Shopgirl

Friday Sept 9 at 9:00pm was Shopgirl starring Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman, all of whom were onstage at "the beautiful and historic Elgin Theatre" with TIFF Director Piers Handling and film director Anand Tucker. This was a nice film about romance and longing in everyday lives but afterwards I didn't know whether I felt more sad or more hopeful. Piers called it "note perfect" but since he is the co-conspirator who practically invented The Code, I don't quite agree. I think Ivana's comment that it's "this year's P.S." is more accurate. See both and let me know what you think.

Interesting that my first two films at the fest both had voice-over narration: Thursday's used to perfect effect, Friday's used to insert as much of the text of Steve Martin's novella as possible. After the almost-jarring unpredictability of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Shopgirl seemed to reflect a few familiar cliches. Still, I liked how this movie was shot. It had a languid style that reminded me at times of Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love (and with a similar pervasive and haunting soundtrack). The charming shot of the starry sky that pans down to the glowing skylight in Mirabelle's bedroom is as magical as the swoopy camera moves that I loved in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. We're seeing his latest fable (Corpse Bride) tonight.

I would rate Shopgirl MMMM. That last M is a capital and not lowercase only because Claire Danes is so compelling as Mirabelle Buttersfield. It's really about her everyday life working at SAKS in LA after moving from Vermont. When romance disrupts her routine, at first she is reluctant to let it in, but then she starts to embrace it with growing desire (and nudity). Steve plays Ray Porter, a rich computer executive and sexy sugar daddy (is that what most girls want?) while Jason plays Jeremy, the an offbeat (wierdo?) artist whose unbelievable cheapness and crazy comments on their first dates makes everyone's (including Mirabelle's) eyes pop. Both Ray and Jeremy have different ways of showing their loving side and it's interesting to watch how these relationships unfold. It's also hilarious to watch the scenes with Bridgette Wilson-Sampras but ultimately, this movie has a cast of three. When Ray and Mirabelle are intercut debriefing their relationship (he with a shrink and she with her girlfriends) it is chilling to see the canyon that exists between their perceptions and the onscreen reality. Mirabelle's visit home to her parents in Vermont is also unsettling but her wardrobe is as amazing as Cate Blanchett's in The Aviator - rent the DVD if you haven't yet!

Claire Danes as Shopgirl
Does she want Steve or Jason?
three lives in LA