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Confessions of a Shopaholic (film)

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Confessions of a Shopaholic
File:Confessions of a shopaholic.jpg
Film poster
Directed byP.J. Hogan
Written byNovels:
Sophie Kinsella
Screenplay:
Tim Firth
Tracey Jackson
Produced byJerry Bruckheimer
StarringIsla Fisher
Hugh Dancy
Krysten Ritter
CinematographyJo Willems
Edited byWilliam Goldenberg
Music byJames Newton Howard
Distributed byTouchstone Pictures
Release date
February 13, 2009
Running time
104 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Confessions of a Shopaholic is a 2009 film adaptation of the Shopaholic series of novels by Sophie Kinsella. It is directed by P. J. Hogan and stars Isla Fisher as the central character, Rebecca Bloomwood, as well as John Goodman and Joan Cusack as her parents. Krysten Ritter plays Rebecca's best friend and Hugh Dancy is the editor in chief Luke Brandon.[1] The actor John Lithgow is playing Edgar West, Kristin Scott Thomas portrays fashion magazine Arlette's chief editor and founder Alette Naylor, Leslie Bibb plays Arlette's editor Alicia Billington, Lynn Redgrave is playing a doyenne of a publishing empire and Julie Hagerty appears as Haley.[2]


Plot

A college graduate named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) moves to Manhattan to nurture her shopping addiction and get involved in the New York magazine world. She gets a job at a gardening magazine. Her dream job is to work for fashion magazine Alette, but instead, after losing her job when the gardening magazine folds, she becomes a columnist for a financial magazine, Successful Savings, published by the same company.

She spends more than $950 on clothes in one month and then sees a green scarf for $120 and instantly wants to have it. However, she lacks $20 and runs down to a Hot Dog wagon to ask if she can exchange a check for cash. The Hot Dog man makes fun of her and the man she is inhibiting in buying his hotdog is unnerved and gives her $20.

When she arrives at the reception of Alette to enquire about a job, she is told that the position was filled internally. The receptionist, seeing how saddened she is, gives her some advice - apply for an open position in Successful Savings, Alette's sister magazine. Luke Brandon, the man who gave Rebecca the the $20 for the green scarf is the interviewer.He asks Rebecca for her resumé. When she arrives back at her job in the gardening magazine after her failure of an interview at Successful Savings, she learns that her own magazine is about to stop production, leaving her out of work and with a large debt to pay off for her clothes.

She is desperate about her debt and the loss of her job, and while drunk with her friend Suze she gets an idea to write a letter to Alette to let them know how great she would be for the job. Rebecca writes a heartfelt essay using an analogy about a good pair of shoes to send off to Alette. She also writes another letter for Luke Brandon returning the 20 dollars and advising him to buy better clothes. Luke calls her after he receives a letter and asks her if she really wants to work for his magazine, to which Rebecca replies yes. He mentions he really liked her analogy about shoes. Horrified, she realizes that she switched the letters and sent $20 for better clothes to Alette. She manages to get in the office of Alette and take her letter back. Whilst hiding under a pile of clothes, she gets a glance of Alette Naylor, the founder of the fashion magazine.

Suze and Rebecca shop at a bookstore. Rebecca buys "Money for Idiots". Suze finds the perfect thing for Rebecca, a video on how to control the urge of spending money.

She starts working for Luke, but is not very successful - he doesn't like her article about APR because it was just copied from Money for Idiots. Luke takes her to a press conference for a company and has her stand up and ask questions of the executive regarding their practices. Afterwards, he lets her know that it's up to them to ask the hard questions and explain it simply for everyday people. He requests at least an outline for the next article. Nevertheless she does not finish the outline for the next article and goes to a clothes sale. When waiting in the line for the sale to begin, she gets a message from Luke who wants to know where is her outline, but instead of going home to write it it she runs into the shop. Telling herself that she will only buy things she needs, Rebecca ends up starting a fight with a woman over a pair of designer boots.

