At the Movies with Fatwayne

This movie is breezy, light and fluffy much like the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher). Unfortunately for Rebecca, the movie has a lot of money to back it up (produced by Jerry Bruckheimer) while our heroine is up to her ears in credit card debt as a result of her “can’t say no” shopping affliction.

Rebecca is likable but weak when it comes to buying and the joy she gets from buying. As she says, “when I shop the world gets better, the world is better…and then it’s not anymore and I have to do it again”. Now, that sounds addictive to me! Complicating her problem is the fact that she owes over $16,000 to her creditors, doesn’t have a job and has the bill collector  hot on her trail.

Through a cinematic fluke (you know, the kind that only happens in the movies) she lands a job as a writer for a financial magazine. She considers this a stopover on the way to her dream job at her favorite fashion magazine.  Her boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) assigns her an article to write which she manages after much confusion on her part.  Her article turns out to be very different from what her readership expects but they seem to turn her wacky words into words of wisdom. Isn’t an active imagination a wonderful thing?

With her sudden success upon her, she decides that a pen name is called for. Having just bought a beautiful scarf she decides to become the “girl in the green scarf”!

As success comes Rebecca’s way so does romance in the form of her employer, Luke.  She manages this tightrope walk for a time but eventually her deceptions and the bill collector catch up with her thus threatening her job and her relationship with Luke.

Rebecca is fortunate to have a very good and forgiving friend, Suze (Krysten Ritter) to fall back on as well as loving parents played by John Goodman and Joan Cusack. She also joins a support group for shopaholics which lends her assistance and provides us with a few chuckles.

Adding to the allure of this film is the fine supporting cast in addition to Goodman and Cusack. We get to enjoy John Lithgow, Lynn Redgrave, Julie Hagerty and Kristin Scott Thomas.  All contribute their talents toward making this bit of fluff bearable.

Isla Fisher is most pleasing to look at and her considerable comedic talents are showcased. Since she is very likable we are hoping that things work out for her in the end.  All in all, the movie worked out fairly good for me. I have to admit that I enjoyed myself.  As the bill collector, Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton) says “let me tell you – the more you look at me the funnier I get”.  That’s the way I felt about this movie!

Quotes from Confessions of a Shopaholic are posted at http://www.tvmoviequotes.com/confessionsofashopaholic.htm

Rated – PG -

Fatwayne’s rating  – -