Confessions of a Shopaholic: Enjoyable but forgettable

Mar 12 2009 By Emma Heseltine

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Based on a best-selling novel by Sophie Kinsella, you know exactly what to expect from Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Even if you haven’t read the book, it has the predictable plot of any romantic comedy.

But hats (and scarves, shoes, handbags, etc.) off to the casting people who chose Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy as the leads. They really bring the humdrum story to life, making Confessions an easy, enjoyable watch.

Isla Fisher stars as the ditsy but loveable Rebecca Bloomwood who has a small problem that I can certainly relate to – she can’t stop spending. Dresses, shoes, handbags …she just keeps putting it on the plastic without a second thought.

But when she loses her job, her only income, surely Rebecca will take control of her spending once and for all?

She applies for her dream job at a fashion magazine, but when she doesn’t get it, she ends up as a columnist writing for a finance magazine which is run by the same company.

In her column, Rebecca advises readers on how to do exactly what she can’t – save money and invest well.

Bosses, especially handsome Luke (Hugh Dancy) are so impressed with her unique style, including writing about shoes as a metaphor for investing, she becomes an overnight celebrity.

She has to keep on spending to keep up appearances, even though her debts are becoming bigger than her dream wardrobe.

As her addiction escalates and threatens to destroy her career and her happiness, Rebecca has to decide whether it really is shopping that makes her happy.

This light and breezy film is perfect for those of us who like simple chick flicks. Isla Fisher is perfectly cast in the role of the hapless shopaholic, and her opposite number Hugh Dancy is both tasty and believable as her boss.

However, as the story plods along within itself, there is very little to make Confessions stand out from every other romantic comedy.

Even stylist Patricia Field, famous for the bold but stylish outfits seen in Sex and the City, could not inject the sort of colour you would expect from her, so for the fashion fans, the film is a bit of a let down.

But although forgettable, Confessions of a Shopaholic is a light, breezy and enjoyable film, perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

Our reviewer watched the film at The Odeon, Esher. Click here for showing times