Steve Martin wrote the screenplay and served as co-producer for this screen adaptation of his short novel, which takes a witty but bittersweet look at a young woman and the two men involved with her. Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) is an aspiring artist in her mid-twenties who, after graduating from college, moved to Los Angeles, where she works at the glove counter of an upscale department store. Mirabelle's job is simple and not demanding, but it doesn't pay especially well, and she
finds herself struggling to get out from under a growing mountain of debt from student loans and credit cards. One night, while doing her laundry, Mirabelle meets Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), a scruffy but likable would-be musician who makes ends meet selling guitar amps. While Jeremy is obviously infatuated with Mirabelle, she isn't sure how she feels about him, especially after she meets Ray Porter (Steve Martin), a man in his fifties whom she meets at the store. Ray is independently wealthy, intelligent, and charming, and after asking her out on a date he sweeps her off her feet. However, while Mirabelle quickly falls for Ray and he's generous to a fault with her, he refuses to commit exclusively to her and suggests they should both see other people, a prospect that no longer holds much appeal for her. Shopgirl received its world premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The sheer charm of Ms. Danes' performance, combined with the convincingly resigned sadness of Mr. Martin and the intense sincerity of the singularly uncharismatic Mr. Schwartzman, make this a deeply bittersweet film experience.
It's not a lack of originality that makes Shopgirl too Saks for its own good; it's the attempt to make a distinctive item into a blue-light special that betrays it.
A somewhat muddled story that seemed like it was trying too hard, or maybe that it couldn't decide exactly what it wanted to be when it grew up. If you like the people in it, you'll like the film, probably. I did, hence an extra half star. :)
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