Shopgirl
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| Shopgirl | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Shopgirl. |
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| Directed by | Anand Tucker |
| Produced by | Ashok Amritraj |
| Written by | Steve Martin |
| Starring | Steve Martin Claire Danes Jason Schwartzman Bridgette Wilson-Sampras Samuel Bottoms Frances Conroy |
| Music by | Barrington Pheloung |
| Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
| Editing by | David Gamble |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures (USA, Argentina) 20th Century Fox (UK) |
| Release date(s) | October 21, 2005 |
| Running time | 116 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Shopgirl is a 2005 film starring Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman. It is based on the 2001 novella of the same name. Both the novella and the screenplay were written by Steve Martin. The film was released in the United States on October 21, 2005. The DVD was released April 25, 2006.
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[edit] Plot outline
The story follows Mirabelle Buttersfield, an aspiring artist, who works at Neiman Marcus (Saks Fifth Avenue in the film) in Beverly Hills, California. She meets two men who are romantically pursuing her at the same time. One, Ray Porter, is a wealthy, divorced logician. The other, named Jeremy, is an awkward young amplifier salesman and aspiring font artist. Mirabelle is swept off her feet by the former, who is unable to commit to her exclusively. The situation is further clouded when the latter falls madly in love with her; although she finds him somewhat less attractive than his older rival, he can offer her the promise of exclusivity.
At first, Mirabelle chooses Ray over Jeremy. They have a long affair in which Mirabelle devotes herself to Ray even though his only intentions with her appear to be physical. Ray eventually cheats on her and confesses this to Mirabelle. Mirabelle is hurt and spends time with her family during Christmas while Ray is in New York. He calls her at her parents' home and invites her to New York. She accepts. They continue to date, while a former friend of Mirabelle plots against her. She has intentions of being with Ray because she sees how happy he makes Mirabelle. Fortunately she ends up mistaking Jeremy for Ray Porter and her plot ends. Mirabelle is finally confronted with the fact that Ray cannot become exclusive to her. They break up, and they go on with their lives. Mirabelle quits her job at Saks and works at an art gallery.
Meanwhile, Jeremy has been touring the country with a rock band while simultaneously listening to many books-on-tape about how to have a successful relationship. He learns manners, etiquette and proper hygiene skills. Upon his return to Beverly Hills, he attempts to go on a second date with Mirabelle which goes successfully. The two begin dating.
The film ends with Mirabelle meeting Ray for the last time at an art show. Since they were last together, Mirabelle has formed a loving relationship with Jeremy and become an accomplished artist. Ray finally admits that he has always loved Mirabelle. Unforunately, she does not take him back.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical reaction
Shopgirl opened to mixed reviews, though much praise was given to Claire Danes for her lead performance [1] [2], many critics remarked that the film was too closely presented in the vein of the critically acclaimed 2003 Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation, which also focuses on an older man (Bill Murray) forming a relationship with a younger woman (Scarlett Johansson) [3] [4].
The movie has a 66% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes [5].
[edit] References
- ^ The San Diego Union-Tribute - Shopgirl movie review by David Elliot
- ^ Metromix - Shopgirl movie review by Michael Phillips
- ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Shopgirl movie review by William Arnold
- ^ Film Freak Central - 2005 Toronto Film Festival reviews by Bill Chambers, Shopgirl movie review
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Rotten Tomatoes review page for Shopgirl
