If it hadn’t been for embarassing similarities between Becky Bloomwood and me, I’d have stopped watching Confessions of a Shopaholic in five minutes flat. She’s a clueless journalist – I’m a clueless journalist. Well, media person. She shops beyond her means – I shop beyond my means. She has a green scarf – I have a green scarf. Same green, at that. We’re practically sisters!
Be that as it may, the film is a chcik-flick of the shrillest frilliest kind. If I were asked to describe it as a thing I’d say… pink fluffy hat. In fact, it reminds me a little of Legally Blonde except that blondie is more smart alecky and smart in a dumb way while our shopaholic is just plain dumb. But she knows how to look fairly distressed. And she’s pretty. Cute, as a matter of fact. But while I found Legally Blonde amusing enough, this film is tediously silly. Oh, it does have a message: don’t shop over the topo because love and friendship and so on is more important. Sad thing is, it’s being released smack in the middle of an economic depression when no one’s shopping.
I haven’t seen Confessions, but (based on the trailer and your review) I’d say that it’s wierdly appropriate for these economic times, a consumerist-escapist fantasy. That kind of movie lets you imagine yourself in a world where the only ones who have to worry and penny pinch are those that spent themselves into a REALLY deep hole the way the shopaholic did.
The same way that the TV show Friends let you imagine that a waitress, a cook, and a massage therapist could afford a huge, beautiful 3-bedroom apartment in Manhattan.
The “It can’t happen to me” syndrome?
“a waitress, a cook, and a massage therapist could afford a huge, beautiful 3-bedroom apartment in Manhattan.”
Haha I do not want to count the many Europeans having gone to NYC under the impression of their favourite teen years sitcom – landing in a bug-plagued sub-whatsoever-standard hole in (Spanish) Harlem (can you tell I’ve had some experience
)
Eugh, that film sounds like my worst nightmare. For me, the only redeeming feature is that it doesn’t have Renee Zellweger or Hugh Grant in it.
>>The “It can’t happen to me” syndrome?
Pretty much: the “it can’t happen to me, because I’m not as crazy as she is” syndrome.
Here’s its trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0YkN37Uajw . It’s bad enough without Hugh Grant!