Shopping addiction makes for fun flick

Depending on what side of the current U. S. economic crisis one stands, ‘Confessions of a… Depending on what side of the current U. S. economic crisis one stands, ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ is either an enjoyable romp or a stinging slap in the face. ‘Shopaholic,’ based on a bestselling series of books by Sophie Kinsella, follows journalist and shopping addict Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) as she attempts to claw her way out of massive credit card debt with nothing more than a plucky attitude and a cute smile. While the film was shot before the mortgage bubble burst, its subject matter cannot help but strike a sore nerve with its current audience. Of course, there is more to ‘Shopaholic’ than Rebecca’s financial woes ‘mdash; she is also pursuing a glamorous internship at a fashion magazine by getting a foothold in the company’s financial magazine, Successful Saving. As a result, Rebecca spends most of the film hiding her enormous debt from her hunky boss, Mr. Brandon (Hugh Dancy), who falls in love with her in a painfully predictable fashion. It quickly becomes evident that there is no salvation for the romantic-comedy side of the film’s plot. Plagued by absurd amounts of cliche, hit-or-miss slapstick humor and completely unbelievable coincidences, it is by far the film’s biggest flaw. Luckily, there is a lot of good remaining in ‘Shopaholic’ when the stereotypical rom-com plot is ignored. The themes of the film ‘mdash; mostly surrounding Rebecca’s spending issues ‘mdash; resonate with much greater poignancy than the generic commitment or sexual issues that anchor down most romantic comedies. Notwithstanding the poor timing, debt problems are something that almost everyone in the United States can understand and empathize with. In addition, ‘Shopaholic’ transmits this theme well, effectively getting across its suffocating nature ‘mdash; especially regarding the insidious force that is the debt collector. What is perhaps most surprising about ‘Shopaholic,’ however, is the impressive cast. Beyond Fisher’s and Dancy’s startlingly strong performances, the supporting cast features greats like John Goodman and Joan Cusack (as Rebecca’s hilariously embarrassing parents) and smaller roles from Fred Armisen, John Lithgow and Kristin Scott Thomas. Ultimately, the cast is the saving grace of the film, as it keeps this flick from becoming an all-out meaningless farce, and it even manages to evoke a few genuine laughs. Fisher in particular gives an amazing performance for a film of this genre, genuinely expressing Rebecca’s manic personality while still retaining emotional significance in the film’s few dramatic scenes. Perhaps her only major flaw is that Fisher and her life seem so desirable that it makes it hard to believe there’s a void she’s filling with her shopping, especially because a lover ‘mdash; in Mr. Brandon ‘mdash; comes along so easily. But there is little disputing that the film hinges on being able to empathize with Rebecca and her plight ‘mdash; and Fisher hits that note perfectly. Unsurprisingly, ‘Shopaholic’ wraps itself up far too neatly, but by that point a bit more predictability doesn’t really take away from the film. In fact, this is the big surprise of the film. While there’s plenty of cliche and contrivance to complain about, those mistakes somehow don’t quite take the same toll on ‘Shopaholic’ that they usually do on romantic comedies.’ Somehow, ‘Shopaholic’ ‘mdash; whether through the strength of its cast or its fairly unique message ‘mdash; manages to be way better than the sum of its parts.