I Confess, I Liked "Shopaholic."
Written: Oct 20 '09
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Great cast, Isla Fisher is beautiful and funny, nice romantic comedy...
Cons: Some awkwardness: her lying, cheating, betraying, etc...she would be unlikable in lesser hands.
The Bottom Line: A funny little romantic comedy about a girl with a little spending problem.
|
|
|
| JediKermit's Full Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic |
Sometimes I like Chick Flicks. That might be because my wife likes them, or because they're generally populated by good looking people and have happy endings. So when I saw that my wife had picked up Confessions of a Shopaholic, I figured it'd be good for an evening of either laughing with the movie or at the movie. Happily, it was the former.
Confessions of a Shopaholic is the story of Rebecca Bloomwood, a woman who grew up with frugal parents who had her watching every penny as they bought the most practical, cheapest, thriftiest clothes imaginable. Once she's out of their house and on her own in New York City, she discovers Barney's and Bloomingdale's and all of the other big stores that make fashionistas take out their credit cards. And then their other credit cards. And then even more. So besides becoming a clothes horse, Rebecca is also in debt up to her eyeballs. Her roommate Suze tries to help her out when she can, but eventually Rebecca's problems are too big to hide under the bed, and she needs help.
This all comes to a head at the same time the journalist loses her job, but somehow she lands on her feet--as a financial advice writer. She's at a new magazine with a cute young editor, and her efforts to outrun her creditors while staying in his good graces pretty much propel the rest of the movie.
Honestly, much of this movie was uncomfortable (but still funny) because Rebecca spends much of her time either lying or betraying her closest friends. I also felt like her spending was unconscionable, although she does explain why she spends the way she does on clothes, and I could see a glimpse of my own obsessive compulsiveness in her character. We all have our weaknesses, and hers happens to be clothes. What makes her a winning character isn't the script, but Isla Fisher. I don't think I've ever seen her in any other movie, and her fresh face, her physical approach to comedy, and her gorgeous red hair had my attention throughout the whole movie. It's true that pretty girls can get away with anything, and when Rebecca eventually has to pay the piper (through a twist that can only happen in romantic comedies, but she does need to sacrifice to do it), it's heartbreaking.
The rest of the cast, including Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas and Julie Hagerty (!) are all wonderful, and do more than just prop up the central story of the movie. Every "small" role is filled with a big actor, and it made the movie more interesting, more professional, and above all, more funny.
If you're looking for a fun night in with a cute (yeah, I said it) movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic was a nice little movie with a message tucked in there too. Rebecca finds her self-worth after she loses everything...sometimes that needs to happen to us. That's when we really find what we value most.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
JediKermit
|
 in Movies, Kids & Family, Books |
 - Top 100 |
|
Member: Quinn
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 2178
Trusted by: 601 members
About Me:
Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.