Confessions of a Shopaholic

Confessions Of A Shopaholic – Rebecca Bloomwood has been a shopping addict since the day she got her first credit card. Having to have the cheapest and ugliest items in a shop as a child with thrifty parents has made her vow never to buy such hideous outfits again. When having to apply to be a financial journalist in order to get her foot in the door with a high-class fashion magazine, she soon realises her potential as someone who can expose the lies the financial sector tells consumers about where their money is going. However, with her debts spiralling out of control, she must learn to curb her spending before it ruins her life.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) – Director: P.J. Hogan

Rating: PG

Running Length: 104 mins

Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance

REVIEW – ‘CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC’

Based on the ‘Shopaholic’ novels by author, Sophie Kinsella, ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ follows the trials and tribulations of friendly heroine, Rebecca Bloomwood. Her obsession with fashion labels and following the latest trends has begun to max out her credit cards but she still can’t resist the odd expensive accessory which would match perfectly with an outfit. Her denial sees her attend several self-help meetings that mostly do her no good, but the lies she has told to those she cares about start to catch up on her and she begins to realise that she does actually have a problem.

While Rebecca is likeable, she is somewhat vacuous. Being completely infatuated with expensive brands which she can’t afford is never properly explained. Her parents are perfectly normal and loving but while a lot of people can relate to a childhood filled with inexpensive and unattractive clothes, her life is so consumed with hatred for this that it has given her an unhealthy attitude towards spending. She has several credit cards and racks up an impressively high amount of debt on unnecessary items. The debt collector, while seen to enjoy his job a bit too much, is clearly shown to be the villain whose life’s ambition is to get Rebecca. In reality, she is completely responsible for the troubles in her life and if she had shown a little self-restraint, like most people are capable of, she would have a happy and normal life. With a main character with such unsympathetic problems it is difficult to care too much about the plot of this film.

CONTENT – IS ‘CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

While the majority of the movie is appropriate for kids, it is likely that the messages conveyed from Rebecca’s point of view will cause the most concern for parents. With many young people being in serious debt from either a poor attitude or ignorance towards spending and credit cards, it is likely that this movie, without any clarification, will only help to reinforce these attitudes and cause children to think that maxing out credit cards is an acceptable way to spend money. Rebecca is so carefree with her spending that even when she knows that she can’t afford an expensive scarf, she buys it anyway; her justification being that she will stand out and be remembered at her interview. Then, after finding that she does not have the money to buy it, a complete stranger gives her $20 after she lies to him about it being a gift for an ill relative. Although she does not initially intend for the man to give her the money, she willingly accepts it when it is offered to her.

If her life was difficult without spending, it would help the audience to understand that she may need some ‘retail therapy’ to make her happy. Sadly this is not the case as she has a good job, good friends and always seems to land on her feet, making her come across as self-indulgent and selfishly reliant on others to fix her problems. When she first attends a self-help group, she is incapable of accepting her problem and even encourages others, who have been doing well until this point, to go out and spend again.

There is some innuendo in the script. Towards the beginning of the movie, her narration explains her need to spend and how it is so much more enjoyable than having a partner. While describing her joy of shopping, her dialogue turns orgasmic, although this is relatively subtle. When in an interview, she starts talking about a billboard of a half-naked man across the street. From the window she is looking out of, only the man’s chest is visible and she comments on what people across the street are able to see. She then realises what she is saying and tells her interviewer that she is ‘not a pervert’. Later in the movie, at a party, some people are being served their food. One character explains to a woman that this particular fish is ‘a powerful aphrodisiac’ and her husband jokingly replies ‘she’ll have two’.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT – IS ‘CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC’ FOR KIDS?

While being relatively inoffensive and generally appropriate for kids to watch, ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ may not be every parent’s idea of a good film for children, given the central theme of indulging one’s own selfishness. For the content, we would advise that children aged 8 and over should be fine to watch this movie; however we would recommend that some explanation on debt and credit cards may be required and therefore we would leave it up to the supervising adult to decide when the child concerned will be capable of understanding this.

• Violence:  0/5
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Rebecca’s lies cause her to lose the people she cares about for a while but as this is all her own fault, it is difficult to care too much about this part of the plot)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (as well as the highlighted content, there are a few mini scenes during the end credits. One of these scenes shows Rebecca introducing a female character, who has previously been unpleasant to her, as a prostitute to some Finnish businessmen. They are then seen to be interested in this character for that reason)           
• Bad Language: 2/5 (some mild cursing and blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 0/5  
• Other notes: Deals with themes of debt, spending money you don’t have, selfishness, friendship and the trouble that lies can lead to.

Words by Laura Record

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