Confessions Of A Shopaholic review

It is perhaps too convenient to say that a comedy about a chronic shopaholic could have done with shopping around for a funnier script. Is it too much to expect more than an occasional smile or are we supposed to be grateful for even that? If so, then this lifeless adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's bestselling book will just about suffice.

Despite the best efforts of the game Isla Fisher in the role of the ebullient consumer Rebecca Bloomwood, Confessions of a Shopaholic is terminally ponderous and predictable. Populated with clichéd, cartoonish characters with less depth than an American Express card, it's as subtle as a Donatella Versace outfit. What it lacks in humour it endeavours to make up for in color. Echoing Bloomwood's vibrant wardrobe, every scene is constructed from a pop art palette, presumably in the hope that the blinding colors will distract us from the drab dialogue.

The film opens with Bloomwood extolling the virtues of shopping. "A man won't treat you as well as a shop," she declares, which goes some way to explaining why she has huge credit card debts and no boyfriend. A struggling journalist (is there any other kind?), she is sharing an apartment with her best friend Suze (Krysten Ritter) who frequently has to subsidize her fiscally irresponsible flatmate.

Rebecca's ambition is to secure a job with the prestigious fashion magazine Alette run by the formidable Alette Naylor (Kristin Scott Thomas). Responding to an advertised opening, she arrives for an interview only to learn the position has been filled internally. The receptionist suggests the best way in is to work for another in-house publication, which is how the financially naive Rebecca ends up in the unlikely position of a columnist on a savings magazine, with its dashingly handsome editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). As is the license of fictional fare, Rebecca's column becomes a huge success, propelling her to instant stardom. But while she's being perceived publicly as a shrewd businesswoman, privately she is deep in debt as she struggles to curb her shopping addiction.

As engaging as Fisher is, her character is considerably less endearing. There's something inherently annoying about Bloomwood who is as self-centered as she is stupid. The A-list supporting cast featuring Joan Cusack and John Goodman as Rebecca's goofy parents and Scott Thomas make the best of their flimsy roles, but even their sterling efforts fail to mask the film's shortcomings.

Considering the present recession, it should be fun to enjoy a vicarious spending spree, but sadly Confessions of a Shopaholic provides all too little respite from the global gloom.

Kevin Murphy