Shopgirl Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

I wanted to like it more

On the plus side Shopgirl gets more watchable the further it goes, and the character development is really quite spectacular for a film under 2 hours.

Unfortunately, though, it's not a film that grabbed me. Steve Martin's brand of humour has certainly matured and become more subtle since the days of his wearing arrows through the head.

It was well-camouflaged here - as noted above, the most fun part of the movie was watching the characters on their evolutionary journey from lost, bumbling juveniles to adults who have learned to stand on their own yet complementing each other to be more confident together than apart.

It's worth a watch, but won't knock you over.

thinking person's romance though slow in bits

I am a Steve Martin fan, and read his novella before I saw the film adaptation. Martin plays the wealthy and jaded older man who meets and pursues a naive dreamy young woman working in the glove dept. of a department store. He opens up a world of comfort to her and helps in her own journey forward. She gives him herself but in the end, he only really offers her what money can buy. The cinematography was interesting and added to the dreamlike quality of the characters. A well crafted film, but perhpas slow in places. I can see that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.

A Must for Steve Martin Fans

Steve Martin's career has never courted mainstream publicity, and this film is no exception. A charming love story, this is essential viewing for hopeless romantics who know that love, like the plot of this film, is anything but predictable. Top rank perfomances from the three leads underline a finely woven plot. A film to surprise and delight you if you let it.

Catch it on rental

I wouldn't bother going to the cinema to see this. All the actors give a good performance and some of the dialogue is very enjoyable but those moments are few and far between.

The movie is too long and I never cared for any of the characters. Jason Schwartzman gives the best performance. His character is quirky and somewhat original; well acted and the most redeeming feature of this slightly flat meandering picture.

I am amazed!

That anyone would bother to create a movie that is so boring. I waited and waited and waited and it never really got started. I saw the write up - Steve Martin & Comedy and thought this has to be a winner, I could not have been more wrong. Only rent this film if you have problems sleeping...

Light drama/gentle comedy

Not a laugh out loud Steve Martin classic but nevertheless a pleasant enough way to pass the time.

boring!!!!!!!!!!

this film was very long winded and i found i couldn't really get into it. I kept thinking it would pick up and get interesting but it didn't. Its good if you like dragged out love stories

Not as good as it promised

Unfortunately this excellent concept was not brought to life as well as it could have been.

Clare Danes is unconvincing which meant I felt little concern for her character as the plot unfolded.

Her weak interaction with the other characters made it hard to care whether they ended up happy or not. Of course this is likely to be a mixture of both her acting and Steve Martin's writing ability.

However it is refreshing to see Steve Martin in a differing role from his normal comedy. In fact his was the only character out of the main three who came across as realistic.

Disappointing as I was really looking forward to seeing what Steve Martin was capable if in a more serious setting.

What comedians do when no longer funny

What does a comic do when nl longer funny. Write a novella and attempt to show how deep they are. This film attempts an indy flic look but largely remains a Hollywood pastiche of an indy film. Characterisation is poor and plot largely Steve Martin's mid life crisis. Life is too short to waste on this unless you are very bored. In short it is not deep, funny or interesting.

Dull and unconvincing!

I'll keep this short. The film was not quite what I expected.

Steve Martin is in no way convincing as the older man (50 - as if!) who somehow seduces claire danes into bed, and a somewhat one sided relationship... he actually comes across quite sleazy whereas instead, he should have been feeling entirely grateful for the opportunity to be with such a beautiful girl!

Very disappointing.