Confessions of a Shopaholic (film)


Confessions of a Shopaholic is a 2009 American romantic comedy film based on the first two entries in the Shopaholic series of novels by Sophie Kinsella. Directed by P. J. Hogan, the film stars Isla Fisher as the shopaholic journalist and Hugh Dancy as her boss.

Plot

Rebecca Bloomwood is a shopping addict who lives in New York City with her best friend Suze. She works as a journalist for a gardening magazine but dreams of joining the fashion magazine Alette. On the way to an interview with Alette, she buys a green scarf. Her credit card is declined, so Rebecca goes to a hot dog stand and offers to buy all the hot dogs with a check, if the seller gives her back change in cash, convincing that the scarf is meant to be a gift for her sick aunt. This prompts a man who later turns out to be Luke Brandon to give her the $20 she needs for the scarf.
When Rebecca arrives at the interview, she's told that the position has been filled internally. However, the receptionist tells her there is an open position with the magazine Successful Saving, explaining that getting a job at Successful Saving could eventually lead to a position at Alette magazine. Rebecca interviews with Luke Brandon, the editor of Successful Saving and the man who just gave her the $20. She hides her scarf outside his office, but Luke's assistant comes into the office and gives it back to her. Rebecca knows the game is up and leaves.
That evening, drunk, she and Suze write letters to Alette and Successful Saving, but in her intoxicated state she mails each to the wrong magazine. Luke likes the letter she meant to send to Alette and hires her. Rather than completing a work assignment for a new column, Rebecca goes to a clothing sale. While inspecting a cashmere coat that she had just purchased, she realizes it is not 100% cashmere and she has been duped. This gives her an idea for the column, which she writes and submits to Luke. When asked if the article is to be published using her name, Rebecca is hesitant to use her real name and Luke creates the name "The Girl in the Green Scarf" and it as well as the article becomes an instant success.
"The Girl in The Green Scarf" becomes a huge hit. Her articles become very popular within business groups, and even Rebecca's own parents also advises her to read her articles. The articles are referenced in business groups in Asia, causing the Successful Saving magazine to go international. This brings much praise to Rebecca, from her peers in the workplace, and her friend Suze. "The Girl In The Green Scarf" becomes so popular that she is asked to attend a TV interview, and meets with the owner of Alette magazine to purchase a dress for the interview.
Rebecca later returns home to renewed confrontations with her debt collector, Derek Smeath, so Suze makes her attend Shopaholics Anonymous. After one shopping spree, she meets a friendly woman, Miss Korch, only to learn that she is the group leader and forces Rebecca to donate all the clothes she just bought, including a bridesmaid's dress for Suze's wedding and a dress for a TV interview. After the meeting, Rebecca can't afford to buy back both dresses and buys back the interview dress, leaving the bridesmaid's dress behind. During the interview, Derek Smeath is in the audience and confronts Rebecca. Successful Saving terminates Rebecca's column after the public confrontation for bringing discredit on the magazine and believing she is a risk for not paying debts.
Suze is furious and hurt when she finds out that Rebecca lost the bridesmaid dress, and Rebecca feels she let everyone down. Rebecca's father, Graham, is more sympathetic, making a remark that the United States has not fallen despite its gigantic national debt, and offers to sell his recreational vehicle to help her. Rebecca declines his offer, saying that he earned the camper through years of hard work and saving, and that she will need to tackle her debts on her own. Alette offers Rebecca a position at the magazine, but she declines. Meanwhile, Luke starts a new company, Brandon Communications.
In order to earn the money to repay her debts, the members of Shopaholic Anonymous help Rebecca stage a clothes sale, which generates a lot of revenue, but not enough to retire her debts. She finally sells her green scarf when a woman bids on it for $300, making it possible for her to give all the cash to the debt collector, which she pays in pennies—to give it to him in the "most inconvenient way possible".
Rebecca attends the foam party wedding after reclaiming her bridesmaid dress, and Suze forgives her. Walking past a Yves Saint Laurent window, she is tempted to buy a dress, but walks away; then imagining the mannequins applauding her for overcoming her shopaholic ways. Rebecca then runs into Luke who returns the green scarf to her after revealing that the woman who bought it was his agent. Rebecca becomes romantically involved with Luke and starts working at his new company.

Cast

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. The film uses the novel's American title Confessions of a Shopaholic reinterpreting Rebecca as an American rather than English.
According to DVD commentary, Lithgow turned down the role of Edgar West twice before accepting it. Armisen was approached for the West role after Lithgow initially turned it down, but after Lithgow changed his mind, the Ryan Koenig role was written for Armisen. Ed Helms was cast as Derek Smeath but scheduling conflicts prevented him from taking the role. He shot the Garret role in one day.
Filming took place in New York, Connecticut, and Florida from February to May 2008. 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.
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.

Reception

Confessions of a Shopaholic has received generally negative reviews from critics. 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. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a rating of 25%, based on 165 reviews with an average score of 4.37/10. The site's consensus reads: "This middling romantic comedy underutilizes a talented cast and delivers muddled messages on materialism and conspicuous consumption."
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.
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. 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.

Home media release

The film was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on June 23, 2009 in North America and in Australia on August 5, 2009.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Confessions of a Shopaholic was released on February 17, 2009 under Hollywood Records. However, an alternate track listing was posted on Tommy2.net on January 25, 2009. In the alternate track listing, Adrienne Bailon also sing "Big Spender" instead of Girlicious, and the Pussycat Dolls sing "Bad Girl" instead of Rihanna featuring Chris Brown. In addition, Ric 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, Lady Gaga's "Fashion" was also in the soundtrack.