I have a confession to make...every now and then I love to see movies that are purely frivolous, just plain fun and, well, on the girly side. Confessions of a Shopaholic is the perfect combination of these qualities. It's full of silly, completely ridiculous situations, witty dialogue, slapstick humor and lighthearted entertainment that reminds every girl about the excitement, and danger, of shopping.Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a shopping-addicted New York journalist who suddenly finds herself buried under credit card debt and without a job. In order to pay off her bills and move closer to her dream, Rebecca takes a job at a finance magazine that's all about saving money. Through a series of highly improbable, but absolutely hilarious, events Rebecca becomes the magazine's poster girl for personal finance -while hiding overdue bills under her bed.
Shopaholic quickly becomes predictable, leaving the audience only to wonder how and when the next plot point will occur. While this may bother some film goers, I didn't mind it because that's the kind of movie I was expecting. It's fun and entertaining enough to help you escape from your own credit card debt for a little while, but not phenomenal. Fisher is irresistible and will keep you wondering what kind of crazy thing she's going to do next.
But men beware -even though Shopaholic is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, this movie is purely for women. The only guys who were in the theater when I went seemed like they were dragged by their significant others (except my dad, who likes Isla Fisher). The movie's PG rating also implies that the movie is intended for families. There were a few little girls in the theater when I went, and they seemed to be having a better time than the adults. But adults be warned: there are scenes of alcohol consumption and drunkenness in the movie, but they are fairly mild.
Some people think that this movie is not appropriate for the country's current economic condition, but I think that it teaches a good lesson. Rebecca's credit card debit ends up ruining her life and her career so much that she is forced to change her habits and conquer her shopping addiction -sounds to me like something the average American should have learned long ago.
Taking on the directorial reigns of the film is P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friends Wedding") and a screenplay by writers Tracey Jackson ("The Other End of the Line"), Tim Firth ("Calendar Girls") and Kayla Alpert (who produced many episodes for the TV series "Ally McBeal"). Music for the film is by James Newton Howard ("The Sixth Sense", "Pretty Woman", "Primal Fear", etc.) and cinematography by Jo Willems ("30 Days of Night" and "Rocket Science").
The film would feature many all-star talents which include Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers", "Definitely, Maybe" and "The Lookout"), Hugh Dancy ("Black Hawk Down", "Ella Enchanted" and "Basic Instinct 2'), Krysten Ritter ("Frost", "27 Dresses" and "Gilmore Girls"), Joan Cusack ("War, Inc.", "Say Anything", "The School of Rock" and "Chicken Little"), John goodman ("Rosanne", "Cars and "Bee Movie"), John Lithgow ("Dexter, "Dreamgirls" and "3rd Rock from the Sun") and Kristin Scott Thomas ("The Golden Compass", "Mission Impossible" and "I Loved You So Long").
The film revolves around Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), a writer for a gardening magazine who lives with her friend Suze (Krysten Ritter) and is known for her overuse of her credit cards (around a dozen of them) which she constantly uses in order to purchase the latest designer clothing in Manhattan. Her shopping habits are obsessive and to the point that her debt is just incredibly high and she has bills that have not been opened and unpaid. Needless to say, she's in financial trouble but yet continues to shop like there's no tomorrow.
As a child, Rebecca has always been enamored by clothes but due to her fiscally conservative parents, always had to get the cheaper clothing and now as an adult, only wants the best. Her goal is to work for her favorite fashion magazine "Alette" but finds out during the interview that Editor Alette Naylor (Kristin Scott Thomas) has hired socialite Alicia Billington (Leslie Bibb) for the job.
But instead of sulking about not getting the job, Rebecca receives good information from the office assistant that "Successful Saving" is hiring and because its part of the same family that publishes "Alette", she can work her way to the top. So, Rebecca interviews for the position and is interviewed by new editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) who tries to learn more about her financing skills. Having really no experience, she fumbles her way during the interview and claiming she knows about finance and that she knows Finnish (which she doesn't know at all).
While returning back to her regular job, she finds out that her job is folding their business and without a job, she will be unable to pay her credit card bills. And because she has maxed out may of them and doesn't make all that much, she continually receives a message from debt collector Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton).
While her friend Suze tries to get her focused on paying her bills and getting Rebecca to take responsibility for her debt, the two get drunk and she accidentally sends a letter with a sample story to Luke Brandon, while accidentally sending the letter mean for Luke to Allete Magazine.
She receives a call a few days later from Luke that hew as impressed by the story and is hired to be a writer at "Succesful Saving". Using her knowledge of shopping, she utilizes her skill as a writer and uses the name of "The Girl in the Green Scarf". Her article becomes a success and makes the fledgling financial magazine to become a hit.
