Confessions of a Shopaholic

"You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well that's what it's like when I see a store. Only it's better."

Rebecca Bloomwood (Fisher) has a problem.  She can't pass up a good sale and has nine nearly maxed credit cards to make her purchases.  There is a collection agent stalking her to collect on her entire debt... and then the magazine she writes for goes under.

Luckily, she gets a job at a financial magazine, where she dazzles the editor, Luke Brandon (Dancy), with her understandable / accessible explanation of finances by talking about fashion.  She is using the job as a way to get closer to her dream job: writing for the prestigious fashion magazine, Alette, run by fashion expert Alette Naylor (Thomas).  With her best friend, Suze (Ritter) and her parents (Goodman and Cusack) behind her, can she get out of debt... score the job... and win the man of her dreams?


This may not seem like a lenghty or detailed explanation of the film, but this is a chick flick afterall.  I love a good (or, if we're being completely honest, a bad one) chick flick.  Not really sure what it is about them... they are formulaic and there isn't a lot too them, but I will probably watch them every time.  This film is no exception.  There aren't many surprises and it is heavy on the slapstick.

However, there is something endearing about the character of Rebecca.  You know what is going to happen, but you still cheer for her.  I think that mostly comes from Isla Fisher's performance.  The rest of the cast is comprised of seasoned actors who do well with their parts, but without Fisher the film would fall flat.

There isn't much else to say about the film that hasn't already been stated by other critics.  Funny but not earth shattering.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) 104 minutes
Rating: PG for some mild language and thematic elements
Director: P.J. Hogan
Starring: Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood
Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandon
Krysten Ritter as Suze
Joan Cusack as Jane Bloomwood
John Goodman as Graham Bloomwood
John Lithgow as Edgar West
Kristin Scott Thomas as Alette Naylor