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Visitors Review

clairem36 2012-05-17 02:23:12

Spend your money on the book, not the movie!

I am an avid fan of 'chick flicks' and have read all the 'Shopaholic'books, so was inevitably dubious of the film version, and I was notwrong. Whilst the film had a stellar cast, particularly Hugh Dancy, thefilm was pretty much disappointing compared to the book, especially theUK version. The essence of the book was lost in the film; relationshipsbetween the characters and important events in the story weren'tincluded or dramatically changed in the film. The relationship betweenRebecca and Luke was not as snappy or exciting, and even Suze'srelationship with Tarquin was a bit ridiculous. Read the book if youhaven't, you'll see my point! What could've been a promising adaptation of a successful book, wasdisappointing. It did though have some comedic moments and waswatchable. Lets hope they don't try the other books!

Nick Schager 2012-05-16 12:48:24

If you gave Bernie Madoff custody of your life savings mere days before the FBI knocked on his door last December, your timing still wouldn't be as wretched as that of Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Richard_vmt 2012-05-15 03:58:04

All **** and a Bag of Chips!

I read the commenter who consulted his DVD player in disbelief aboutthis film's length. I found myself doing exactly the same thing atscene 10--to find there were 11 more to go. Needless to say, both of uswere driven by boredom. It is tough to imagine the plight of thetheater-goer with no time indicator to consult. The first problem with this film is that the leading lady and herroommate are acting to the young side of Clueless even though they are30ish. It just isn't cute. That other commenter used the word"obnoxious"--I can do no better.The second problem is that the jokes do not work. Take for instance,that her parents decide to 'spend our children's inheritance.' There'sthe RV and everything. Maybe it could have been funny, but it wasn't.Then there was the shopaholic recovery group leader caught red handedshoplifting. But yet, not funny.And so it went at every turn. The only parts of the movie which seemedfunny to me were the parts involving the debt collector.The male lead, Hugh Dancy, is 'a handsome sophisticated Englishman' butwhile I can find no flaw in his performance it is such a stereotype andnothing more, that rather than accept his character I continued toresent the forced stereotyping. Because, while love is sometimespuzzling, it is really tough to see what he could see in her. She isnot simply helpless (and therefore domestic?) but she is demanding aresponsible job to which she is not equal, and therefore seems like aruthless, aggressive, ground-gaining rogue. The fact that hermotivation is to finance her shopping addiction does nothing to dispelher profile as a loser. With no other factor in play, to find charm inany of this it really seems he has lost his mind--or is trapped in apoor script. Overall, I think that maybe the leading lady, Isla Fisher, is simplynot born to comedy. She is not a Clara Bow. In large part, nothingseems funny because it is happening to her. She has no comic reaction.She might be fine in a dramatic role, but she just ain't funny. I amsurprised how many people found this film acceptable. It registersperiodic noise in a rhythm similar to a comedy but for me it was justnot funny or charming or romantic.

Dana Stevens 2012-05-14 21:42:16

If you spin out the unintended analogy of Confessions of a Shopaholic to the current financial crisis, the film starts to mutate from a not-that-funny comedy into a tragic allegory.

Michael Rechtshaffen 2012-05-06 17:11:40

The packaging is appealing, but the previously owned contents are flimsy.

hcoursen 2012-05-06 12:32:02

Awful

This is an incoherent piece of junk. My mistake in believing the blurbs-- looked like an attractive premise. But -- it had no sense of howmagazines actually work. It did not show the young woman contributing adamned thing as "Green Scarf." The distinction between worth and valuewas Luke's insight. It was not extended thematically into the film. Nochemistry at all between the two "young lovers." That made itincomprehensible that he would fall for a bubble-head. The qualities heclaimed for her at the 'editorial meeting' had not been discernible.The film was incomprehensible, with characters often serving no definedfunction. Who/What was Kristen Scott Thomas supposed to be?Screenwriters should be summarily shot for inflicting this on us.Awful. A waste.

Andrew Sarris 2012-05-05 13:07:04

I can't really recommend this movie in these perilous times, except for viewers in search of a nostalgic chuckle or two.

chiefomg 2012-05-04 19:07:50

It's just a movie, but I have to say something!