But with her debt collector doing what he can to get his money from Rebecca, and Rebecca having to wing a lie that she knows about finance, will she be able to keep this charade up for long? And to make things worse, will her shopaholic mindset hurt her as she continues to pile debt?
"CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is released on Blu-ray with 2-discs. The first disc features the film and special features while the second disc features a digital copy of the film.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is featured in 1080p with an aspect ratio of (2:40:1). If there is one thing that caught my attention about "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC", the film tries to showcase many vibrant colors. So, there are many scenes that just looks quite gorgeous. For the most part, the majority of the film receives another solid transfer but there are some scenes that do have quite a bit of grain and also, some scenes that tend to overdo it with the color of red and amber colors. But overall, the picture quality of "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is very good and considering Touchstone is part of Disney, all Blu-ray releases from their various companies have all been solid.
As for audio, "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is featured in English 5.1 DTS-HD (48 kHz/24-bit) and also in French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. The film actually does a great job by use of panning audio from speaker to speaker but for the most part, the film is front and center channel heavy. Dialogue is clear and for this film, one of the big factors in audio is the utilization of music. There is some good LFE bass when it comes to music being used and overall, the soundtrack comes alive. From the busy shops, to the sample sales in which you can hear the women fighting over clothing but it's the music that I was impressed with how alive it was and setting a stylish pace for this film.
As for subtitles, English SDH, French and Spanish is offered.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" comes with a few short features featured in 1080p or 480i, English 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital and English SDH, French and/or Spanish subtitles. Included are:
* BEHIND THE FASHION This segment features a total of six short special features. Included in this section are:
Wardrobe by Patricia Field (3:01) How Jerry Bruckheimer was happy to have Patricia Field ("Sex and the City" and "Devil Wears Prada") involved as the costume designer for this film. Interview with Patricia Field.
Temple of Shopping (2:32) How the film was shot at the 5th Avenue Boutique, Henri Bendel and the designs created for thet set.
The Green Scarf (1:33) Costume designer and stylist Patricia Field discusses how the green scarf was used on the film and how she was inspired by a Dolce & Gabanna scarf.
New York: Fashion Central(2:34) A featurette about how awesome it was too shoot in New York. From the shops in Manhattan to capturing the beauty of the city on film.
Sample Sale Madness (1:58) Around 200-300 women were hired to take part in the "Sample Sale" segment of the film. The women went all out in their craziness during the sale and how actress Isla Fisher enjoyed shooting this scene.
Window Shopping (1:50) The film features a creative use of the mannequins which communicate and try to entice Rebecca Bloomwood to shop at their store. This featurette shows us how models had to wear body suits and were CG'd to look like mannequins.
* Deleted Scenes (6:19) A total of four deleted scenes which include "19 Scarf, Scarf, Scarf", "Zepbra Print Pants", "The Unexpected Kiss" and "Plaid".
* Bloopers of a Shopaholic (2:07) The bloopers from the set of "Confessionso of a Shopaholic".
* Music Videos: This segment features a total of three music videos which include:
"Stuck with Each Other" by Shontelle feat. Akon (3:25)
"Accessory" by Jordyn Taylor (3:23)
"Take Time to Love" by Trey Songz (2:32)
JUDGMENT CALL:
I tend to enjoy many films that utilizes fashion and designer clothing into the film. So, I had high hopes for "Confessions of a Shopaholic" because it was a fun and stylish looking film. In fact, for the most part, I did enjoy the film as we know that the character of Rebecca Bloomwood would eventually be caught for her lying and that there would be a cost or some type of way she would learn about her obsessive shopping habits.
But the problem with the film are the numerous farfetched and contrive plots. You would think that a financial magazine would hire a writer based on a strong financial portfolio. Then there's the debt collector and we get to see how far a debt collector would go. Granted, some debt collectors are known for their slimy tactics but in this film, it takes things to a new level.
In a way, two things that work against the comedy is unfortunately, in a bad economy, where people are depending on their credit cards or other ways for money for survival, you have a character who has a dozen credit cards that she doesn't use for survival but for buying expensive designer brand merchandise. Second, where you hope to see an empowered woman at the end becomes a woman who is just too ditsy to even think of a professional working for a major finance magazine. As farfetched some plots were in the film, how this character is redeemed is again, too over-the-t0p.
Granted, "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is a romantic comedy but at least with a "DEVIL WEARS PRADA", there is a likable woman who gets caught up in the fashion world but through pain, becomes a stronger. Even, "Legally Blonde" had some redeeming factors with the main character.
With two novels being covered in the first film, sometimes I wonder how much storyline from the novels were actually skipped in the film adaption. Having not read any of the novels, was Rebecca Bloomwood like this throughout the two novels? Was their redemption for her character?
