by John Bear
Daily Lobo
People are afraid to be alone.
They will seek out affection in whatever less-than-perfect form in which it may present itself. They will cling to someone who reciprocates with indifference or settle for their second choice.
"Shopgirl," based on the Steve Martin novella of the same title, deals with this often complex and decidedly uncomfortable subject.
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Claire Danes, all grown up and looking delectable, plays Mirabelle, a girl from Vermont living in Los Angeles, working as a counter girl at Saks and all alone. The shots of her standing behind the glove counter underscore the solitude that is her existence.
She befriends the sweet but socially inept Jeremy, played by Jason Schwartzman, at a coin laundry and reluctantly goes out with him. He borrows money from her to finance the date.
After one awkward sexual encounter with Jeremy, she meets Ray, played by Steve Martin, a wealthy man twice her age. The two begin dating.
Mirabelle becomes immediately attached to Ray, who isn't looking for anything serious. He is somewhat mean to her, but not in a way like a one-dimensional jerky old man using the young girl for sex that most other films of this vein would embark on. True, he does tell his therapist that he is only interested in sleeping with Mirabelle whenever he comes to town. It soon becomes obvious, however, that he cares for her but doesn't know how to open himself up.
Some arguably uncomfortable interactions that accompany the old man/young girl relationship dynamic ensue.
The film is somewhat like "Punch-Drunk Love." It is slow and meandering and at times tension inducing. A particular scene involving a panic attack due to antidepressant withdrawal is sure to make the neck become tight. Jeremy's repeated attempts at calling Mirabelle after she begins seeing Ray invoke pity.
"Shopgirl" is definitely a mood piece. People looking for Martin's earlier romantic comedy outings like "L.A. Story" or "Roxeanne" should pack up and take it else where.
All the principal characters deliver standout performances. Danes' clinically depressed Mirabelle is tear-jerking at times, and Schwartzman brings the well-timed comic relief in what would otherwise be a film that induces mass suicide - not for lack of quality, but merely the many tear-jerking moments.
The real shocker here is Martin, who seems to have returned from the brink of washed-up with his recent work like "Cheaper by the Dozen." He displays real range in this one. He did write the book after all, and he understands the character better than anyone else could.
Danes or Martin should be getting an Oscar nod for this one.
The film could have been a little bit tighter. Though it is intended to be kind of slow and quiet, parts of it lag a bit, and Jeremy's road scenes with the band he befriends are an integral part of the film but seem disconnected and pointless.
Slow parts notwithstanding, "Shopgirl" is an excellent film in every sense of the word. It accurately portrays the relationship plight of Mirabelle who is forced to choose between the chronically broke and immature Jeremy, who is in reality better suited to her, or Ray, who is not a bad guy, but is too old and emotionally disconnected to provide the comfort she desperately needs.
"Shopgirl," much like life, presents a situation lacking easy answers and is a nice departure from standard romantic comedy fare that gets churned out so much it would not be surprising if two of them preceded and followed it on the theater marquee.
