Fans of Steve Martin's stand-up comedy and movies might be disappointed that the overall tone of Shopgirl is not overtly comedic, but they may still recognize his mocking humor. Martin specializes in making us laugh using the humor of recognition. For example, when Mirabelle nervously enters the restaurant, she tells the maitre d' that she is meeting Ray Porter. "Ah. Nice to see you again," the man exclaims. The insincere maitre d', who in claiming to be on familiar terms with Mirabelle unknowingly reveals that she is not the only woman Ray is dating. Martin told Time Magazine's Richard Corliss that in writing Shopgirl, "I never led myself into jokes. Also, I worked very hard to establish the tone in the opening paragraphs . . . I also like to think that after the first paragraphs you forget about searching for jokes."

The most noteworthy technique used in Shopgirl is its...