Double Feature

August 2007 - During these dog days of summer, you need to stay cool. And, no actor says "cool" like Steve Martin. He's not John Travolta in Get Shorty cool but, in 2005's Shopgirl and 1997's The Spanish Prisoner, Martin exudes his own brand of quirky coolness.

In the R-rated Shopgirl, which is based on a novella by Martin, Claire Danes is torn between two lovers. Martin narrates and stars as one of the two lovers. Jason Schwartzman plays the other. Danes is Mirabelle Buttersfield, a young woman from Vermont hoping to make a name for herself as an artist in LA. She makes her living by working the glove counter at Saks. That's where she meets the older, wealthier, more sophisticated Ray Porter (Martin). He courts Mirabelle, shows her the finer things in life, and sleeps with her but refuses to become emotionally involved.

Ray's appearance puts a quick end to Mirabelle's fledgling relationship with the younger, grungier Jeremy (Schwartzman). He's quite taken by Mirabelle, but doesn't have much to offer. When Ray enters the picture, Jeremy gets pushed aside. He goes on the road with a band, then returns to claim Mirabelle.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. On the whole, the movie and its characters are uninspiring. Everyone goes along to get along. Only Jeremy seems to have any real passion. Maybe the movie should have been called Roadie Boy.

David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner gives Martin another chance to show his serious side. Mamet wrote and directed this PG-rated drama about a good man suspected of getting up to no good. Campbell Scott, Felicity Huffman and Rebecca Pidgeon star along with Martin. Ed O'Neill, from Married with Children, has a small role.

Scott plays Joe Ross, who has invented some sort of process for cornering the market and making lots of money. Ben Gazzara is his boss. As the movie opens, they're down in the Caribbean with secretary Susan (Pidgeon) pitching investors. This is where Joe meets Jimmy (Martin), an apparently wealthy man, who offers Joe $1,000 for his camera. Joe gives it to him for free and a friendship is born.

When they get back to New York, Jimmy makes Joe a member of his club, opens a Swiss bank account for him, and offers to help Joe get his fair share of the proceeds from the process. Joe buys it all until a chance encounter makes it clear that Jimmy is not who he seems and that Joe is in some deep, deep trouble.

Overall review: Liked it. This being a work from Mamet, characters do not have long, drawn out conversations. Their encounters are quick and efficient, and every word is significant. My only problem is that the plot is contrived in the sense that if, at any point, Joe does anything other than what he does, it will all fall apart. Still, this movie should remind you to say what you mean, mean what you say, and don’t take anything at face value.