Confessions of a Shopaholic - Movie Review and Synopsis

Based on the books “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and “Shopaholic Takes Manhattan” by Sophie Kinsella. Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a 25 year old who lives with her best friend Suze (Krysten Ritter) in Suze’s flat (paying her friend rent that is well below market value), in a trendy part of town. Rebecca has a very boring job writing for a financial magazine. She has a shopping addiction and her crap job doesn’t pay enough. Her bills are piling up, so she tries cutting back (complete fiasco), then she tries making more money (another fiasco). Eventually, Becky discovers a story that she is truly invested in. Exposing the story gets the attention of a colleague that she hasn’t quite figured out yet. Some drama ensues as she snags the guy, and she attempts to pay off her ever-growing debt.

It’s a chick-lit showdown this month, with Isla Fisher in Shopaholic and a clutch of serious contenders that is the principal cast of He’s Just Not That Into You. We love an underdog, especially one as otherworldly beautiful as Ms. Fisher (when will she and Sacha Baron Cohen tie the knot?), but Shopaholic descends from the massively popular novels by real-life financial journalist Madeleine Wickham (pen name: Sophie Kinsella), whose Undomestic Goddess is being developed by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. The trailer is a bit of a puzzle — as in, just because someone is good at slapstick, that doesn’t mean you have to incorporate it into your script. Also, we can’t tell if the tone is supposed to be highbrow, low, or just kinda all over the place.

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements.

Director: P.J. Hogan
Stars: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release Date: 13 February 2009 (USA)