It’s a study of three urban types, each of whom fits neatly into a cliché but the film’s wit lies in the grace and subtlety with which real emotions break down those rigid social roles to shape a bitter-sweet drama about people who must learn to tell the difference between need, desire and self-esteem. It’s smart and witty, an elegantly low-key film with a beautifully written script. It’s acted with an intuitive intelligence that makes it a very grown-up romance.I’ve been a Steve Martin fan from the start and I think “Shopgirl” is the best, most personal and considered work he has ever done on screen. Fans who loved “The Pink Panther” and those who cherish the madness of his TV work on “Saturday Night Live” may disagree but I think, now that he is in his 60s, he has introduced a mellow, philosophical note into his work. It’s more expressive and intimate, still going for the laughs but inviting us to linger for while to think about what made it funny.
Don’t forget that Steve Martin studied philosophy at university and his best work from “The Jerk” to “Father of Bride” to “Shopgirl” has reflected that wry intellectualism, that little pause in the comedy momentum in which his characters can reflect on who they were, what they have become and what they have to do next. He roots his best comedy in human frailty and indecision and there are few towns on this planet that reflect those qualities more vividly than Los Angeles. Martin was examined the spirit of the city and it’s people before in “ L A Story” (1991) and “Grand Canyon” (1991), but “Shopgirl” is the most elegant and poignant reflection on the city’s irresistible madness.
The film’s script was written by Steve Martin, based on his own novella that became a “New York Times” best-seller in 2003. It’s an urban romance, sophisticated and delicately ironic, that offers a precise yet nostalgic snapshot of what romance in the 21st century looks like. It’s basically the old “Cinderella” cliché dressed up in the latest Los Angeles style but Martin has deconstructed it for a new generation. Claire Danes, at her serenely beautiful and intelligent best, plays Mirabelle a shop girl who works in a department store for a modest wage. She’s an artist, living in a tiny flat, waiting for her big break. Her artworks are fascinating in that they rely on her finding exactly the right intensity of black against which her designs are set. She works intently on the black hues, polishing them to a sheen that is both elegant and dominant, suggesting that she is a girl who is aware of a sense of empty darkness within her, a feeling of incompleteness about herself and the world.
That empty feeling is relieved by the arrival of two men. There’s Ray (Steve Martin) elegant, rich and seductive who sweeps Mirabelle into a world of limousines and luxury, where he offers great sex and a life lived in superb style. Ray absolutely “gets” Mirabelle, responding to her art with insight and charm as he draws her out of herself and allows her to discover a new version of who she is and could become He’s like a really cool Henry Higgins, who enjoys creating new possibilities for Mirabelle and he loves seeing what she does with them. The real question is does he love Mirabelle? Or does he just love the sensation of having a great new protégée whom he can gently coax, promote and – in a sense – own. Does he love her for who she is or for being the person he can allow her to become? Is his fascination with Mirabelle a graceful form of narcissism, rooted in his own pleasure at having the power to change her or does he genuinely love the ability to change and grow?
Then there’s Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman) her geeky, abrupt neighbour, who has a nowhere job, little ambition and all the charm of dustbin. He’s clumsy, inadvertently rude and his approach to sexuality is very much like a hungry man’s response to a juicy hamburger – grab, hold and devour. He has two things in his favour. He’s the same age as Mirabelle and he desperately needs a woman like her to sort him out. Jeremy really needs Mirabelle, far more than he realises, and as everyone knows, neediness can be a powerful aphrodisiac. The interesting thing is as Mirabelle changes under Ray’s gentle persuasion, so Jeremy realizes that he too must change and progress in his life, if only to keep up with Mirabelle. He steps out from behind the protective shell of his nerdiness and he changes. That’s really what this film is about – finding the freedom to change within yourself and then discovering how the changes in you are met by changes in the people around you. The sad thing is that Ray, with all his fluency, charm and intuitive feeling seems unable to really change himself. He can initiate change and he enjoys orchestrating the change, but for himself he likes to retain the status quo.
Martin wrote the script but he wisely chose to let Anand Tucker direct the film, so that he could focus exclusively on his performance. It worked because he has never been more suave, charming or melancholy. It’s a really delicate performance but it resonates with truth. Jason Schwartzman is equally good. He keeps the farcical stuff going with great comic effect but he allows us to see how the geek we meet at the film’s end could convincingly change into an entirely different man. The star performance, for me, comes from Claire Danes as Mirabelle, who is so intuitive and so radiantly clear in her acting that she is fascinating.
The name “Mirabelle” is an old French name that means “of radiant beauty”. The fact is that Danes is not a classic, typical beauty. She has a pleasing face but not a gorgeous one. The beauty is in her eyes and in her ability to project emotion and sensation. She makes Mirabelle’s transformation into something wonderful but also poignant. She knows she will lose much by giving up Ray but that loss will help her define the different sense of happiness as she moves on in her life “Shopgirl” is a film built on the belief that nothing lasts forever. One must be open to every sensation and any shift in the daily pattern of your life because as the proverb says, “Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor” and if you cannot enjoy it as it comes and goes, you will miss out on a central fact of life.
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman
(104 min 16SL)
- Republished with permission from Barry Ronge, South Africa’s #1 movie critic
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