I also felt that perhaps the film could have used the talent (and there are a good number of well-known talent) a bit more wisely.
As for the Blu-ray release, so far anything related to Disney that has been released in High Definition have all been solid. "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" is a film where color plays a primary part in the film and this film is quite colorful and vibrant. The audio is fun and for all films that utilize fashion, the music soundtrack plays a big part and in this case, music plays a very big part in "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC". I enjoyed the use of audio especially how my subwoofer started working in tandem with the front speakers for certain songs. So, that was cool to see! Also, I was quite happy to see a digital copy included with this release.
Despite the number of special features included on the Blu-ray disc, I was surprised that there was no in depth behind-the-scenes featurette. Most of the special features included are quiet short and are at under two minutes.
"CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" starts off very well in its first half but somehow, unfortunately, the over-the-top situations start to make things a bit too farfetched and contrived for my tastes and the overall storyline was a bit predictable. But by no means is the film a bad. There's no denying that filming in New York City has given this film such beauty and the overall fashion presentation makes this film quite stylish and cool.
In the end, "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" was an enjoyable popcorn flick which you can enjoy for its crazy humor, stylish presentation and its crazy characters. Isla Fisher is absolutely charming and fun but its probably best to watch this romantic comedy without being serious minded.
But as long as you enjoy its craziness, you'll find "CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC" to be quite entertaining and fun!
Film gets a three stars, picture and audio quality I'll give it an additional star.
Buy Confessions of a Shopaholic (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2009) Now
We start with Rebecca Bloomwood, the charming and absolutely adorable Isla Fisher. She has a knack for labels and finding sales in order to own them. She uses the analogy of falling in love and compares it to the satisfaction of trading plastic for goods. Heart melts like butter when she sees a store, and she always dreamed of using her magic cards. At one point we see her buying a 120 scarf and splitting it over five cards and still coming up 23 dollars short. When she realizes she has a problem, over 12 credit cards, she also realizes her boss has rolled over on the company and she no longer has a job. The hillarious tragedies that ensue over these many complications only get better as the debt collectors find her. Very cute movie, good for taking your mind off of things, especially in these hard economic times.I saw this movie without reading the book first and I loved it. Isla Fisher is HILARIOUS as Rebecca Bloomwood and she is definitely an actress to watch out for. Isla plays the part of Rebecca, a shopaholic trying to avoid a debt collector, extremely well. She makes Rebecca seem cute, innocent, funny, smart, and of course, fashionable.Read with caution, as I may have basically the whole movie written down here:
The story of this movie is basically that when shopaholic Rebecca Bloomwood (how fun is it to say that?) is left without a job, she goes to work at a finance magazine called Successful Saving, hoping to use that to get to where she really wishes to be: Alette, a fashion magazine. Rebecca advises people on how to use their money and as she uses her own shopping experiences to write her articles, Rebecca gains much popularity and becomes known as "The Girl in the Green Scarf". Rebecca also falls in love with her boss, Luke Brandon. There is a dancing scene relating to this in the movie that had me crying from laughing so hard, it was that funny.
All the action happens while Rebecca, with the help of her loyal friend Suze, tries desperately to avoid Derek Smeath, a debt collector intent on getting back the thousands that Rebecca owes. It is hilarious to watch Rebecca as she makes up dozens of excuses, (I broke my leg, my aunt is in the hospital, my aunt fell out of a skydiving accident, I'm in Finland) attempting to avoid this man.
After watching the movie, I read the book and I understand why there are people unhappy with the movie. The movie is very different from the book, but it is in no way less enjoyable. The plots of both the movie and the book are still very good and the movie still attains the fun spirit of the book.
This movie is sweet, it is funny, and it will make you smile. The music of this movie is the perfect soundtrack to Rebecca Bloomwood's story and the fun music adds to the enjoyment of the movie. I recommend this movie for a for a friends night or if you just want to have some good, simple fun. You will not be disappointed!
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This movie just left me flat. The "heroine" (I hesitate to call her that)is immature, materialistic, untruthful and uses her cutesy mannerisms to try and get her out of tough situations. The "hero" turns her into a great writer by taking her to a press conference and having her rudely interrupt someone doing a presentation--all of a sudden, WHOOPS!, she's an unbelievably gifted writer and her column alone is saving his magazine from the dull and drearies. The one person actually doing his job, the bill-collector, is portrayed as mean, rude and physically unattractive. When he finally gets fed up with the girl's lies and dodging her financial responsibilies, he outs her on televison (although most talk shows take months & months to get tickets to). She miraculously grows up and redeems herself to her friends, family, and boyfriend (aforementioned hero who is supposed to be attracted to her for some reason, although the chemistry between them is a complete non-occurrence). What a dumb movie.Save 26% Off
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