Has anyone seen Shopgirl? (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

I loved this movie. Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman and Claire Danes were all fabulous. I do believe Danes could get an Oscar nomination. I enjoyed the direction as well and some of the photography which had a more personal feel to it.

The voiceovers did not bother me at all because the content help set the stage for some of the scenes.

I think of Lost in Translation as an entirely different film but another good film at that.

I give this 4 of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

 

[MichaelBA]

I feel grateful that my girlfriend HERSELF nixed the idea of seeing this movie last night.

I don't think I can stomach Steve Martin anymore.

Danes was always a fine actress. Not sure why she never found widespread success.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Nice threadcrap Michael.

 

[Craig S]

Jeez, Michael, maybe you should SEE the movie before bashing it??

I don't like the kind of crap Martin's been in lately either. But Shopgirl is not in that category. This is the movie he gets to make because of all the money he's earned with the PG-13 cookie-cutter "comedies" he's starred in.

I give Shopgirl 9 out of 10. It's a lovely, gentle little film with wonderful performances by the entire cast. It gets docked a point only for the pointless and stupid scene where Mirabelle's co-worker seduces Jeremy.

As for the LiT comparisons - frankly, I liked this better than LiT. But they're not anywhere near the same movie.

 

[MichaelBA]

Did I actually "bash" SHOPGIRL?

I just said I have a bad feeling about it.

I'm not totally prejudging outright in the negative.

But, still, it's not ENTIRELY impossible to have SOME conception of what a film MIGHT be in advance. Are at least SOME expectations about ANY given film ALWAYS and ENTIRELY unreasonable, even if sight unseen?

I'm sure if you search through any number of threads for upcoming films, there will be many postings about how eager people are to see any given movie.

It's not COMPLETELY unreasonable to anticipate you MIGHT like or dislike a movie. Just a "feeling," eh? NOT a true JUDGMENT.

And... I'm still completely prepared to find that SHOPGIRL could be a good film, in any event.

 

[Gregory Vaughan]

The key word in the sentence is _upcoming_ films. Since nobody's seen it, all you can do is speculate. Once a film is released, people want to discuss the film, and why should those of us who've actually seen the film be interested in the opinion of somebody who hasn't.

Anyhow, back on subject. I found the Steve Martin character to be somewhat creepy, especially in the way he set out to seduce her before he had ever even met her. And the Jason Schwartzman character was too wierd. Even at the end, I didn't think they fit very well together. I found it depressing that this was the best she had to choose between. In real life I would bet on them breaking up not long after the end of the film.

That said, the acting was very good, and I did find the film enjoyable. Not the best, but an entertaining enough flick.

 

[MichaelBA]

"Interested"? Maybe you shouldn't be. That's everybody's individual choice.

But I don't see postings that express enthusiasm for an upcoming film trashed like doubts about an upcoming film. Either is as legitimate as the other.

Should I tell somebody who is eager to see the KING KONG remake to shut up until he's seen it? Or should I try to respond to the rationale behind his eagerness? Why should premilinary responses to movies (or DVDs), whether positive or negative, be verboten on HTF?

Are people excited by the upcoming SE of ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN? Sure, because they expect or they hope it will do the film justice. I happen to feel worried that it won't. None of us KNOWS -- but why can't rationally-based hopes and expectations be at least discussed?

If any individual finds that discussion boring, then don't participate.

Another value that arises from discussing what one anticipates about an upcoming movie or even about an unseen movie is that those who have seen the movie could direct their specific comments to address those anticipations in an enlightening way. You have doubts about Steve Martin recently? Well, SHOPGIRL will resolve them to your liking, and here's WHY!

Why not, in the spirit of friendly and informative discourse, let that be a valid HTF discussion?

 

[Michael Reuben]

Let's get this thread back to Shopgirl and skip the debate about what is or isn't appropriate discussion. Thanks!

M.

 

[Elizabeth S]

SPOILERS


Certain aspects of this film really struck a chord with me, although I may have brought a lot of my own baggage to the film. I think the reason this movie's end broke my heart was that I could imagine the surge of emotion, memory and regret that washed over Mirabelle seeing Ray again at the end. Although not that much time had passed and she was with Jeremy, Ray was "the one" -- just because it didn't work will never, ever change that fact. Yes, sure, maybe it was just easier to accept the earnest, puppy dog affection from Jeremy -- that does not make it equally reciprical, no matter how you try. It's always easier being the one who cares less than the other. I personally would never have broken it off with Ray to spare myself the future pain. It also broke my heart when Jeremy tells her "I'll protect you", which was unknowingly perceptive in exactly what Mirabelle needed to hear.

 

[Janna S]

A friend and I agree that the final scene, when she walks away from Martin and toward Jeremy, and Jeremy throws his arms up the air to embrace her, is one of the most wonderful moments in film in a long, long time. I treasure that moment, and the other truths in this film.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Janna,

That was a great film moment. Very romantic and heart-warming.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

I found the narration to be wonderful, but unsure if Martin was the best choice to read it. I know he wrote it, but since he's a character in the film, my minds wastes a few seconds everytime the narration comes in, thinking about the POV of the picture. That's probably just me though. Liked the movie a lot.

 

[Quentin]

I just got this from NetFlix and watched it last night. What an unexpected surprise! A wonderful gem from last year that I liked more than IN HER SHOES, and as much as LOST IN TRANSLATION.

Danes really is SUCH a good actress. Though, she is too waify in this film (nice nude shot, though).

The film is lyrical and deliberate with a lot of visual metaphors supporting the thematic motifs. A more "real" portrayal of relationships than I've seen on film in a long time.

 

[RyanAn]

You are not going to hear this often, the film is better than the book. I read the book before the film and was :happy: that some things were omitted from the movie, namely the Vietnam flashbacks for Claire's character's father.

The film also adds a lot of material for the Jeremy character, and makes him much more likeable.

Well shot, well acted, and a lot less depressing and creepy than the book.

ry