Dir. P.J. Hogan, US, 2009, 104 mins
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman
Review by Michelle Moore
Based on the international best-selling books by Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic is the sort of movie that could well become a favourite with women all over the world.
Shopping is a pastime no woman can deny she enjoys. Buying a new dress for a special occasion, a new pair of jeans or those shoes you know are too expensive but must have. When it comes to watching Confessions of a Shopaholic you can't help but find some connection with its protagonist Rebecca Bloomwood (Fisher). Her need for the latest fashions is something many can relate to, but it highlights the problems that can come from needing, and wanting, everything in the shop windows.
Rebecca dreams of being a fashion journalist. After all, what better way to make a living than do something you not only love, but are good at? New York City is known for its fashion and glamour but Rebecca is unable to get her foot in the door. As a way to make an impression, she uses her experience to write an advice column in a financial magazine under the pseudonym of ‘The Girl In The Green Scarf'. Anyone ever told you to take your own advice? Rebecca is one girl who certainly should have. The debt that a woman can get into when sanity flies out of the window and frantic fashion sense kicks in is quite shocking and demonstrates how anyone can fly out of control. Rebecca gives advice about shopping on a budget and how a credit card can be dangerous and she should know with debt collectors constantly on her back. She gives the advice, but seems unable to put it to good use herself.
It is the hilarious lengths to which Rebecca goes to keep her professional journalistic lifestyle and her shopping habit separate that make for many of the laughs. She uses some wildly extravagant excuses to get out of paying her debts – her grandmother was in a flying accident and her parachute didn't open and her broken limbs to name but two from a very large list. Other moments of note which crack a smile include some strange dancing on Fisher's behalf and a dress you wouldn't curse on your worst enemy.
The clothes are one of the films greatest features. Costume designer Patricia Field is known for her input into Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, two other films where fashion falls into the “very important” category. Confessions of a Shopaholic features both some incredibly outrageous outfits and others which you only dream of owning.
Whether you love fashion itself or merely the idea of spending to your hearts content, no woman will be able to resist the nature of Confessions of a Shopaholic. It gives you a bubbly sensation, while having a touch of sympathy. It will hopefully hit the hearts of many and make some realise that fashion is not everything.
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