ShopgirlIf you met your Prince Charming, would you know what he looked like, or if he had not yet become your "knight in shining armor"? Shopgirl is a romantic film about Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes), a young woman from Vermont who works at Saks Fifth Avenue to pay her bills and debts, while aspiring to become an artist. Following a disappointing venture at romance with Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), a self-centered slob she met at a laundromat, she is approached by the debonair Ray Porter (Steve Martin), who offers her an elegant gift and invites her to dinner. Ray charms her with sophistication and his warm disposition, but is he the love of her life, or just the fantasy of it?
|
|
Shopgirl was adapted for the screen by Anand Tucker with a screenplay by Steve Martin--adapted from his novella of the same name. Steve Martin narrates the film from an omniscient point-of-view as he shares the story of Mirabelle, a lonely heart who, despite her attempts to strike out on her own in Los Angeles, is unfulfilled. She lives alone in a cramped apartment (likely in West Hollywood) with her cat, Sylvia, who takes offence to Mirabelle bringing Jeremy home--the cat knows that he's no good for her even if she refuses to admit it to herself. Mirabelle's work colleagues--like the beautiful Lisa (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)--dazzle patrons with saccharine enthusiasm and sex appeal, while the plainly dissatisfied Mirabelle turns to self-help programs for love advice on her long car ride home. Mirabelle is an attractive woman, but her lack of confidence is evident in the way she dresses and her behavior, which is what invites men like Jeremy to take advantage of her vulnerability. Ray's visit to Saks seems innocuous; he even comes across as shy when he buys a pair of black women's gloves. When Mirabelle discovers that the gloves were a gift for her--along with an invitation to dinner--she believes that she has landed a true charmer in Ray, who behaves like the perfect gentleman. He does not make uninvited advances upon her, and respects her time and her opinions as they enjoy one another's company--qualities that elude Jeremy. Ray makes Mirabelle feel like a princess in a fairy tale, and she turns herself over to him in body and heart. Despite the storybook romance, there is something unnatural about his courtship, not least of which is the way Ray initiates it.
Ray shows his affection for Mirabelle in the form of gifts, usually clothing; their relationship is founded on a gift, even before Mirabelle knows his name. Ray comes from a lifestyle of wealth and power, and his work has him constantly travelling across the country. He has become accustomed to buying what he wants--even when it comes to romance. When Ray buys a new dress for Mirabelle, and she tries it on for him, it becomes clear that he has made her a living doll for his pleasure. Though Ray does not requisition Mirabelle, their relationship has the dynamic of prostitution, and he compensates her for his "girlfriend experience" with gifts and money. After their romantic first night together, Ray fumbles as he tries to set ground rules (after the fact) about "keeping their options open". He reiterates this to his therapist to justify his craven declaration, while Mirabelle tries to convince herself that he didn't just dismiss the emotional component of their lovemaking out of hand. It's intimated that Mirabelle is not the first "shopgirl" who he has taken under his wing over the years--from a stray message on his answering machine from a young woman to his Thanksgiving sushi dinner with an attractive lover. When Mirabelle leaves his swanky house in the hills, he gives an excuse about being unavailable on Thanksgiving in his sunglasses; the shades are a metaphor for his deception and the subsequent breach of her trust. It would be easy to paint Ray as the "villain" of Shopgirl for leading Mirabelle on, but Mirabelle complicit through her own self-deception. Mirabelle has been taking prescription anti-depressants; after she starts dating Ray, she throws them away. When Ray discloses his infidelity to her, she takes to her bed for several days, and the combination of the withdrawal and the betrayal wreaks havoc on her sympathetic heart. Ray didn't know about her depression because he didn't ask and because she didn't tell him, revealing a fundamental lack of trust between them. Though Ray keeps Mirabelle as a sailor keeps a girl in every port, Mirabelle conceals her emotions because she doesn't want to run the risk of "spoiling" the affair. Their love is doomed because they are more afraid of being hurt or hurting one another than being honest about what they want.
