A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.758.3849. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: January 12 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer; Layout by Publications
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Movie Review -- "Shopgirl"
Review of “Shopgirl”
by Shawn Stewart
Starring:
Steve Martin as Ray Porter
Claire Danes as Mirabelle Buttersfield
Jason Schwartzman as Jeremy
Running time: 116 minutes
Rated R, for some sexual content and adult language
Oscar season is right around the corner, and this film has been generating buzz as a possible nominee for best adapted screenplay. The screenplay, written by Steve Martin, was adapted from his own book of the same title, “Shopgirl.”
The story is deceptively simple: Mirabelle, a lonely salesgirl and starving artist, is suddenly pursued by two men--wealthy businessman Ray and penniless roadie Jeremy. Mirabelle ignores Jeremy and falls for Ray, who showers her with gifts and trips, but not with love. Eventually, Mirabelle leaves Ray and rediscovers Jeremy, who has since become, thanks to her inspiration, mildly more successful. While this story is a warm and thoughtful examination of a difficult relationship, that between an older, divorced man and a younger, passionate woman, this film, even if nominated, will probably not win the Oscar for best adaptation, for some of the following reasons.
First, this is not a love triangle in the strictest sense. The two male suitors, Ray and Jeremy, are never aware of each other’s presence. Ray and Jeremy do not have any scenes together, and Jeremy all but disappears for half the movie, just to give Ray and Mirabella a chance to play out their relationship. Thus, the screenplay all but wastes the character of Jeremy, and that is a huge loss of potential dramatic conflict in the story. Second, “Shopgirl” solidifies Steve Martin’s position as the “west coast Woody Allen,” and that is not necessarily a good thing.
The film will likely be very popular in Europe... again, not a good thing. Americans tend to be much more socially conservative than their European counterparts. Online, conservative bloggers have expressed outrage at the story because the main character, Ray Porter, seduces a younger woman and gives her money in exchange for companionship.
In the Hollywood of today, deathly afraid of being labeled “liberal,” that will probably kill the film’s chances come Oscar season. And that is a shame, because the film does have some lovely redeeming qualities: patient, lingering direction; a lilting score; fine performances by Martin and Danes; and an almost fairytale ending.
The theme, or moral, of the movie seems to be expressed in Ray’s voiceover narration towards the end of the film. “And so,” Ray muses, “Jeremy surpasses Ray Porter as a lover, not because he is rich, but because he is able to give Mirabelle the one gift that Ray Porter could never give her: his heart.”
In trying to answer that age-old relationship question--What brings happiness, money or love?--the film seems to suggest that Mirabelle, true to herself, chooses lots of love and a little bit of money, over buckets of cash and a little bit of love. What could be more conservative than that?
3 1/2 out of 5 paws
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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