Sherpa's Wonderin's

Shopgirl

I've been anticipating the movie of Shopgirl, one of my favorite books that I read in the past 5 years. I didn't get a chance to watch it in the theater, but we got around to renting it this past weekend.

Pros

Casting of Jason Schwartzman- Jimmy Fallon was slated to play the role of Jeremy up until the movie was close to being shot. Jason Schwartzman is perfect for the role of the clueless, affable guitar amp stenciler who happens upon self-help books.

The cinematography was beautiful. Some of the shots were unnecessary and distracting, but by and large the shots were instrumental telling the story.

Claire Danes. She wasn't as vulnerable as Mirabelle in the book, but she was affecting as Mirabelle trying to find her identity in LA.

Mixed

Steve Martin. I don't see anyone else in this role, but I wonder if Steve is too close to this role--seeing as he created it-wrote the book and screenplay. He does a good job, but I have mixed feelings about it.

Cons

The Narrator (steve Martin) is distracting and doesn't add anything to the understanding of the story.

Two key points in the book are missing.
Ray Porter's epiphany as to who he is to Mirabelle. I think there were a couple of shots that alluded to it, but they should've expounded upon it more.

The line where Jeremy tells Mirabelle "I'm fixing myself" and she says "me too" and then the narrator says, they knew they would always have something to talk about. The point that she was taking responsibility was a little muddled.

Although the movie is rarely better than the book (Forrest Gump and the DaVinci Code movie has to be better than the book, those are the only two that come to mind), and they are different artistic mediums, I have mixed feelings about this movie. On the one hand, I thought it was well done, on the other, I think the screenplay muddled up the true story. The book wasn't just the age-old formula of a young beautiful woman choosing between the rich, handsome older gentleman and the young man with ideas but little money, the movie loses some of the individuality that set the book apart.