This movie was my wife's pick for movie night out. I have to admit Idid have fun and I never checked my watch. I think all of us have sometype of shopping weakness. That was shown clearly in this movie. Now Ihave to get serious about something. The predator collector DerekSmeath would not last five hot minutes in the real world. What kind ofa madman comes to someone's home asking for money? Plus this was set inNew York! The only thing this clown would have collected was a bullet.Now when this jackass slammed her on national television he would havebeen sued. All Rebecca had to do was call the State Attorney General'sOffice. She would have had a strong case. All those witnesses, I meanviewers all saw what happened. However, people please pay your debts itthe right thing to do. I know times are tough, but the collectors haveit rough too. Back to our "friend" Mr. Smeath, the way Rebecca "paid"him off was cool. What I would have loved to see was after the payoff arepresentative from the Attorney General walk in a fine the collectionagency double what Rebecca owed. So my word to everyone…just do theright thing. If you owe pay! If you're collecting money be smart, besafe and don't do anything illegal either.

tempestnam 2012-05-03 22:14:07

Story line was just poor

I like Isla Fisher. She was especially good in Definitely, Maybe.And she performed adequately here.The real issue is the main crux of the whole conflicted, distresseddamsel.So, it's so wrong that she's writing an advice column about financialresponsibility because she is financially irresponsible??? Frankly,being mad about this on the part of the editor is not believable.Especially given the fact that financial advisers (especially in mostasset markets) are often more wrong than right but are still given lotsof respect.Heck, everyone in the world treats Goldman Sachs like they areinvesting gods. Yet they lost their investors money same as every otherfirm in this downturn. And those who are actually their clients aregetting even more ripped off because they charge them outrageousservice fees...yet people line up to give them money.So yeah, I don't see that the main underlying plot that the guy shelikes will be so unbelievably mad at her for not coming clean about herpersonal life. Big deal.It was mildly funny, but the ridiculousness of the plot made me notlike it.

2012-05-03 10:00:46

A Definite Favorite....

I enjoyed this movie very much. I feel as if the passion for shoppingwas really shown. It's a movie for boys and girls and will remain afavorite for a while. The acting was truly realistic and professional.The Comedy was there and the romantic moments were classic. This moviereally reaches out to those in bad debt and can help anyone understandthe attachment to clothing. The meaning of this addiction was shown andIsla Fisher was great. Confessions of a Shopaholic is a MUST-SEE!Joan Cusack was hilariously funny!Isla did a great job with doing an American accent, since she'sBritish.

Peter Rainer 2012-04-28 10:19:05

Isla Fisher is such a bundle of comic energy that watching her spin her wheels in the aggressively unfunny Confessions of a Shopaholic counts as cruel and unusual punishment -- for her as well as for us.

Annette Basile 2012-04-27 20:42:19

Even if you enjoy rom-coms, you'll be struggling to find more than two mild chuckles in this waste of time and celluloid.

j-ogungbadero 2012-04-23 02:11:51

Just Not Great

As a lover of Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" novels, I was so exited tohear the movie was coming out. I was hesitant upon learning that theyopted to set it in New York and Americanize it, but the final productis pretty terrible. The book series is an exercise in escapism, themovie is just blah. I became addicted to the books in airports sincethey're easy to read, well-written and funny. The film is hard towatch, hacked together, and not very funny. I didn't hate the movie simply because it didn't reflect the books.Isla Fisher is charming, which speaks volumes for her talent. I alsoloved the guy who plays Andy Bernard on "The Office's" 2 minute scene.I couldn't make it to the end of the film, but I was able to laugh atsome of her scenes. The film itself is just odd, the moving mannequinsare probably the most awkwardly placed bit, the sub-plot love storythat doesn't really develop. The whole thing is just, eh. Not the*worst* chick flick I've ever seen, but definitely not great. Why they attempted to put 3 of the books together is just beyondcomprehension, since they seem to have needed to cut all of what makesthe books engaging. Why base a movie on a book only in name? The rightscan't be cheap, and they definitely didn't even bother utilizing thematerial.

