SHOPGIRL

DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 106 minutes, featurette, two deleted scenes, director's audio commentary

STUDIO: Touchstone Pictures/ Hyde Park Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: 4-25-2006

SHOPGIRL is poetry in motion. Steve Martin and Clair Danes click in this bittersweet romance with a music score that elevates the experience. Mirabelle (Claire Danes) is an aspiring artist working at Saks 5th Avenue. Her love life gets interesting when she meets a down-on-his-luck font maker named Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman). He is socially inept and things don't go well for the two of them. Her life seems to change for the better when she gets asked to dinner by a charming rich entrepreneur, Ray Porter (Steve Martin). The big problem with Ray is he likes to distance himself and think their relationship isn't a long term thing. Will she realize this and get her heart broken or will Ray learn that she might be the one he could settle down with? Life isn't that simple as Mirabelle learns the hard way and Ray starts to wonder while Jeremy goes on a journey to become a better man. SHOPGIRL is the type of movie that can kick you in the gut one moment while making you think everything will be all right for Ray and Mirabelle minutes later. it's not your typical romance movie because romance can be messy and many times things don't work out. Each person has their own ideas and thinks the other may understand what they have in mind for the relationship. Ray thinks it is fine to see other people while Mirabelle thinks he might be the one. Ray has two houses (one in Los Angeles and one in Seattle) while Mirabelle ekes out a life in her apartment. Ray has to decide what he wants from the relationship and Mirabelle must come to terms with what she needs.

VIDEO: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

AUDIO: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Th transfer is OK, but the 5.1 isn't very active except for the music score. At the core of movie is the dialogue.

SPECIAL FEATURES: EVOLUTION OF A NOVELLA: THE MAKING OF SHOPGIRL is a look at how the novella became a movie. The two deleted scenes (six minutes long) are rightfully cut from the film. The feature audio commentary with Director Anand Tucker is one that I couldn't get into. It just isn't a commentary I would want to listen to again and I think it would have helped if Anand was teamed up with Steve Martin for the track. I just found it forgettable.

FINAL ANALYSIS: If you're a fan of Steve Martin or Claire Danes, you will have to see this one. If you're looking for a good film, rent SHOPGIRL.

this review is (c)4-28-2006 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link to the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com