Shopgirl (2005)

Flimsy attempt at a mature, "honest" romantic drama doesn't come off. The major demerit is probably that Claire Danes's character is only seen from afar -- despite the fact that she's the main character, we never get the feeling that we're with her. Rather, we watch her and hover around her much like the two males in the film do. She's the great beacon of light around which the other characters congregate; if she only had a personality, everything would be perfect. Despite the best efforts of Danes, though, Mirabelle remains a tabula rasa with a pussy. The rest of the film, consequently, feels similarly vacant and wispy, and are we really supposed to feel sorry for Steve Martin's character? I mean, he's self-aware enough to realize that he can only really relate to women through monetary means, but he's not self-aware enough to realize that this makes him a dick? Also, what's with the Jason Schwartzman transformation? The message, I guess, is that women won't dig you unless you turn yourself into something you really aren't. Mothafucka please.

Grade: C