Melissa Anderson 2012-04-22 05:15:53

Confessions of a Shopaholic plays like both a supremely outmoded chick-lit adaptation and an outrageously obscene gesture as the economy continues to swallow up livelihoods, homes, and hope.

misterembryo 2012-04-14 23:46:27

Confessions of a Shopaholic-aholic

I confess. I fell for the Shopaholic. Isla Fisher is charming, funny,adorably goofy yet undeniably attractive. You can't help but notice heruncanny resemblance to Enchanted's Amy Adams, which is not a bad thingat all, yet she still maintains the same unique kookiness we allenjoyed in her role as Vince Vaughn's equal in The Wedding Crashers.The incredible job on the CGI'd mannequins, done by Lucasfilms'Industrial Light & Magic, is also worth mentioning.You're not supposed to go into the movie expecting it to be the nextepic Titanic love story. You're expecting it to be goofy andsentimental yet genuine and entertaining, and it was all those things.Confessions of a Shopaholic is a rare gem that's worth the guilty swipeof a maximized credit card.

James Rocchi 2012-04-14 20:08:06

At the Confessions of a Shopaholic advance screening I attended, there was a fashion show before the movie sponsored by a local boutique; to me, it was like watching someone do exhibition drinking games before a screening of Leaving Las Vegas.

Katie:] 2012-04-14 03:19:54

is it good?

This fantastic movie is a great way to show that girls do like shopping...but this woman loves it a bit to MUCH.This movie is funny,informative,and well,Funny!!You got to watch it!!!!!!!!:)

luv_to_perform 2012-04-13 09:49:46

Where'd the Book Go?

This movie was HILARIOUS! I was hooked after the first time I saw it.Then, I decided to read Sophie Kinsella's book, which the movie is"based off of". The reason I quote this? The movie isn't even similarto the book. Kinsella added SO much to the plot, so much that wasn'teven a part of the movie at all! Where'd all of Rebecca's schemes go?Where's Elly? What's with Suze? Why isn't Rebecca called Becky (that'sthe name used on the back of the cover of the book)? Where are Suze'swacky cousins? WHERE DID THIS ALL GO? The best parts of the novel werecut out, leaving the viewer with only half of the story. Without thebook coming into play, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" would've been a 10out of 10. Once reading the book, however, this score goes way down.After all, in such a hilarious story, we want to see as much of thebook as possible shown in the movie! We want to laugh more! Stillremains a favorite movie of mine, but I really would've liked to seemore of the book come through.

sabrinambayi-1 2012-04-10 08:37:56

Confessions of my self

I love this move its well written the actors are amazing specially Islafisher its like the movie was written for her she played the role sowell. watching her on t.v its like I was watching my self buying andspending without calculating without realizing specially those clothesthat she kept buying amazing I just loved it. I think some people whoare obsess just like me when am feeling sad and depressed I just goinside of a Louis vuitton store then am all happy again amazing. so Ireally don't know why people are giving it a hard time since thestoryline and the actors were amazing I've already watched the film 5times I love it I just have to say thanks to actors who wrote the filmand the director thanks what a great idea to have done this great movie

Jay Harris 2012-04-10 01:06:37

never believable, some bad acting, , very little to recommend.

I can see & understand the plight of some shopaholic's,BUT, not in this stupid screenplay.For the most part the film is badly acted, mainly by the main characterIsla Fisher,she come across as a spoiled brat,who was over-pampered asa child by her parents, Joan Cusack, & John Goodman, Mr. Goodman wasreal good in many films, Now he is overly heavy,his jowls even havejowls & that is no longer funny or amusing.Krysten Ritter is the girl friend & truthfully, she cannot act. KristenScott Thomas is good as usual.The best performances are by the men in the cast John Lithgow has asmall role & as usual does well. Robert Stanton is quite good as theharried debt collector,HUGH DANCY is excellent as her befuddled love interest. His performanceis the only reason to see this dreadful so called comedy.P.J.Hogan directed, he does the best he can with what he has to workwith.The clothes look good, It is a shame the acting is not.Ratings: ** (out of 4) 57 points (out of 100) IMDb 5 (out of 10)