Older Reviews- Confessions of a Shopaholic

            Confessions of a Shopaholic tries to make a strong point about the dangers of materialism and addiction, but it gets lost in glitz and ditzy humor.

            Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Definitely Maybe) plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist obsessed with shopping, glitter, and the elite fashion magazine “Alette.” When she discovers both an opportunity to work at the magazine and a ticket out of her $16,000 debt, she jumps for it in her seven-inch pink heels, only to find out that her best available opportunity is at Super Savings- yes, a boring, unglamorous, yet infinitely more useful finance magazine.

            This movie is essentially Uptown Girls, The Devil Wears Prada, Bridewars, Legally Blonde, and AA philosophy rolled up into one film. It preys upon the consumerist culture, label dropping constantly and, even when it tries to give a message about fiscal responsibility, wraps it in a fuzzy leopard print blanket of fashion porn.

            Hidden within the movie is a stronger message about addiction. One of the high points is a monologue by Isla Fisher, where she comments to the editor of Alette magazine about being lost in debt over clothing that Alette calls “affordable fashion.” There are moments that take place at shopaholics anonymous, and while the idea that such meetings exist (as, with the economy in its current state and movies like this one being made, they probably do) could say something about the danger of compulsive activity and compulsive spending in particular, the writers take the same approach to these scenes as the writers of Blades of Glory took in the sexaholics anonymous meetings- using it as another excuse to joke about an addiction that the majority of the world will never take seriously.

            Thrown into the mix is a love affair with Super Savings editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). The relationship is essential to the chick flick formula, but it rarely ventures outside the realm of pointless. There is very little chemistry between Fisher and Brandon, and the romance seems forced and thrown in at the last minute. The film is long enough as it is (1 hour and 45 minutes that feel way longer with all of the repetitive gags), and the Brandon/Bloomwood situation only makes it feel longer.

            As far as the acting goes, Isla Fisher is appropriately charming as Bloomwood. She’s shown a talent for playing loose cannons before, and she does not disappoint in Shopaholic. The problem is, she keeps playing the same parts, so it’s hard to know if she’s talented or simply nuts. If she wants to live up to her stunt double Amy Adams, she needs to stop making movies like Shopaholic, pronto. As best friend Suze, Krysten Ritter is delightfully neurotic, though even her antics get tiring after awhile. Probably the most noteworthy acting comes in the form of a series of store mannequins that taunt Fisher with the allure of shopping. But, as Fisher learns about spending money on clothing, the audience of this film would best spend its money elsewhere.

Grade: B-