Confessions of a Shopaholic is a 2009 film adaptation of the Shopaholic series of novels by Sophie Kinsella. It is directed by P. J. Hogan and stars Isla Fisher as the central character, Rebecca Bloomwood, the shopaholic journalist.
Plot
A childhood memory begins the film, as Rebecca's mother buys her brown shoes that will last forever but aren't fashionable, while other girls get cute fashionable shoes. They laugh at her mundane shoes, and Rebecca feels unworthy. She sees a lady using a credit card and is fascinated by them, coveting one.
Now, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), living with her best friend Suze Cleath-Stuart (Krysten Ritter), has moved to Manhattan to get involved in the New York City magazine world. She has several credit cards, and a shopping addiction. She's a journalist for a gardening magazine but her dream is to join the fashion magazine Alette. On the way to her interview she is distracted by a Denny & George sale, eventually buying a green scarf. Her credit card is declined and sale items cannot be held so Rebecca races to the nearest hot dog stand offering to buy all the hot dogs if the seller gives her back change in cash. Rebecca lies, saying its a gift for her sick Aunt Ermintrude. Finally a man offers her $20. Unfortunately, when Rebecca gets to her Alette interview the male receptionist informs her that the job has been filled by Alicia Billington. He advises her to join another of several other magazines owned by the corporation, Dantay-West and make her way up to Alette since the company likes to promote from within. He tells her there are interviews being held at Successful Savings. When she interviews with Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), the editor of Successful Saving, she realises he is the man from who loaned her $20. Whilst he talks on the phone, she hides her scarf in a cubicle outside his office. The interview doesn't go well, when he asks her why she chose to learn Finnish fluently and about the current fiscal crisis. She tries to distract him without any success. Luke's assistant Hayley comes into the room and tells Rebecca that she dropped her scarf. Rebecca knows her game is up and leaves the interview.
Frustrated by her lack of success, she and Suze write drunken letters to Alette and Successful Saving, but she posts each to the wrong magazine. Nevertheless, Luke Brandon hires her. Then, rather than completing a work assignment, she goes to a clothing sale. When examining an expensive cashmere coat, it gives her inspiration for her column, calling herself "the Girl in the Green Scarf." Impressed Luke invites her to a conference in Miami and an important ball. At a restaurant Alicia (Leslie Bibb), asks Luke to the ball, leaving Rebecca feeling dejected. In Miami, Rebecca says her credit collector, Derek Smeath is actually her stalker when he attempts to reach her throughout the film.
Rebecca returns home to confrontations with Derek Smeath, a bill collector, so her roommate Suze makes her join Shopaholics Anonymous. The class leader, Miss Korch (Wendie Malick), forces her to sell all the clothes she just bought, including her maid of honor dress for Suze's wedding and a dress she purchased for a TV show interview for her now famous columns as "The Girl in the Green Scarf". She offers to buy back both dresses from the charity store she was forced to donate to, but can only afford one, and chooses the TV interview dress. During her live TV interview, Rebecca is publicly outed and accused of not paying her debts by Smeath, and consequently loses her job. Suze is also angry when she finds out that Rebecca sold her bridesmaid dress, and doesn't let her back into the apartment.
Rebecca is then back at her parents house when Alette herself appears to offer her a position at the fashion magazine as a new columnist, writing about bargain sales. While this had been Rebecca's initial plan, she says that she'd be making another mistake by influencing women to keep shopping for high-end clothes. She rejects the offer, and then decides to sell most of her wardrobe in an auction-style format to pay off her debts.
Rebecca sells all her clothes in the sale, but hesitates over the green scarf during the auction. A blond woman and a telephone bidder begin a bidding war over the scarf. The auction is a success, making it possible for her to repay all of her debts. Rebecca then gives her payment to her credit collector Derek Smeath, paying it all in change by leaving hundreds of jars in his office. Rebecca then attends Suze's wedding, after reclaiming her bridesmaid dress from the homeless woman who had subsequently gotten it from the charity store. Suze forgives her and lets her be the maid of honor again. Rebecca and Luke meet again, and Luke returns the green scarf after revealing that he was the person behind both bidders at the auction. Rebecca ends up working for Luke's new magazine, writing her first column titled "Confessions of a Shopaholic." And ends up in a relationship with him.
Cast
Production
The film adapts the two books The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad which in the United States were known as Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan respectively.[2] The film uses the novel's American title Confessions of a Shopaholic reinterpreting Rebecca as an American rather than English.
Filming took place in New York, Connecticut, and Florida from February to May 2008.[3][4] To change the ending to be more sympathetic to audiences during a time of recession, re-shoots took place in New York City on December 4 and 8, 2008.[5]
Production on the film also included creating a group of faux upscale brand stores at the base of the Hearst Tower. Present were brands such as Valentino, Anna Sui, Catherine Malandrino and Alberta Ferretti. Several of the costumes were from the collection of French couture designer Gilles Montezin.[6]
Reception
On its opening weekend without Presidents' Day, the film opened #4 behind Taken, He's Just Not That Into You, and Friday the 13th grossing $15,054,000 in 2,507 theaters with a $6,005 average.[7] As of May 22, 2009 the film grossed $44,277,350 at the domestic box office, while its worldwide box office is $106,904,619.[8]
Confessions of a Shopaholic has received generally negative reviews. As of March 6, 2009 the film holds an average score of 38, based on 30 reviews on the Web Site Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics.[9] On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a rating of 23%, based on 113 reviews with a consensus "This middling romantic comedy underutilizes a talented cast and delivers muddled messages on materialism and conspicuous consumption."[10]
Isla Fisher's performance generated good reviews and she was nominated for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy at the Teen Choice Awards 2009, but she lost to Anne Hathaway for Bride Wars. The film itself was also nominated for Choice Movie: Romance but lost to Twilight.
Home media release
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 23, 2009 in North America [11] and in Australia on August 5, 2009.
Soundtrack
According to Amazon the soundtrack of Confessions of a Shopaholic was released on February 17, 2009 under Hollywood Records.[13] However, an alternate tracklisting was posted on Tommy2.net on January 25, 2009.[14] In the alternate tracklisting, Adrienne Bailon also sings "Big Spender" instead of Girlicious, and the Pussycat Dolls sing "Bad Girl" instead of Rihanna feat.Chris Brown. In addition, Rick Ocasek is said to sing "Emotion In Motion" instead, and "Music Of The Sun" by Rihanna has been replaced by "Calling You" by Kat DeLuna. Shontelle sings Stuck With Each Other with Akon for the soundtrack.
References
External links
