History Film / Shopgirl

In Los Angeles, 28-year-old Mirabelle Buttersfield (Danes) is a bored and lonely Vermont transplant and aspiring artist working at a boutique. Starved for love and affection, she tries hooking up with her neighbor Jeremy (Schwartzman), a directionless young man. When that doesn't work out, her eye is caught by Ray Porter (Martin), a wealthy customer at the boutique. Between those two would-be suitors, Mirabelle finds herself with a choice to make.

!!Tropes in the book:

* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Mirabelle has an idealized vision of sex and even a ranking of embraces she dreams of being held in. It just so happens that she enjoys [[YouWatchTooMuchX Gothic nineteenth-century novels]] and points to ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' as an example of how a lover should act.

->''Mirabelle Buttersfield moved from Vermont hoping to begin her life. And now she is stranded in the vast openness of LA.''

''Shopgirl'' is a 2005 movie adaptation of Creator/SteveMartin's eponymous novel. It stars [[DescendedCreator him]] as well as Claire Danes.

In Los Angeles, 28-year-old Mirabelle is a bored young woman working at a boutique. Starved for love and affection, she tries hooking up with her neighbor, Jeremy, a directionless young man. When that doesn't work out, her eye is caught by Ray Porter, a wealthy customer at the boutique. Between those two men, Mirabelle has a choice to make.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler: Mirabelle triggers the unravelling of her and Ray's relationship when she asks, "So are you just biding your time with me?"]]

* MasturbationMeansSexualFrustration: A case where masturbation is acknowledged as a regular practice for both men (we're told Ray only thinks of Mirabelle when he does it) and women (it's part of Mirabelle's nightly routine).

* ADateWithRosiePalms: A case where masturbation is acknowledged as a regular practice for both men (we're told Ray only thinks of Mirabelle when he does it) and women (it's part of Mirabelle's nightly routine).

* AmbiguousDisorder: We're told Lisa has several "compulsions," phobias, and anorexic tendencies. It's possible she has a version of OCD, like the protagonist of Martin's other novel ''The Pleasure of My Company''.

* AmbiguousDisorder: We're told Lisa has several "compulsions," phobias, and anorexic tendencies. It's possible she has a version of [[SuperOCD OCD]], like the protagonist of Martin's other novel ''The Pleasure of My Company''.

''Shopgirl'' is a 2005 movie adaptation of Creator/SteveMartin's eponymous novel. It stars [[WriterOnBoard him]] as well as Claire Danes.

* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Mirabelle has an idealized vision of sex and even a ranking of embraces she dreams of being held in. It just so happens that she enjoys [[YouWatchTooMuchX Gothic nineteenth-century novels]] and points to ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' as an example of how a lover should act.
* OlderThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Mirabelle is described as looking 24 and even 19 at times.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Mirabelle is described as looking 24 and even 19 at times.

* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Mirabelle has an idealized vision of sex and even a ranking of embraces she dreams of being held in. It just so happens that she enjoys [[YouWatchTooMuchX Gothic nineteenth-century novels]] and points to ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' as an example of how a lover should act.