Shopgirl

Steve Martin adapts his own novella in such lugubrious fashion that it’s hard to remember that he was once a “wild and crazy guy.” Perhaps that’s the point -- he wants to be sober and serious now. Anand Tucker directs with widescreen La-La-Land lushness, but it’s a tiny little story of a rich middle-aged widower not-quite-wooing a glove girl from Saks. Claire Danes is winning as the lonely girl from Vermont, and Martin distinguishes himself as the older man. Jason Schwartzman is the younger, loopier suitor. The film is quiet and observant, but ultimately slight -- in the end it’s the same situation as Daisy Kenyon but without the intensity and engagement. Steve should have taken one more step away from the material. (2005, dvd, n.) *6-* (MC-62.)