MovieChat Forums > Shopgirl (2005) Discussion > Bad movie

Bad movie

posted 18 years ago by filmpixie123
5 replies | jump to latest

When I watched the trailer for this movie I was really looking forward to watching it but when I did I really didn't enjoy it.

I had a number of problems with this movie.

Firstly the film initially seemed to be about Mirabelle with her as the main character but towards the middle and end of the film the focus seemed to shift towards the character of Ray. The only reason I can think of for this is that Steve Martin wanted more screen time.

Secondly I felt that although the movie was supposed to be seen through the eyes of Mirabelle it seemed to have a distinctly male perspective. I also thought that the character of Mirabelle seemed to dramatcially change in a very short space of time. Initially she was meant to be a shy quiet outsider from Vermont. Next thing we know she's lying naked on Ray's bed and wearing only silk gloves during sex. What explanation are we given for this?

I also disliked both Ray and Jeremy. Ray was cold and boring. Jeremy was slightly better but still quite annoying and immature.

Another issue I had with the movie was the voice over which appeared in random places throughout the film and offered some narration which was clearly supposed to be in some way profound or philisophical but only succeeded in being cheesy and annoying. I also question the decison to let Steve Martin voice it. Is it supposed to be Ray speaking? This seems unlikely but the only other alternative is that Steve Martin wanted more lines.

I also felt that the script wasn't very good.

Basically I hated this movie. Some posters have compared it to Lost in Translation but I don't believe the two can be compared. LIT is one of the most amazing films ever made and the relationship between the two main characters is beautiful wheras the relationship between Ray and Mirabelle in this movie is just sordid and horrible.

Anyone else agree with me on this movie?

[–] Sarah22222222 18 years ago

I found it creepy. Claire Danes was strangely depressing throughout it and just plain eerie really! Didn't like either of the guys, didn't feel any chemistry between Claire and either of the men. In LIT the relationship isn't "weird" but in Shop Girl, gives me the shivers:(.

"Why do we fall Bruce?"

[–] filmpixie123 18 years ago

I know what you mean - the relationship in LIT seemed sweet and natural but this was just strange. The fact is that neither man seemed right for Mirabelle so the whole movie just fell apart.

[–] daviddeep 18 years ago

I'd stop just short of calling this a "bad" movie because there were some nicely-filmed scenes, the acting was convincing overall, and I was interested in the outcomes for all three of the main characters.

However, you are absolutely right about the heavy-handed, distracting and totally unnecessary voice overs by Steve Martin. They added absolutely nothing that someone who had watched the performances would not have understood. I also found parts of the score a bit too bombastic and inappropriate to the moods being created by various scenes. What could have been a subtle, nuanced film left me feeling that the filmmakers had just given me a lecture that they thought I probably wouldn't understand anyway.

[–] gregorybarclay 18 years ago

i personally just thought it was boring.
my opinion probably doesn't count for much, as i wasn't able to sit through more than an hour of it, but i came to the conclusion that if there was some sort of valuable insight at the end of the movie, it wasn't worth sitting through it to get there.
as far as steve martin narrating, this movie is his baby. it's based off a novel he wrote, and he adapted the screenplay, and produced it, and starred in it. so as much as i appreciate and respect steve martin in most cases, as he is a very intelligent and multitalented man, any flaw in this movie can be traced back entirely to him.
i don't even see how you can compare it to Lost in Translation, really, except maybe on a most superficial level, in that it involves a relationship between a young girl and an older man. but any similarities end THERE.
it could have just been my mood at the time, but i just couldn't care about this movie, and didn't feel it was worth sitting through to the end.

[–] mayjustdied 17 years ago

i couldnt agree more with you about the unnecessary narration, and with every other point you've made as well.
i also find it unbalanced that jason schwartzman's character appeared at the beginning and end but was almost entirely written out of the middle, as well as the use of slow motion and cheesy dialogue.
i dont think it should all be blamed on steve martin, the director should share at least 3 quarters of the blame.
i enjoyed cinematography quite a lot though.