Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Directed by P.J Hogan
Written by Tim Firth, Tracey Jackson
Starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Leslie Bibb
Release Date February 13th, 2009
Published February 15th, 2009
What a strange bit of timing. When Confessions of a Shopaholic went into production the economy was sluggish but not so bad off. Now, the story of a credit card crazed shopaholic could not be anymore at odds with the times. Nevertheless, this movie is not a social commentary or documentary, it's a dopey, good natured rom-com and judged by that standard, it's not bad.
Isla Fisher, best remembered as Vince Vaughn's sexually rapacious gal pal in Wedding Crashers, takes on her first starring role as Rebecca Bloomwood a serious clothes horse. Rebecca has a problem, there isn't a high end clothing store that she can walk past.
Over a short period of time she has built up more than 16 grand in credit card debt. She is being stalked by bill collector's and to top it all off she has just lost her job as a writer at a gardening magazine. On the bright side, she does get an interview at her favorite high end fashion mag.
However, things don't go quite as planned and instead of working at the fashion mag, Rebecca winds up at a financial magazine. Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) happens upon Rebecca by accident and ends up hiring her... well... because the plot requires him to.
Using fashion to describe finance, Rebecca quickly becomes a sensation but when people find out about her credit card problems more than her new job will be on the line.
Yes, I cringed a little when I wrote that last line. A 4 year old could see that little complication coming. All romantic comedies consist of two people and the series of roadblocks used to keep them apart until the appointed moment they are supposed to be together for a happily ever after.
Confessions of A Shopaholic is anything but original. The film adheres to all rom-com cliches and requirements without question. The only thing that director P.J Hogan could do to make the movie interesting was get the casting right and he did it.
Isla Fisher is cute as can be and Hugh Dancy matches her in charm and good humor. As a couple they sparkle together and we want to see them in their happily ever after even as we are forced to suffer the false roadblocks of the typical rom-com.
This isn't a great movie but when Fisher and Dancy are together, it's worth suffering a few dull cliches to watch them spark together. If you love romantic comedies and don't care about predictability and cliche, you will smile your way through this superfluous, charming and forgettable movie.