Once she comes home she decides to get rid of all her superfluous clothes, but then she changes her mind and hides them in the cupboard. When examining an expensive cashmere pullover she realizes that it is made out of 5% cashmere and 95% polyester. In the next moment she sits down to write a column and calls herself under the name "the Girl with the Green Scarf". Luke wants to talk to her about the new article as it is very successful. During their conversation Rebecca receives a call from Derek Smeath, a debt collector, who demands the money back from Rebecca. Rebecca doesn't want to admit that he is a debt collector and that she is in financial distress. She lies, saying he is her ex-boyfriend who is stalking her ever since they broke up.

Luke invites her to a conference in Miami, and they both admit to be excited, although Luke's boss dislikes Rebecca. Luke discloses to her that the two of them were invited to an important ball.

When they go shopping for the ball Luke admits that his mother is Elenor Sherman, a famous socialite and that he is involved in the business of his family. While fitting out clothes, Luke asks Rebecca what she thinks of him. Rebecca tells him that he is not a good investor and that he is a workaholic. At a restaurant, Alicia appears and asks Luke to accompany her to the ball.

At the ball Alicia points out a loose thread on Rebecca's bolero jacket, which Rebecca pulls and breaks more. Alicia walks away, smirking. It starts to fall apart until she has to get it off. Rebecca ends up in the kitchen and the cook, believing she is a waitress because she is wearing a similar dress to the waitresses', gives her many full plates and sends her back to serve the plates.

She bumps into a waiter and Luke saves her by grabbing the tray of fish and expertly serving it. He notes waiting tables got him through college.

Afterwards the two of them stand on the rooftop and talk about Alicia. Rebecca tells Luke her belief of Alicia being his girlfriend. Luke denies this and says, "She's not you." Then they kiss.

When Rebecca returns home she sees Derek Smeath waiting before her door. Her best friend opens one of the full cupboards and realizes that Rebecca didn't get rid of her clothes, she makes her join a Shopaholic-group. In the first meeting she explains that stores are there to enjoy and that she likes the feeling when she swipes her card and it is approved. She runs back home and picks her credit card out of the refrigerator, where it laid frozen in block of ice. She tries various ways of getting her card out of the huge block of ice.

She goes together with the editor of Alette and Alicia to buy a dress for her TV appearance. While Rebecca fits out a violet ball robe, Alette lets Alicia hold Rebecca's bag. Rebecca's special ring tone for Derek Smeath rings. Alicia answers the call.

Derek Smeath spoils Rebecca's TV appearance by publicly accusing her of not paying back her debt and making up various excuses. Luke is disappointed and Rebecca loses her job at "Successful Savings".

After the Coffee Show Luke is of the opinion that “the whole thing was a lie, now that makes sense” and that Rebecca is “the most inspiring woman, but she lived a lie and she was right with what she has written in her column, she let him down, but the girl with the green scarf never did”. Luke's boss proposes the foundation of a completely new magazine.

Rebecca comes to the conclusion about her life : “I destroyed my career and I lied to the man that I love”.

Rebecca decides to make a sale of all her clothes, but when the green scarf is up for sale she feels remorse. Two people auction over the green scarf. One girl was Rebecca's ex-therapist for Shopaholics and the other one was a girl bidding for an unknown person. The sale is a success, making it possible for her to repay her debt. She pays the debt to David Smeath in pennies as revenge for him humiliating her.

At the day of Suze's wedding, Rebecca trades her dress with the weird woman pushing a cart for a dress that was originally hers. The dress from the girl pushing a cart was the dress for Suze's wedding. It was a special dress for Rebecca as bridesmaid. Suze isn't mad at Rebecca anymore and they hug. At the end of the wedding, Suze and Tarquin drive away happily married. Rebecca walks away, passing by windows of shops with beautiful dresses and glamorous bags. Rebecca does not buy these and controls her obsession for shopping. The mannequins clap for her. She is no longer a shopaholic.