There is a subplot in Shopgirl about Jeremy on his own quest of self-discovery while travelling as a glorified roadie for a rock band. The inspiration for his journey comes after Mirabelle suggests that it would be good advertising for the amplifier company he works for, after airing his grievances about work. It's surprising that Jeremy takes this seemingly causal advice and acts on it, considering he cmes across as a total slacker and layabout. He begins listening to books on tape--like Mirabelle--to help him get in touch with his sensitive side. After this figurative "road to Damascus", Jeremy returns to greet Mirabelle at a gallery opening dressed in a suit, looking clean shaven, and with a more considerate attitude; his behavior reveals that he is a changed man. After inviting Mirabelle out on a "second" first date, he is not only more respectful, but he makes himself vulnerable in her presence. He is willing to make self-deprecating jokes about his prior behavior and admit his feelings about how and why he had wanted to kiss her at the end of their date. When Ray was ready to take their relationship somewhere physical, he didn't present himself as vulnerable--he showed Mirabelle his house while saving his bedroom for last; placing his hand around her arm was his cue that he desired intercourse. The definition of a "Prince Charming" becomes clear between these moments: a gentleman is a man who doesn't tell the woman what he wants, but asks the woman to share what she wants with him.
Recommended for: Fans of a romance that avoids the predictable beats of the genre by exploring the emotional investment necessary in relationships, and how its absence can be psychologically damaging, whether intentional or otherwise. Shopgirl is familiar territory for anyone who has felt that love is forever elusive, or that when they do find it that it goes wrong; it offers that to overcome defeat and despondency, you must first show yourself respect and happiness will follow.
Ray shows his affection for Mirabelle in the form of gifts, usually clothing; their relationship is founded on a gift, even before Mirabelle knows his name. Ray comes from a lifestyle of wealth and power, and his work has him constantly travelling across the country. He has become accustomed to buying what he wants--even when it comes to romance. When Ray buys a new dress for Mirabelle, and she tries it on for him, it becomes clear that he has made her a living doll for his pleasure. Though Ray does not requisition Mirabelle, their relationship has the dynamic of prostitution, and he compensates her for his "girlfriend experience" with gifts and money. After their romantic first night together, Ray fumbles as he tries to set ground rules (after the fact) about "keeping their options open". He reiterates this to his therapist to justify his craven declaration, while Mirabelle tries to convince herself that he didn't just dismiss the emotional component of their lovemaking out of hand. It's intimated that Mirabelle is not the first "shopgirl" who he has taken under his wing over the years--from a stray message on his answering machine from a young woman to his Thanksgiving sushi dinner with an attractive lover. When Mirabelle leaves his swanky house in the hills, he gives an excuse about being unavailable on Thanksgiving in his sunglasses; the shades are a metaphor for his deception and the subsequent breach of her trust. It would be easy to paint Ray as the "villain" of Shopgirl for leading Mirabelle on, but Mirabelle complicit through her own self-deception. Mirabelle has been taking prescription anti-depressants; after she starts dating Ray, she throws them away. When Ray discloses his infidelity to her, she takes to her bed for several days, and the combination of the withdrawal and the betrayal wreaks havoc on her sympathetic heart. Ray didn't know about her depression because he didn't ask and because she didn't tell him, revealing a fundamental lack of trust between them. Though Ray keeps Mirabelle as a sailor keeps a girl in every port, Mirabelle conceals her emotions because she doesn't want to run the risk of "spoiling" the affair. Their love is doomed because they are more afraid of being hurt or hurting one another than being honest about what they want.
There is a subplot in Shopgirl about Jeremy on his own quest of self-discovery while travelling as a glorified roadie for a rock band. The inspiration for his journey comes after Mirabelle suggests that it would be good advertising for the amplifier company he works for, after airing his grievances about work. It's surprising that Jeremy takes this seemingly causal advice and acts on it, considering he cmes across as a total slacker and layabout. He begins listening to books on tape--like Mirabelle--to help him get in touch with his sensitive side. After this figurative "road to Damascus", Jeremy returns to greet Mirabelle at a gallery opening dressed in a suit, looking clean shaven, and with a more considerate attitude; his behavior reveals that he is a changed man. After inviting Mirabelle out on a "second" first date, he is not only more respectful, but he makes himself vulnerable in her presence. He is willing to make self-deprecating jokes about his prior behavior and admit his feelings about how and why he had wanted to kiss her at the end of their date. When Ray was ready to take their relationship somewhere physical, he didn't present himself as vulnerable--he showed Mirabelle his house while saving his bedroom for last; placing his hand around her arm was his cue that he desired intercourse. The definition of a "Prince Charming" becomes clear between these moments: a gentleman is a man who doesn't tell the woman what he wants, but asks the woman to share what she wants with him.
Recommended for: Fans of a romance that avoids the predictable beats of the genre by exploring the emotional investment necessary in relationships, and how its absence can be psychologically damaging, whether intentional or otherwise. Shopgirl is familiar territory for anyone who has felt that love is forever elusive, or that when they do find it that it goes wrong; it offers that to overcome defeat and despondency, you must first show yourself respect and happiness will follow.