jk2two Look past the unnecessary narration and Schwartzman's character who exists only to make this a comedy, and you have two stunningly authentic performances from Claire Danes and Steve Martin. This may be Danes best work, which is only a slight shame because it's not an amazing film. Martin clearly had a large amount of faith in his novel, but again - he did not need to narrate passages that are just as easily communicated through the film. I hear the comparisons to Lost in Translation, and I found this film to be much easier to sit through - it's slow, but it is no where near that slow. It's not a top notch romance by any means, but it has a touch of authenticity that makes it heartwarming. And even if Dane's character is only one you can connect to, it's enough to carry the film.

Vonia Any serious reader knows that the book is usually better than the film. It is the rare exception that even holds its own. Rarer still are the films that are on par or better than the book. Shopgirl is one of these. There are a couple reasons why I think this is so. One, Steve Martin. The genius behind the writing for both the novella and the screenplay. Since he wrote both, the two are actually very similar. Steve Martin plays Ray Porter, the older love interest for conservative, somewhat innocent Mirabelle. (The response she provides when her bold and vindictive co-worker tries giving her tips on how to use men really says it all: "I am from Vermont.") He perfectly plays the awkward older man that truly does not want to hurt the younger beautiful girl, but he is wise only in the ways of courting and treating a girl in materialistic ways. When it comes to matters of the heart, he is as lost as a needle in a haystack. He also does a few voice-overs in the film, all direct quotes from the book. Here are some of my favorites, the ones that best exemplify Martin's impressive understanding of both the female psyche and the dynamics of relationships. "A woman needs to be held, even if it is with someone she does not care about. Protective hormones are released, and the amount of hormones released depends on the degree to which she is held. The first and best is the complete surround. He wraps you in both arms, whispers how beautiful you are. Second best is the 'arm around.' He is next to you but with one arm around you. The third is he's next to you on his elbow, but he rests his hand on your stomach and looks at you. Fourth is you snuggling up to him with your head on his chest, while he looks away into space. But when the first best happens, you feel completely, wonderfully like a woman." "Mirabelle Buttersfield moved from Vermont hoping to begin her life. And now she is stranded in the vast openness of Los Angeles. She keeps working to make connections, but the pile of near misses is starting to overwhelm her. What Mirabelle needs is an omniscient voice to illuminate and spotlight her and to inform everyone that this one has value, this one standing behind the counter in the glove department and to find her counterpart and bring him to her." Mirabelle: Are we going in? Jeremy Kraft: Go in? Oh, no. I just thought we'd look at it. Mirabelle: So. . .we would just sit here, then? Jeremy Kraft: Yeah, or walk around. This place is called City Walk. It got eight out of ten in my date book. It's not called "City-Go- and-See-a-Movie". Tickets are, like, ten bucks too, so. "Some nights alone he thinks of her, and some nights alone she thinks of him. Some nights these thoughts occur at the same moment and Ray and Mirabelle are connected without ever knowing it." "How is it possible, he thinks, to miss a woman whom he kept at a distance so that when she was gone he would not miss her. Only then does he realize that wanting part of her and not all of her had hurt them both." Two, Claire Danes. I have never really been awed by her in her more famous roles. Perhaps that was the problem, though. She does best in subtle roles. In an understated way, she brings magic to the character and her story. Three, the visual representation was a great medium to convey the striking contrast between Ray Porter's rich lifestyle and the careless, scattered, unrefined circumstances Jeremy Kraft chooses. Pair these with the world Mirabelle Butterfield inhabits, which is somewhere between the two, and we have the basis of the story. Roger Ebert has written a review that echoed my thoughts almost entirely, so to minimize redundancy, here are what I deem to be our thoughts: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shopgirl-2005 I am not a huge fan of Jason Schwartzman, but here he was not as excessive as he usually is, doing well as a loser of a guy not well versed in the ways of treating a girl who eventually learns the error of his ways (during a road trip with a band while he listens to self-help audio books) and redeems himself with his girl. With Steve Martin's soothing voice-overs, the gorgeous shots of Los Angeles, a few hilarious awkward scenes balancing the more serious and sentimental ones, the overhead shots where the camera floats above Mirabelle's apartment and then drifts inside, there was a playful and whimsical feel to the film, even mystical at times. I am sure most viewers were not as impressed by this film as I was because they wanted more to happen. Unfortunately for them for missing out- but fortunately for Steve Martin and me- we know that less is often more.

labrat70 Not what I would call a rom-com and don't even bother to force a guy to sit thru this flick (although it would be good for guys to see how their behavior or lack there of can really destroy a woman; this movie paints a dark example)I give kudos to Steve Martin for his writing ability; he truly captures the female perspective in a romantic relationship. He was spot on. The movie kept me intrigued, never dull nor did it drag. Great little flick for a Sunday afternoon.The biggest mistake Steve Martin made with regards to this film: THE CASTINGThe choice of Claire Danes for the lead role was spot on. The mistake he made was casting himself and Jason Schwartzman as the other love interest. Blame it on type casting of these two male actors if you want but neither one of them fit the roles in this film very well at all. So bad in fact, the viewer feels cheated. Its so bad in fact, I thought to myself: "Who do they think they are kidding?" Had two other actors been chosen to portray these two male characters, I promise you would have seen a much higher user rating, probably somewhere in the high 7s.

Andie Katschthaler Three things:1. If you expect typical Steve Martin, don't watch this. 2. If you expect typical Claire Danes, probably don't watch this either.3. If you want an excellent quiet film about loneliness and human connection, then go ahead.The poster is misleading, I think. It is too glossy and too focused on the triangle. It would lead you to expect a different film, so in the beginning I was a bit puzzled as to where this was heading. But once I went with the weird it just got better and better. In my opinion it's not so much about the love triangle as it is about the loneliness of three different people and how they're trying to connect/avoid connecting. It's not some big dramatic chase after the girl but the drama happens WITHIN the characters: her depression, his inability to connect, her unrequited love.While Steve Martin's usual roles do have the tragedy underneath the comedy this one comes without the top veneer of fun. It's refreshing! And Martin is actually fantastic in this, touching, heartbreakingly lost and lonely. It is such a joy seeing him playing a serious character. And in fact, the only truly tragic character in this movie. Danes and Schwartzman end up making a connection, he never really does until it's too late. My only problem with the movie was Jason Schwartzman's character: He does bring some comedy/levity into it but his cluelessness is almost too cringe-worthy at times. I mostly felt embarrassed for him. Hence only 9 out of 10 stars from me.