Going Shopping

I've seen this movie at the Jerusalem Film Festival in a packed theater, which applauded at the end credits. It certainly provides an excursion into the psyche of an American shopper and, most importantly, shopkeeper. Though being screamingly low-budget, it's thought-provoking and pleasant, not mentioning the genuine idea of setting the whole film to a piano "boutique music" playing in the background, having a soothing and alarming effect at the same time. On the other hand, people were leaving in the middle, which is understandable - perhaps it is a 'girl movie' after all, who else would enjoy watching a love story unfolding among clothes hangers.

Hooly (Victoria Foyt, who co-wrote this fine flick), has been running a trendy boutique in So Cal for ten years. A fashion expert, she designs and makes some of the clothes and is a pitch perfect saleslady, too. Obviously, she loves her work. Yet, life gets complicated. Her boyfriend Adam (Bruce Davison) betrays her in financial matters. After the nasty break-up, she owes a couple months of back rent and has nowhere for her daughter, Coco (Mae Whitman) to live but above the store. Coco, a new teenager, is appalled. Also problematic is Holly's mother (Lee Grant) and her mobster boyfriend. Unbelievably, Holly tries to get the kind of loan that only mobsters' can provide, so she may be risking a lot. But, things look up when a gentleman, Miles (Rob Morrow) comes to the boutique with his galpal but seems to have eyes for Holly, and visa versa. Also in the store's favor is the sale of all sales which will be the coming weekend. Can Holly work her way out of a mess and score a new romance, too? This is a darling indie, very funny, fresh and fine. Foyt, who with husband Henry Jaglom, the director, wrote the script deserves much praise. Sprinkled throughout the film are staged testimonials of why women go shopping and they are, mostly, hilarious, with a few sobering reminders of the danger of TOO much spending. The setting is nice, the costumes are fantastic and the direction is on firm ground indeed, with just the right mix of scenes and action. Go for Going Shopping as soon as the video store opens for business.

GOING SHOPPING can't make up its mind whether to be a documentary on shopping, a love story or a romantic comedy. When the love story takes off, then the "Shopping Heads" interfere with the romance on the screen between Victoria Foyt and Rob Morrow and the tremendous chemistry these two actors show. Too bad, as when Foyt and Morrow are shown, you want to see this romance take off and you can feel the sizzle between them.

The pace of the film is very slow, even silly at times, and some of the scenes with Lee Grant, the daughter and Victoria Foyt just appear lame and trite on the screen and needed to be edited. One member of a very small audience at The Laemmle in West Hollywood walked out of the theater even before Act One finished.

What potential this film had with Victoria Foyt and Rob Morrow, a great location of Santa Monica, but unfortunately the romantic love story the audience wanted, never appeared on the screen and the over use of "Shopping Heads" made the film slow down to a crawl and very boring and unrewarding.