Film Reviews

Confessions of a Shopaholic

• Rating:
• Director: P.J. Hogan
• Starring: Hugh Dancy
• Details: USA / TBC / (PG)

Quite possibly the girliest film ever to grace celluloid, this fluffy romantic comedy shines a spotlight on the undeniable comedic talents of Isla Fisher, who carries a major Hollywood production for the first time. Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a fashion loving college graduate, who gets a job at an uppity financial magazine, despite being thousands of dollars in debt due to her chronic shopping. She proves to be a huge success at the magazine, but must keep the debt collectors at bay, whilst simultaneously giving sound financial advice. On top of that, she finds herself falling for her editor, and is left wondering whether or not he feels the same way. Playing like a cross between Legally Blonde and The Devil Wears Prada, this is fun, instantly forgettable comedy that will delight fans of the 'chick flick', with its cutting edge fashion, handsome, but affable, love interest, and funny female lead. Fisher has long been thought of as a hugely capable comedienne, but hasn't really had a chance to showcase that since Wedding Crashers saw her stealing scenes from certified members of the comedy frat pack. She's on great form here, and her performance alone really does make this movie worth watching. Director Hogan also brings a bit of colour to proceedings, helming with an almost quirkiness, from a pretty straight forward script. It would hardly seem to be the perfect fit for legendary blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer, but the man obviously knows commercial material when he sees it, and this film should really pull in the masses. We're hardly dealing with an original idea here, as the movie does borrow liberally from other genre stalwarts that have gone before it; but in its defence, very few of them have been this fun.

Review by Mike Sheridan