Movie Info:
Writers: Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth
Director: P.J. Hogan
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Fred Armisen, Leslie Bibb, Robert Stanton, Julie Hagerty
Rating: PG
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: February 13, 2009
DVD Release Date: Jun. 23, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $27.99
“You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well that’s what it’s like when I see a store. Only it’s better.” – Rebecca Bloomwood
I’m the type of guy who isn’t into romantic anything. I don’t like the romantic comedies. I’m more the rough and rugged type. Give me an action packed, thriller movie and I’m content. Occasionally, I will watch something funny for what I like to call ’shits n giggles’. Well, that’s pretty much why I decided to review Confessions of a Shopaholic. It seemed funny enough for me to watch it with the girlfriend without being bored to tears or annoyed enough to watch to the point where I want to stab my eyes out with sporks.
The trailer for Confessions of a Shopaholic captures many of the funniest scenes. Luckily, they aren’t the only funny scenes in the movie, Otherwise, I would have been terribly disappointed. I’m not going to say I loved this film, because that would be a lie. This movie has romantic cliches and plenty of cheesiness; the kinds of things that make me shy away from reviewing movies deemed romantic comedies. But, the funny moments are interspersed enough throughout the movie to engage and entertain even those guys like me who won’t stomach another Cameron Diaz movie, even if the girlfriend begged (luckily, mine detests Cameron Diaz, but that’s neither here nor there).
I was lucky enough to wind up with a girlfriend who only likes romantic movies sometimes, and they have to be witty enough to catch her attention. There was a lot of laughing throughout the movie, by her. She enjoyed parts of it, whether she’ll admit that or not. However, halfway through the movie, she turned to me and said, “We already know what’s going to happen at the end. Isn’t that too predictable?” I answered by stating that people go into these types of movies knowing what will happen, and that’s okay. That isn’t the point of the story. We’ve seen this type of girl meets boy scenario a million times. The key is in finding a new way to tell the story that engages and entertains the audiences.
If you don’t know already (and you’d be stupid), this movie has a happy ending. It’s a romantic comedy. That’s no spoiler. It’s just the way it goes. What makes this movie different from all the other romantic comedies is the fact that Confessions of a Shopaholic is actually funny in many parts. There is an all star supporting cast that includes legends in comedy like John Goodman, Joan Cusack, Julie Hagerty and John Lithgow. Isla Fisher is stunning as the beautiful protagonist, Rebecca Bloomwood, Hugh Dancy is the typical, good looking guy who attracts the girl, eventually, and even Kristen Scott Thomas makes her presence known as a larger than life head editor/boss of a fashion magazine.
The writing for Confessions of a Shopaholic is not without its faults. It follows many of the conventions that turn me away from the romantic comedy genre. Girl meets boy. Girl despises boy. Girl mistakenly sends a note with her feelings about boy to someone else. Boy decides to give girl a chance. Boy and girl fall in love. The truth comes out and boy and girl face conflict. Along the way there are massive amounts of cliches and the occasional awkward scene. However, the acting keeps things going and the comedic twist keeps the movie flowing, at least enough to make Confessions of a Shopaholic enjoyable to watch once or twice.
The Confessions of a Shopaholic Plot
When Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – Horton Hears a Who!, Wedding Crashers, I Heart Huckabees) was a child, her mother, Jane (Joan Cusack – Raising Helen, Toy Story 1 & 2, In & Out, Cradle Will Rock), always bought her the cheapest things even if they weren’t always fashionable. It was all about saving money and getting a bargain. Despite both of her parents being thrifty (her dad is played by John Goodman), Rebecca had high hopes for herself. She looked at how fashionable models were, and they didn’t need money. They had magic (credit) cards!
Fast forward to a 20-something Rebecca. She’s a journalist at a small publication, living in New York with her best friend, Suze (Krysten Ritter – 27 Dresses). Rebecca dreams of working at Alette, the top fashion magazine in New York. She has an interview, but the job has been filled by Alicia Billington (Leslie Bibb – Wristcutters: A Love Story), someone working within the company, before Rebecca arrives. The receptionist feels bad, so he tells her about an interview with another magazine that is a part of the group that owns Alette. That magazine just happens to be Successful Saving.
