Shopgirl

Thursday October 20, 7:00pm The Uptown Theater
Opens Friday October 28

Mirabelle is pensive. She glides between Wilshire Boulevard and her second floor walk-up in adagio, expectant and unsure. Jeremy is an oaf. He is foolish and eager like a puppy; "I’m an OK guy, by the way." Ray is older and reserved. Surprisingly, he still has no idea what he really wants. What follows is an urban mating ritual of sorts. Finally, Mirabelle empowers herself, but her choice seems hollow and unsatisfying.
Steve Martin’s "Shopgirl" sat on the shelf for two years, always a cause for concern. The film is deliberate and moody, never hurried but always on the edge of anxiety. It is poetic, thoughtful and somewhat original. Shopgirl is also pretentious, self-indulgent and pandering. Certainly this is Claire Danes' picture. The presence and grace she demonstrates here is a hopeful sign of things to come. Jason Schwartzman is funny and disarming. This performance should let him off the hook for that atrocious "Huckabees" nightmare. Martin seems shallow and distant, likely the image he sought. His conclusion is a page right out of the Woody Allen book of screenwriting, but despite its flaws, Shopgirl has its charming moments and is ultimately very watchable.