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Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

Director: PJ Hogan

Time Out rating

Average user rating

67 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Making a shiny Hollywood film about the perils of shopping is like sending an alcoholic to buy wine for your party. Here, silks glow, furs rustle and getting in debt is fun and glamorous, which is why most of this film is about the slide into negative equity. Getting out again is drawn-out and dull. Here, it takes about 15 minutes.

Still, if you want gritty realism, see an arthouse movie. Or shop in a pound store. As journalist Rebecca, Isla Fisher is silly and adorable – just like this adaptation of Sophie Kinsella’s novel (transposed, naturally, from London to New York). A fashion desperado with more overdue credit card bills than she has little black dresses, she gets a job under sexy Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) at his unsexy financial magazine hoping she can claw her way up to the company’s flagship publication, Alette. This is a fabulous alternative reality: editors of fashion magazines drop everything to take rookies shopping and even the debt collector has a sense of humour.

And yet there’s reason beneath the nonsense. Rebecca is an addict: she lies and hurts those around her. She doesn’t even look right in her finery; unlike Carrie Bradshaw, she clumps along in her Louboutins like she has no right to them. And of course, she doesn’t. She’s a perfectly packaged product of the last boom, and the film knows so. Not that that gets in the way of having lots of escapist fun with the realities of Rebecca’s own private credit crunch. There’s a lesson there, and it’s not how to accessorise a Prada mini-dress.

Author: Nina Caplan 2009-02-17 10:52:12

Time Out London Issue 2009, 19-25 Feb, 2009

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User reviews of this film

Eckstar said...

Posted on Nov 15 2009 19:06 This film was the biggest load of rubbish I have ever watched. all the girly laughing at stuff that was not funny was annoying. The idea that a debt collecting company would know where you worked when you had only just started was ludicrous. Might work for the American market but defo not for me. the book was great

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yvonne said...

Posted on Oct 08 2009 11:24 this movie was great!!it is funny yet so romantic movie ive ever seen.:)

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hannah said...

Posted on Aug 25 2009 13:15 I have read all of the books and loved this movie. I think it was a shame that it was set in new york because then they can't really do the next book in the series. Saying that I loved the film and though things where different than in the book I actually thought they worked well and you wouldn't expect a film to be exactly the same as the book as it would be way too predictable
I loved this film and have watched it at least 20 times on dvd

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Nkoyo said...

Posted on Aug 06 2009 16:44 I had started reading the book and was eager to see the movie. But unfortunately I feel I shouldn't have bothered. I liked the lead actress though, other than that I dont have any good thing to say about it so I'll just stop here.

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Katherine said...

Posted on Jul 27 2009 21:18 Film is very loosely based on the book - wrong country, most of storyline seems to have been altered. Quite fun to watch though

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wendy said...

Posted on Jul 14 2009 13:48 Watched this film on DVD, thankfully. What a shame they didn't stick to the book, this story was based in London, could have been such a great film, to rival t any girly flick. British films are great and the locations in the book would have been fab, now you can't even do a confessions abroad as it was based in New York. But saying all this I did enjoy the film and loved the credit card scene and breaking the ice....

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Danni said...

Posted on Jul 12 2009 18:12 The Film Was Unsual but in the same way very fun and aditive 10\10

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Rachel McC said...

Posted on Jul 11 2009 15:13 Not as good as the book, storyline is is completely different. Tarkie in the movie is sus BF but in the book he is her cousins and fancies Rebecca. Plus Luke brandon is not her boss in the book he a rival. Trust me if you loved the film...read the book.

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jes said...

Posted on Mar 28 2009 11:34 Best movie EVER! I would go see it again. I rate it 20/10! its worth going.

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kooli said...

Posted on Mar 27 2009 19:34 i think confessions of a shopaholic is brill i really enjoyed it on ma b-day

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laura said...

Posted on Mar 25 2009 16:50 urghh so predictable. Couldn't stand it and was glad when it finished to be honest. Totally ruined the book for me. Even more annoying with giggly girls laughing at parts that were really not funny. Waste of time and money!

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jojo said...

Posted on Mar 20 2009 19:10 Aww i liked this movie typical giry film tho!

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Stacey Griffiths said...

Posted on Mar 20 2009 09:51 I thought this film was quite emotional at times. However it lacked fasion sense. Im a fashion designer and I think she has no taste, especially those gucci boots, they were horrific. :P
Film was too short. However, the ending made me cry. I was in tears.
Many Thanks.
Stace and Morgan.

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micheal said...

Posted on Mar 18 2009 09:55 it is rubbish

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natasha said...

Posted on Mar 17 2009 14:26 well worth watching a fab film women and some men can so relatet to it. a fab film altoghter. x

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