This is ironic because Rebecca is a shopaholic. She has 12 different credit cards and is over $16K in debt. She can’t seem to control her spending and Successful Saving is all about teaching people how to save. After bombing her interview with the boss of the magazine, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy – The Jane Austen Book Club), Rebecca gets drunk. Suze convinces her to write an article for Alette and send it to them. Inebriated, Rebecca also writes a not so nice letter to Luke Brandon.
When the letters get switched, Luke is impressed by Rebecca’s article, which highlights the importance of picking out the right shoes. It shows she knows the value of a good product, and he think she’ll be a fresh and innovative voice at the magazine. Rebecca only joins so she can have a chance at Alette, but with mounting debt and a persistent debt collector, Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton), on her tail, Rebecca might not be able to keep up the rouse that got her hired (and she now feels bad about it) for long.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
You should always expect the visual quality of new movies to stand out. Confessions of a Shopaholic is presented at a aspect ratio of 2.40:1 in widescreen. The picture is presented at a 1080p screen resolution. This movie looks excellent with bright and vibrant colors and a clear, crisp picture. The anamorphic, high definition transfer is free of any type of visual errors. Nothing bad stands out, and everything looks as perfect as a new movie should. Blacks and other darker colors have a rich tone, the fleshtones are natural and the bright colors have an excellent level of saturation. Overall, this is a near flawless presentation.
The primary audio for Confessions of a Shopaholic is an English: DTS-HD 5.1 track. This is a 24-bit, lossless master audio track that presents sound that is clear as a bell. The primary focus of this track is dialogue and the effective soundtrack that accompanies the action on screen. Don’t expect massive amounts of sound effects or any other sounds that will test the limits of the track. Still, there is no need for volume toggling. There are no audio issues that limit the track. The soundtrack is complimented by a surround sound that blasts music throughout various parts of the speakers encapsulating the audience within its vibrant sound.
There are additional tracks in Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. Subtitles are presented in English for the Hearing Impaired, Spanish and French.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
When I think of a new, fairly successful movie that comes from Disney I assume that it’s going to have plenty of bonus features attached. I don’t know why I assume that, but I do. Shopaholic comes with a fair amount of bonus features, but none of them are very long. In fact, most of them are only a couple minutes in length. Surprisingly, there is no nod or mention of the differences and/or similarities between the book and the film. I would have thought this would be a given as far as bonuses go, but it looks like they decided to leave that one out.
There are some standard special features like a blooper reel, a digital copy, trailers for other Disney productions, and a music video for “Stuck with Each Other” by Shontelle, featuring Akon, “Accessory” by Jordyn Taylor, and “Takes Time to Love” by Trey Songz. There are also a few minutes of deleted scenes that don’t give much in the way of plot expansion, but follow the cute theme of the movie well enough to watch for a quick laugh.
“Wardrobe by Patricia Field”: This clocks in at three minutes. Field has done other fashion trendy films, such as Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada. In her three minutes, she dishes on how she chooses clothes based on the characters that she is dressing.
“Temple of Shopping”: Clocking in at only two minutes, this is a quick look at a Henri Bendel store and how it was transformed to suit the needs of Shopaholic.
“The Green Scarf”: This is an almost useless, two minute look at how the green scarf was secured for use on the film.
“New York: Fashion Central”: Jerry Bruckheimer is on hand for this quick, two minute look at how essential New York is to the world of fashion and how crazy it was to film in the city.
“Sample Sale Madness”: A short look at the sample sale scene. Again, it’s a rather pointless featurette.
“Window Shopping”: The final featurette lasts for two minutes. It looks at the women behind the mannequins that Becky talks to in the shop windows.
Prior to the start of the movie, there is a preview for the movie, The Proposal.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
While Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t the best romantic comedy I’ve ever seen, it is enjoyable enough for those who aren’t interested in the genre to watch. This film has enough comedy to keep you going through some of the sluggish and cheesy parts. I’m not a fan of the romantic comedy genre, but this looked mainstream enough for me to enjoy with my girlfriend. I was right. Most women are going to love it and us guys will be able to sit through it enough to appease our ladies during any date night. Confessions of a Shopaholic in Blu-ray is recommended.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Blu-ray, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Comedy, Chick Flick, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Touchstone, Review, Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy
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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.
