Entertainment

10:49 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Shopgirl

C- Starring Clare Danes, Jason Schwartzman and Steve Martin. Directed by Anand Tucker. R (language, nudity, sexual content). 104 mins. $29.99

THE SETUP: Clare Danes spends her days selling gloves at Saks Fifth Avenue and her nights drawing and waiting for Mr. Right. When suddenly two Mr. Sorta Rights show up, she must decide between the aimless but intriguing Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman) and the refined but distant Ray Porter (Steve Martin). Apparently, Door No. 3 was not an option.

SAY WHAT? In addition to writing the source material and screenplay and starring in the film, Mr. Martin also provides the narration. The concept comes off as strange since the narration is not coming from Mr. Martin's character; rather, it's just Mr. Martin's recognizable voice. It's more confusing than cool.

BEST EXTRA: Not a lot to chose from. Outside of two (appropriately) deleted scenes and a director's commentary, there is the usual "making of" featurette, in which everyone involved with the film participates in a round-robin game of co-worker praising. It's been rumored that Shopgirl was based on real events in Mr. Martin's life, but he chooses not to expound much. Too bad.

BOTTOM LINE: It's overdirected at times, but each of the three leads gives a worthwhile performance (particularly Mr. Schwartzman). The whole, unfortunately, is not greater than the parts, but if you can resist thinking ahead to where this train might be headed, you might enjoy the ride.

Stephen Becker