Search - Confessions of a Shopaholic (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 5/14/2024...

Fun stuff!

Depends on your view of Book v. Movie

SaraShaw | Boston, Massachusetts | 03/08/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I went out and read the book to see what this movie was all about. I liked the book and looked forward to the movie. I found a lot of negative reviews but most went along the lines of "in these times..." which annoys me because generally you shouldn't judge a movie by the economic times it comes out in.



If you go to the movie expecting something resembling the book, you will be disappointed. The book is about 90% different than the movie and in the book Rebecca was much more believable as just an every day person getting into debt. If I remember correctly in the book Becky got an advance after graduation and just got into the habit of spending until it had grown well past what she had in the bank. But it was not so bad that she seemed irresponsible. In the book she is a valued reporter at successful savings from the start. And Luke Brandon was just someone she knew as a reporter. Overall a much stronger and independent woman in the book (oh and it was all set in London).



Here, um not so much. Her spending is very out of control for no reason and she starts off at a gardening magazine. Since she seems to have no interest in reporting (other than to get to fashion :: SUPER CLICHE':::) and indeed takes a job at successful savings to attempt to get into a fashion magazine, she comes off a bit flighty and selfish. I felt bad for all those serious girls in the waiting room who wanted the job at Sucessful Savings -- that went to Becky because she wanted to shop. Fortunately, in the movie, for someone so hapless she gets a charming handsome editor who thinks she is pretty and thinks most of what she does is great.



Of course the movie ends in kind of the "tootsie" live tv moment where Becky is outed as being in big debt (while in the book it is Becky who takes Brandon to task on tv for one of his companys taking advantage of ordinary folks ) but in the movie everyone loves her anyway after proving to be a fraud.



I guess the *current economic times* comes into play in that Becky in the movie is the person we all hate. The person who got the too big for her to pay mortgage even though she knew, or should have, there was no way to pay for it, the person who got into debt and is now declaring bankruptcy... yet, this movie gives her the dreamy Hugh Dancy as reward. And in the movie, Becky never seems remorseful, yet in the book she really is.



I might have enjoyed this more had I not read the book. To see a strong independent Becky there kind of makes me frustrated that things were so changed here."

Fun for a matinee

Mary E. Clarneau | raleigh, nc | 02/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Pure Frivolous Fun!

Amanda | Dallas, Texas | 02/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."