Movie: Shopgirl

Nuanced novel adaptation

I thought this movie was okay when I watched it this weekend while Benjamin was at a bachelor party. But then when I watched the DVD bonuses about the making of the movie, I appreciated it even more. The movie is an adaptation of a novel written by Steve Martin. Martin did the adaptation to screenplay and also stars in the movie. Clare Danes is excellent as always and delivers a very sensitive, not overblown, performance. (It’s strange that she is also in The Family Stone, which I watched the same night.) The character of Jeremy was deeply annoying and not likable at all, but they did a decent job of making him likable at the end (their goal). It’s worth watching this, but it’s no barn burner.