Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

I watched and enjoyed Confessions of a Shopaholic this past weekend. I am a fan of the Shopaholic series of books by Sophie Kinsella. Her books are light, fun reads that often have me laughing out loud.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is the story of Rebecca Bloomwood. She lives in Manhattan with her roommate Suze and has a deep obsession with shopping. While she is racking up great amounts of credit card debt, she can’t stop herself from buying the latest scarf or shoe. Through a drunken mix-up, she gets hired as a new voice at a financial magazine. Her editor, Luke Brandon, is a hot, smart guy that she soon finds herself falling in love with. Although she has many personal financial problems, her column that relates complex finances to everyday shopping strikes a cord and she wins wide acclaim. Will she be able to continue being “The Girl in the Green Scarf” or will her personal financial problems end her career and romance?

Confessions of a Shopaholic was a middle of the road chick flick. It was a funny enjoyable romp, as long as you aren’t looking for deep messages or take it too seriously. It followed the basic premise of the book, but there were many changes. One thing I did like was the mannequins talking Becky into buying more items. This did a good job of representing her inner dialogue which is very funny in the book. Overall, I still thought the book was much better than the movie.

I loved the actors in this movie. Isla Fisher is perfect as Becky and Hugh Dancy is a fantastic Luke Brandon. Becky’s parents were played by John Goodman and Joan Cusak. While they were very different from their book counterparts, they had some of the best lines and scenes in the movie. I wish we would have seen more of them! I didn’t think Joan Cusak looked old enough to be Isla Fisher’s mother.

Must see . . . I’d say no. But I’d watch it if it happened to be on TV and have a few laughs.