In the end Rebecca and Luke come together, with Luke returning her the green scarf. He confesses that he was the one at the girl's phone at her sale bidding for “this desperately important scarf”, and then kisses her. During the credits, Rebecca ends up working for Luke's company and writing articles in his company's magazine such as 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'. Because of her newfound success, she has the time to actually learn Finnish introducing Alicia as the famous prostitute. Then Rebecca is in Luke's arms again, they start dancing where Rebecca jokingly uses the fan so they remember the last time they danced together and Luke laughs along with Rebecca. He asks her 'Where do you get your dance moves from?', where she replies 'They just come naturally to me' and whilst they are dancing, Luke looks over her shoulder to see Rebecca's parents dancing and smiles, 'I see.'

Cast

Production

The film adapts the two books The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad which in America were known as Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan respectively.[3]. The film uses the novel's American title Confessions of a Shopaholic reinterpreting Rebecca as an American rather than British.

Filming took place in New York, Connecticut, and Florida from February to May 2008.[2][4]. To change the ending to be more sympathetic to audiences during a time of recession, re-shoots took place in New York City on December 4 and 8, 2008.[5][6][7]

Soundtrack

Untitled

According to Amazon the soundtrack of Confessions of a Shopaholic will be released on February 17, 2009 under Hollywood Records.[8] However, an alternate tracklisting was posted on Tommy2.net on January 25th, 2009. [9]. In the alternate tracklisting, Adrienne Bailon also sings "Big Spender" instead of Girlicious, and the Pussycat Dolls sing "Bad Girl" instead of Rihanna feat.Chris Brown. In addition, Rick Ocasek is said to sing "Emotion In Motion" instead, and "Music Of The Sun" by Rihanna has been replaced by "Calling You" by Kat DeLuna.

Track listing

  1. "Accessory" (Jordyn Taylor)
  2. "Fashion" (Lady GaGa)
  3. "Blue Jeans" (Jessie James and the Odd Balls)
  4. "Uncontrollable" (Adrienne Bailon)
  5. "Calling You" (Kat DeLuna)
  6. "Stuck With Each Other" (Akon & Shontelle)
  7. "Unstoppable" (Kat DeLuna)
  8. "Big Spender" (Adrienne Bailon)
  9. "Bad Girl" (The Pussycat Dolls)
  10. "Again" (Natasha Bedingfield)
  11. "Takes Time To Love" (Trey Songz)
  12. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Greg Laswell)
  13. "Don't Forget Me" (Macy Gray)
  14. "Shopaholic Suite (Score)" (James Newton Howard)

Release

On its opening weekend without Presidents' Day, the film opened #4 behind Taken, He's Just Not That Into You, and Friday the 13th grossing $15,054,000 in 2,507 theaters with an $6,005 average. [10] As of February 19, 2009 the fim grossed $18,863,842 at the domestic box office and $21,946,193 at the box office worldwide. [11]

Reception

Confessions of a Shopaholic has received generally negative reviews. As of February 19,the film holds an average score of 39, based on 29 reviews on the Web Site Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics.[12] On the Web Site Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a rating of 23 %, based on 113 reviews with a consensus "This middling romantic comedy underutilizes a talented cast and delivers muddled messages on materialism and conspicuous consumption." [13]

Todd McCarthy of Variety said, "this adaptation of the first two of Sophie Kinsella's massively popular novels strains far too hard for comedy that seldom erupts with full force and inevitably betrays a free-spending mindset that now feels gone with the wind". Concerning Isla Fisher's performance as Rebecca Bloomwood he appreciated that "her irrepressible comic personality overcomes a number of the film's impediments". [14]

References

  1. ^ Tatiana Siegel (2008-03-04). "Cusack, Goodman join 'Shopaholic'". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  2. ^ a b Borys Kit (2008-03-12). "Five more for 'Shopaholic'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  3. ^ Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - Full Cast & Crew
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ [3]
  7. ^ [4]
  8. ^ "Confessions of a Shopaholic [SOUNDTRACK]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  9. ^ http://tommy2.net/content/?p=2246
  10. ^ "Weekend Box Office for February 13-15, 2009". Box Office Mojo. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  11. ^ "Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)". Box Office Mojo. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  12. ^ "Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2009-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)". IGN.com. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  14. ^ McCarthy, Todd (February 12, 2009). "Confessions of a Shopaholic". Variety. Retrieved February 19, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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