I Confess I loved it! (Confessions of a Shopaholic (DVD))

Member Name: mummy2harry

Product:	Confessions of a Shopaholic (DVD)
Date:	02/09/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, well put together, good story sticks quite well to the book, Isla Fisher

Disadvantages: Why is Becky American?!

Becky Bloomwood is addicted to shopping. It doesn't matter that she is at the maximum level on all her credit cards and only has a low paying job on a gardening magazine - if she sees something she likes, she has to have it. Becky is desperate to work on Alette and decides to get a foot in the door by getting a job for Luke Brandon on Successful Saving magazine (how ironic). Becky must give financial advice whilst trying to hide her financial troubles from her colleagues, and avoid Derek Smeathe from her bank too! As Becky's column becomes a hit, can she keep herself from getting further into debt, and everyone finding out that she is a fraud? And will Becky ever find love?

When I heard that they were making a movie of one of my favourite books, The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, I was really thrilled and couldn't wait to see which wonderful British actress would take on the part of Becky Bloomwood. Imagine my shock when Aussie actress Isla Fisher was cast as an AMERICAN Becky, who was now living in New York rather than London, and all her friends were American too! It didn't seem right but I was prepared to give it a go and hope that they had kept the sense of the book and not lost it all because American audiences don't seem to get British humour.

As the film began, I was immediately impressed by the look of it, very sleek and polished, and the soundtrack was modern and funky too. The amusing introductory sequence was funny, and even my fiance was laughing which was good as I wasn't at all sure he was going to like it or not! I remained quietly confident that the film was going to be good and hoped for the best. I loved the setting of New York and felt it worked with the storyline but London could have been just as good, and I don't know why they didn't give it the chance to be set here but there you go.

The cast do a great job with what they have been given, but a few things just didn't work for me at all. One of these was Krysten Ritter as Becky's best friend Suze. In the books, she is rather wealthy and a bit dotty, but this didn't come across in the film at all. I didn't like her or warm to her at all, and I don't feel that she gelled with Isla Fisher who played Becky either which was a shame. They also changed a major storyline for Suze in the book so the viewer doesn't get any real time to like her, which is perhaps why I didn't warm to her at all. The other odd fact was choosing Joan Cusack to play Becky's mum Jane. Yes, Joan is a brilliant actress, but she's only 14 years older than Isla and I just couldn't believe her in that role because of it!

On a more positive note, Isla Fisher was fantastic as Shopaholic Becky. I felt she really got into the head of Becky's character, and really encapsulated how Becky felt about shopping and clothes. There were some particularly amusing scenes when Becky was examining her bank statements that Isla shone in, and I felt she had a great on-screen relationship with Hugh Dancy who plays love interest Luke too. Isla is funny to watch, she delivers the comedy lines well and pulls off Becky's odd fashion perfectly - she is a great Becky to me and a great choice by the casting people here. Hugh Dancy is dashing as Brit Luke Brandon and I enjoyed his performance but it was nothing overly special! Special mention has to go to Robert Stanton for playing detested Debt Collector Derek Smeathe, he was funny in all his scenes, and the cat-and-mouse game between he and Isla (Becky) was a really great addition to the film!

I find that book-to-movie adaptations are a dangerous thing for movie makers. There are always going to be the fans of the books who want to shoot it down for changing bits of the plot and casting people who they don't think suit the roles they had in their heads. I loved Sophie Kinsella's books about Becky, and for me changing the lead character to an American and setting it in New York was totally unnecessary and did take away some of the shine for me, but overall I think the movie was very fun and delivers a light-hearted take on the book and is very watchable. Both my fiance and I laughed out loud in parts, and it kept our attention for the 104 minutes it was on.

The film seems to have received very mixed reviews, with people loving it or hating it, but I am leaning more towards loving it. It was very fun, the humour was funny and the cast, in particular Isla Fisher, do a very good job overall. Suze's storyline was a disappointment, but I think the comedy and romantic storylines overrule this and it comes out on top. There were some laugh out loud moments, and Fisher is great at comedy, but I wonder whether they will endeavour to make a second movie after the mixed reception to this film. I personally enjoyed it, although it's still not a patch on the brilliant books which I now want to reread thanks to seeing this! Recommended as a fun and light-hearted watch that you can sit and enjoy - we certainly did!

Directed by P.J. Hogan
Written by Tracey Jackson (screenplay) and Sophie Kinsella (book)
Running Time: 104 minutes
Certificate: PG

Main Cast:
Isla Fisher ... Rebecca Bloomwood
Hugh Dancy ... Luke Brandon
Krysten Ritter ... Suze
Joan Cusack ... Jane Bloomwood
John Goodman ... Graham Bloomwood
Kristin Scott Thomas ... Alette Naylor
Leslie Bibb ... Alicia Billington
Robert Stanton ... Derek Smeath

Based on the books by Sophie Kinsella.

Thank you for reading.

Summary: A very good book adaptation