| Confessions of a Shopaholic | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | P. J. Hogan |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan bySophie Kinsella |
| Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jo Willems |
| Edited by | William Goldenberg |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $44 million[1] |
| Box office | $108.3 million[2] |
Confessions of a Shopaholic is a 2009 Americanromantic comedy film based on the first two entries in theShopaholic series of novels bySophie Kinsella. Directed byP. J. Hogan, the film starsIsla Fisher as the shopaholic journalist andHugh Dancy as her boss.
The film was released in theaters on February 13, 2009. Despite being a box office success, it received negative reviews from critics, though Fisher's performance received praise.
Shopping addictRebecca Bloomwood lives in New York City with her best friend Suze and works as a journalist for a gardening magazine, but dreams of joining fashion magazineAlette. On the way to an interview withAlette, she tries to purchase a green scarf, but her credit card is declined. Rebecca offers to buy all the hot dogs from a hot dog stand with a check if the vendor gives her back change in cash, claiming that the scarf is a gift for her sick aunt. The vendor refuses, but another customer gives her the $20 she needs for the scarf.
Rebecca arrives and learns that the position has been filled internally, but that there is an open position with the financial magazineSuccessful Saving. Rebecca is interviewed bySuccessful Saving's editor, Luke Brandon, the man who had given her the $20. She hides the scarf outside, but Luke's assistant enters the office and returns it to her. Knowing she has been caught, Rebecca leaves.
That evening, she and Suze, while intoxicated, write letters toAlette andSuccessful Saving, but she drunkenly mails each respective letter to the wrong magazine. Luke, impressed by the letter intended forAlette, hires her. As Rebecca is hesitant to use her real name, Luke publishes her writing under the moniker "The Girl in the Green Scarf". Rebecca's column becomes a huge hit among business groups, and even Rebecca's own parents advise her to read her articles.Successful Saving eventually goes international, bringing much praise to Rebecca from both Suze and her workplace peers. After being asked to participate in a TV interview, Rebecca meets with the editor ofAlette to purchase a dress for the occasion.
Rebecca later returns home to renewed confrontations with her debt collector, Derek Smeath. Suze makes her attend Shopaholics Anonymous. After purchasing dresses for her interview and Suze's wedding, the new Shopaholics Anonymous group leader forces her to donate all her new clothes. Unable to afford to keep both dresses, Rebecca buys back the interview dress, much to Suze's dismay. During the interview, Derek, in attendance, confronts Rebecca about her debt, leaving Luke extremely embarrassed and shocked.Successful Saving subsequently terminates Rebecca's column for bringing discredit on the magazine.
Rebecca's father is sympathetic to her plight and offers to sell hisrecreational vehicle to help her. She declines, as he earned the camper through years of hard work and saving, and resolves that she needs to take responsibility for her own actions. Rebecca is offered a position atAlette, but declines after learning she would be expected to lie to readers. Meanwhile, Luke starts a new company, Brandon Communications.
In order to generate enough revenue to repay her debts, fellow Shopaholic Anonymous members help Rebecca stage anauction for her used clothing. She finally earns enough to pay back all her debt when she sells her green scarf for $300, giving the money to Derek entirely in pennies and other coins to make it as inconvenient for him as possible in retaliation for humiliating her.
After reclaiming her bridesmaid dress, Rebecca arrives to Suze's wedding, where the two reconcile. After the wedding, Rebecca walks past a store window and is briefly tempted to make a purchase, but ultimately walks away. Rebecca then runs into Luke, who returns the green scarf to her, revealing that the woman who bought it was his agent. They reconcile and kiss, and Rebecca begins working with Luke at his new company as a columnist.
The film adapts the two booksThe Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic andShopaholic Abroad which in the United States were known asConfessions of a Shopaholic andShopaholic Takes Manhattan respectively.[3] The film uses the novel's American titleConfessions of a Shopaholic reinterpreting Rebecca as an American rather thanEnglish.
According to DVD commentary, John Lithgow turned down the role of Edgar West twice before accepting it. Fred 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 inNew York,Connecticut, andFlorida from January to May 2008.[4][5] To change the ending to be more sympathetic to audiences during a time ofrecession, re-shoots took place inNew York City on November 24 and 28, 2008.[6]
Production on the film also included creating a group of faux upscale brand stores at the base of theHearst Tower. Present were brands such asValentino,Anna Sui,Catherine Malandrino andAlberta Ferretti. Several of the costumes were from the collection of Frenchcouture designerGilles Montezin.[7]
On its opening weekend withoutPresidents' Day, the film opened #4 behindTaken,He's Just Not That Into You, andFriday the 13th, grossing $15,054,000 in 2,507 theaters with a $6,005 average.[8] 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.[9]
Confessions of a Shopaholic received generally negative reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval score of 26% based on 170 reviews, with anaverage score of 4.40/10. The site's consensus reads: "This middling romantic comedy underutilizes a talented cast and delivers muddled messages onmaterialism andconspicuous consumption."[10] OnMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film holds an average score of 38 based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[11] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[12]
According to criticRoger Ebert, "Confessions of a Shopaholic is no masterpiece. But it’s funny, Isla Fisher is a joy, and — of supreme importance — it is more entertaining to a viewer with absolutely no eagerness to see it (like me) thanSex and the City was."[13]Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times wrote "If the producers are smart, they should make sure to tap both Ms. Fisher and Ms. Ritter for the inevitable sequel, which, while certainly improbable and probably inadvisable, might inspire one of those Depression-era follies in which all a girl needed was a catchy song and gold-digger dreams."[14]
Todd McCarthy ofVariety praised Fisher's performance, "as a young lady who can’t say no to a beautiful dress or accessory, Isla Fisher is not to be denied, and her irrepressible comic personality overcomes a number of the film’s impediments."[15]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone wrote "Confessions is no more than a painless time-waster. But the beguiling Fisher is well worth the investment."[16]Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal wrote "The production renders totally irrelevant all hopes for a well-made movie. It's one of those ragged, pandemonious studio comedies that hammers at plot points in every contrived scene. But Ms. Fisher has a few moments worthy of her abundant comedic gifts."[17]
Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian rated two-stars saying, "this girly romcom could in no way be considered a prescient satire on our addiction to debt."[18] In a negative review, Thomas Rogers ofSalon.com summarized "Confessions of a Shopaholic may notlook cheap, but, rest assured, it’s definitely a fake."[19]
| Awards | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Choice Awards | 2009 Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie – Romance | Confessions of a Shopaholic | Nominated | [20] [21] |
| Choice Movie Actress: Comedy | Isla Fisher | Nominated |
Confessions of a Shopaholic was released byTouchstone Home Entertainment on DVD andBlu-ray on June 23, 2009 in North America and in Australia on August 5, 2009, and onDisney+ on September 17, 2021.[22][23]
Thesoundtrack ofConfessions of a Shopaholic was released on February 17, 2009, byHollywood Records.[24]
