay is properly balanced.

The cast is solid. Claire Danes is the centrepiece and she embodies Mirabelle to perfection. Steve Martin pulls off the warm, yet distant, lover credibly (apparently the character is loosely based on a previous nemesis of his, so he had some personal insight on how to play the role). Jason Schwartzman has the hardest job of them all, since he had to play an immature dweeb who tries to do right, but doesn’t know any better. The actor gets by, infusing a much-needed charm, but he still comes off as annoying and his gradual metamorphosis isn’t fully convincing.

All in all, though, the film stands tall as a good drama about matters of the heart. It’s not epic, sumptuous, pretty or rose-y, but it manages to feel realistic enough without being too intense or grim. As a stand-alone film, it’s worth the detour. And, as one of many films in a fairly inconsistent 35-year career, ‘Shopgirl’ should be seen as a feather in Martin’s cap; he could do worse than to go down this route instead of making countless low-grade remakes of beloved classics.