What's so great about SHOPGIRL?
I recently 'Netflixed' this film in an effort to assuage my wife, who often complains that the movies I put on our list are either 1) Obscure 2) In a foreign language 3) In Black & White or 4) Obscure, In a foreign language, and In Black & White.
So I make sure that, occasionally, a Must Love Dogs appears on our list (which is a horrible and contrived picture, I might add), or something of a similar ilk like Hitch. I must admit that it only seems fair since she has stuck with me through Metropolis and Wings of Desire. Oh--and M. Almost forgot that one.
So Shopgirl it was. I knew it was a Steve Martin creation, starring him, Jason Schwarzman, and Claire Danes, but what I did not know was that it was not, as I had assumed, some routine, testosterone-killing chick-flick, but rather a leisurely-paced, thoughtful character study of three person's views of love and relationships.
And it was unexpectedly good. The film it most reminds me of is Lost in Translation, another picture with a leisurely pace, lingering visuals, and wry sense of humor. But Shopgirl, to my mind, is the superior picture. It's difficult to explain it, but it's one of those films where the music and visuals achieve an effortless poetry without being showy; without drawing attention to themselves. The camera moves slowly; the editing contains more long shots in five minutes than most films, in the post-MTV, hyper-kinetic era contain in their entirety. The acting is naturalistic, avoiding any bombastic moments, with the ending being literal under-stated perfection.
It's not for everyone. Most will find it slow; some will wonder what the heck it's about, since the plot is rather minimal until the ending; and others will be disappointed that Martin, playing against type, seems rather staid and dull.
But it works. One of its great strengths is the musical score--if anyone wants a primer on how to unobtrusively score a film and yet have the music seem almost a character, then they need to watch this one. Again, it's difficult to put into words. I guess you'll just have to experience it. But though it seems slow, and though one wonders what it's all about, if you stick around for the last scene outside the art gallery, you'll get the pay-off in one of the quietist, most moving farewells in screen history (again, just like Translation).
It's worth the wait. But since Shopgirl turned out to be anything but a routine 'chick-flick,' I now realize that I need to find a suitable replacement to watch with my wife.
Is Failure to Launch any good?
I recently 'Netflixed' this film in an effort to assuage my wife, who often complains that the movies I put on our list are either 1) Obscure 2) In a foreign language 3) In Black & White or 4) Obscure, In a foreign language, and In Black & White.
So I make sure that, occasionally, a Must Love Dogs appears on our list (which is a horrible and contrived picture, I might add), or something of a similar ilk like Hitch. I must admit that it only seems fair since she has stuck with me through Metropolis and Wings of Desire. Oh--and M. Almost forgot that one.
So Shopgirl it was. I knew it was a Steve Martin creation, starring him, Jason Schwarzman, and Claire Danes, but what I did not know was that it was not, as I had assumed, some routine, testosterone-killing chick-flick, but rather a leisurely-paced, thoughtful character study of three person's views of love and relationships.
And it was unexpectedly good. The film it most reminds me of is Lost in Translation, another picture with a leisurely pace, lingering visuals, and wry sense of humor. But Shopgirl, to my mind, is the superior picture. It's difficult to explain it, but it's one of those films where the music and visuals achieve an effortless poetry without being showy; without drawing attention to themselves. The camera moves slowly; the editing contains more long shots in five minutes than most films, in the post-MTV, hyper-kinetic era contain in their entirety. The acting is naturalistic, avoiding any bombastic moments, with the ending being literal under-stated perfection.
It's not for everyone. Most will find it slow; some will wonder what the heck it's about, since the plot is rather minimal until the ending; and others will be disappointed that Martin, playing against type, seems rather staid and dull.
But it works. One of its great strengths is the musical score--if anyone wants a primer on how to unobtrusively score a film and yet have the music seem almost a character, then they need to watch this one. Again, it's difficult to put into words. I guess you'll just have to experience it. But though it seems slow, and though one wonders what it's all about, if you stick around for the last scene outside the art gallery, you'll get the pay-off in one of the quietist, most moving farewells in screen history (again, just like Translation).
It's worth the wait. But since Shopgirl turned out to be anything but a routine 'chick-flick,' I now realize that I need to find a suitable replacement to watch with my wife.
Is Failure to Launch any good?
posted by I. Michael Koontz | 7:51 AM
1 Comments:
Thank you for reminding me of the incredibly trivial movie "Must Love Dogs," which was an affront to every person who actually owns dogs and is troubled by the idea that others would borrow a dog to appear nice to potential dates. Let's see, does anybody hates being lied to by their date?
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