Shopgirl (2005)

The movie is narrated by Martin as if what we're seeing played out is some kind of romantic fairytale with a little bit of hurt, a little bit of learning, and a happy ending. The movie seems to think of itself as something warm to cuddle up with -- but instead it's cruel and empty.

In a nutshell: Mirabelle (Claire Danes) is a lonely transplant from the northeast trying to make a go of it as an artist in L.A. She spends the daylight hours as a clerk in the glove department at Saks and it looks like a place where every minute would stretch into an eternity. She meets a slacker at a laundromat and, despite a disastrous first date, later calls him up in a fit of sexual desperation. Then suave, older guy sets his sights on her and she's swept away into a world of gifts and attention, though not affection. If these were my only two choices for heterosexual relations, I'd become a lesbian right quick. Danes is tremendously affecting and believable, but she's stranded by a mean script just brimming with contrivance.

I've heard that this story was based on events in Martin's own life. If that's true, I don't like him.

C-