English Movie CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC 2009
Cast And Crew
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen, Julie Hagerty, Krysten Ritter, Robert Stanton, Christine Ebersole, Clea Lewis, Wendie Malick, Stephanie March
Director: P.J. Hogan
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Rating: PG
Languages: English/Spanish/ Portuguese/Thai
Subtitles: English/Spanish/ Portuguese/Thai/Chinese/Bahasa/ Malay/Korean/Hindi
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Sound: Dolby Digital
Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Distributor: Scorpio East
SYNOPSIS:
Get ready to fall in love with the adorable Becky Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) in the hilarious romantic comedy Confessions Of A Shopaholic. Living in glamorous New York, Becky desperately wants a job writing for a high-fasion magazine. She gets her stilettos in the door when she gets a job writing a personal finance column at a sister publication. Much to her surprise, her column not only becomes a hit, but she falls head over high heels for her overworked yet handsome boss (Hugh Dancy). But Becky has a secret that leads to some hilarious high jinks that could unravel it all. From the best-selling novel, and featuring the perfect comedic cast, it's the feel-good must-have romantic comedy you'll fall in love with over and over again.
MOVIE REVIEW:
“Confessions of a Shopaholic” couldn’t arrive at a more inopportune time, a time when the American economy is flailing and the rest of the world economies are reeling. Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), its lead character, espouses what is wrong with consumers nowadays-the lure of the plastic is so great that people are tempted to spend beyond their means.
But if you believe P.J. Hogan’s film, the worst that can come from this excessiveness is capturing the heart of a charming Englishman (played by Hugh Dancy) or landing a plum job for which one is grossly unqualified. Can you blame “Confessions of a Shopaholic” for spreading such irresponsible messages at a time when caution is probably what is most needed? Can you fault it for being so hopelessly unrealistic that it almost lives in its own fantasy world?
Probably not, after all, we all need a little bit of escapism every now and then, even if it means indulging ourselves in the most ill-advised manner. But if you’re going to have some irresponsible fun, at least make sure that it actually is enjoyable. “Confessions of a Shopaholic” entices you with such irreverent possibilities- what with its Prada, Gucci, Macy’s, Barneys and Saks splurges- but doesn’t quite deliver what it promises.
As a satire on women’s obsession with brands and shopping, Tracey Jackson’s script isn’t clever enough to truly amuse. Indeed its most inspired bit is to show how the mannequins in the shop window gesture to Miss Shopaholic, Rebecca, with their latest expensive branded wares- probably the closest thing to what it means when girls talk about how store displays are calling out to them. Nowhere does the movie explain how or why such obsessions develop or why it’s such a hard habit to break.
As a rom-com, P.J. Hogan’s film isn’t spontaneous or hilarious enough to elicit more than a smile or two. The romance between Rebecca and Hugh Dancy’s business magazine editor Luke Brandon fizzles more than sizzles thanks to a limp story and some clichéd setups. Yes, this is predictable to a fault and even the stars’ chemistry fail to redeem the lazy material.
The best thing that “Confessions of a Shopaholic” has going for it is its lead star, Isla Fisher. The role is her first as a leading actress after many supporting turns in romantic comedies such as “Wedding Crashers” and “Definitely, Maybe” and she proves to be a beguiling star with an exuberance that is simply irrepressible and irresistible. Sadly, her on-screen energy is misplaced in a film that has little of the same vigor.
It’s hard to believe that “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is in fact produced by action-meister Jerry Bruckheimer, the maestro at movies that are most adept at blowing things up in the most wildly fascinating ways. This is his first attempt at producing a rom-com/ chick flick and Bruckheimer shows he knows little of what makes the genre work. Worse still, its subject matter encourages the negligence and recklessness that is the root cause of our economic woes today. Since it offers nothing by way of escapist fun, this Confession is one you best avoid.
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