Bored and aimless, Mirabelle reluctantly dates Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman) only because he seems to be the only one interested in her. It doesn't go well, and they don't get together too often. Jeremy keeps trying to improve himself, and manages to become a roadie to a band. He listens to books on tape about relationships while he is on the road.
Meanwhile, Ray jetsets among various cities and apartments, fitting Mirabelle in whenever he's in town. She finds him charismatic compared to the doltish nerd Jeremy who has no social graces. Mirabelle eventually wants more, while Ray wants the status quo, and this conflict forces them apart.
While the film is artfully made, I could never get past the thought of Ray being a "dirty old man" who had little emotional connection to his lover. Thre comes a point when he knows Mirabelle's feelings for him are more serious than he wants but he continues with the relationship. I felt the film tried too hard to make Ray a nice person. When Mirabelle and Jeremy ended up together, it felt more right, because HE did want her.
Schwartzman's Jeremy is played first for an unattractive fool, but he elects to change himself, instead of trying to mold Mirabelle into something he wants--trumping Ray in the love department. Name actors Frances Conroy and Sam Bottoms are wasted as the parents, although they get a scene, they get little interaction with Mirabelle.
What are Mirabelle's expectations, why does she limit herself to these two men when neither fully satisfies her? Is she hard to please or doesn't know what she wants? The film glides over Mirabelle's depression and doesn't really explain it and I think this key element would help me see Mirabelle in a more complete light.
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