Confessions of a Shopaholic DVD Review and Giveaway

Confessions Of A Shopaholic, a film about the irresistibility of using credit to purchase high-end fashion items in order to feel momentary happiness and distinction, is also a very physically-oriented film (much unlike the thought-driven Shopaholic book series by Sophie Kinsella). Released on June 23rd on DVD by Touchstone Pictures, it stars Isla Fischer (who is very good at the bodily jokes) as Rebecca Bloomwood, a woman far more oriented towards slapstick than towards verbal repartee! Rebecca falls on sequins, rips her clothes, bumps into people and objects and spills large platters of food, and even a special clothing sale entails literally fighting with another woman over a large pair of brand-name boots!

We see Rebecca walking from shop window to shop window like the Little Match Girl in Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, hungry for what others (in her case, richer people) have – but unlike the Little Match Girl, she has plastic to make it hers! We continue to follow Rebecca throughout the movie, walking, walking, walking on her very high heels and forever wanting, wanting, wanting new clothing and accessories. Das Kapital would have had a field day with this film!

Rebecca’s new boss Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) has a British accent, a fair amount of aplomb, a good mind and a drive towards starting his own magazine. It’s also notable that most of the men in this film are well-spoken, while the women aren’t. Rebecca, in high contrast, desperately throws around phones in order to avoid creditors who think that she’s “ill in Finland” as she confers with her room-mate Suze (Krysten Ritter) about her over-$16,000 debt. She stumbles and tumbles everywhere, walking into glass doors and constantly falling, falling, falling off her very high heels (although I don’t think this was an intentional metaphor!). We are drawn in by her continuous movement and wonder whether she’s subconsciously trying to escape the commercial-proof and thrifty hippiedom of her mother (Joan Cusack) and father (John Goodman). Ironically the magazine at which she works is called Successful Savings. With “The Girl In The Green Scarf” as her by-line, Rebecca turns her journalistic vengeance not on her own extravagance and obsession but on the “unfair” sales tactics of clothing and accessories corporations.

Watch Confessions of a Shopaholic Movie Trailer
Confessions Of A Shopaholic is a frolic in a fantasy world where you don’t immediately have to end up paying all of your debts because you’ll be rescued by your boss’s ideas (on which you put a personal spin and suddenly you’re an unbelievably successful columnist!). Rebecca (not the others at Successful Savings who’ve been toiling there for years) gets privileges like going to a conference in Miami with Luke and insulting CEO’s while her phone plays “If I Were A Rich Girl.” The premise is so far-fetched that it’s entertaining!

Rated PG, this film is for everyone (perhaps the family can have a serious discussion about the importance of not squandering money after watching the film!). Of course Rebecca’s boss falls in love with her even as he admits that the way he dresses is not fashionable because he doesn’t want to be defined by expensive clothing and his family’s riches (so there are nuggets of wisdom to glean from this film!). Eventually Rebecca sees the errors of her ways and finds a way to make amends with those she’s hurt, fueled by “true love.” I’ve never actually seen this occur in real life, but this is cinema!

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