Confessions of A Shopaholic

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 13th Feb ‘09
Time : 104 minutes
Director : PJ Hogan; Writer : Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth, Kayla Alpert based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella; Music : James Newton Howard
Starring : Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, John Lithgow, John Goodman, Joan Cusack, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Robert Stanton

It reminded me of Legally Blonde and Bridget Jones Diary, only it was slightly less funny, more corny / predictable and more vacuous (if that’s possible).


Shopaholic journalist, in search of her dream job in a fashion magazine, lands up working for a financial magazine instead, and begins to write a column which describes financial instruments using fashion metaphors (for example : A store credit card is like the cashmere dress you bought in a sale). She becomes very famous, the toast of the town and especially of cute boss, till her run-ins with her debt collector lead to things falling apart. Will she manage to come back on top ? Will she and cute boss get together or will he succumb to the wiles of her long legged competitor, Alicia, whose mere walk makes handbags pop open in a phallic reaction ? Will she eventually get the job in the fashion magazine ?


Most of the answers above are predictable as are most of the jokes – some innovations though – one was the whole tequila with bills concept, definitely worth trying, the other was the shopaholics anonymous idea, which has huge potential in the West I feel, and finally the frozen credit card, again a thought worth imitating in real life. However, the jokes which make you smile and the moments where you cringe at the sheer empty headedness of it all dead heat by the time the film ends. The financial metaphors she uses actually make sense but too little time is spent on that vs other sillier moments. Kristin Scott Thomas is wasted, especially with that fake French accent, John Goodman and Joan Cusack look haggard and Isla Fisher is decent but looks unnervingly like Elisabeth Shue. Hugh Dancy is probably the only one who comes out fine.


Most women in the audience, though, couldn’t stop giggling and seemed to enjoy the film. Treat it as a time-pass chick flick, take your wife/partner / girlfriend and earn major brownie points…