LR's THE BLU ROOM: Review of CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC Blu-Ray
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By Ron Henriques on
July 03, 2009
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CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC (Blu-ray)
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
2009/Rated PG/ 104 mins
Now Available – List Price $39.99
I surprised myself by agreeing to review the blu-ray of this film, since it was nearly a traumatic experience in the theater. Not sure if I'm a glutton for punishment or just mesmerized by Isla Fisher who makes you like her in this film despite the nightmare this pic is. Being released in the middle of an economic crisis, not only is this picture out of step with the times, it can't really be categorized as a romantic comedy, but the exploits a cute girl that's really a lunatic. Granted Isla Fisher has a genuine likable quality, whether she's playing a sexpot ('Wedding Crashers') or the girl that got away ('Definitely, Maybe'), but even her star quality can't hold this mess of a picture together. As Rebecca Bloomwood, Fisher is a journalist by day and an obsessive fashionista for all 24 hours of it. Her philosophy is that "a man will never love or treat you as well as a store" and her compulsive habit has landed her $16K in debt. That being the case it still doesn't stop her from plunking down $200 bucks for Marc Jacobs underwear or anything else that catches her eye. Even store mannequins seem to come to life for Rebecca, enticing her to come on in and spend her hard earned money. Sounds like a cute gimmick and the CGI work done by ILM to bring those human-like displays to life is impressive, but it also unintentionally suggests Rebecca is a nut.
Rebecca's lifelong dream is to work at the famous Alette magazine under fashion diva Alette Naylor (Kristen Scott Thomas), but when bitchy rival Alicia Billington (Leslie Bibb) steals the position out from under her she lands a job at Successful Savings magazine run by stuffy Brit Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). Like Fisher, Dancy has plenty of screen presence and the two make a believable pair, but the antics and comedy of errors that surround their relationship are just ridiculous. For starters Rebecca doesn't know a thing about finance but manages to write an article for Luke about dressing for success while dodging creditors. Under the pseudonym "The Girl in the Green Scarf' her article not only sells magazines, but turns her into an international hit. Okay, she's got writing skills and knows how to relate to readers, but all this acclaim from just one article?
Then there's the subplot involving the most persistent debt collector in movie history (Robert Stanton) that begins as a cute gimmick but spins out of control. It's initially clever that Rebecca convinces Luke and her co-workers that the man is a stalker ex-boyfriend pretending to be a debt collector, but soon, the creep is chasing her all over the city and finally confronts her during a talk show appearance on national TV. All that hassle for $16K?
Rebecca's family and friends aren't all that interesting either and go through the usual plot turns with her. Her lame parents (a shamefully wasted John Goodman and Joan Cusack) finally spent their life savings (also worth $16K) on an RV and her roommate (Krysten Ritter) is sore at her for missing her group therapy sessions which eventually leads to the typical (and temporary) movie cliche falling out between the heroine and her best friend.
There are also additional silly antics like Rebecca getting into a physical fight at a sample sale with a customer over a pair of boots she changed her mind about purchasing or the seemingly self-assured Alicia competing with her for Luke's affections or the fact that Rebecca lied on her job application that she can speak Finnish and is asked to translate after being introduced to clients from Finland.
Just when you think there's quality to be found in the story and character development--such as Luke's issue with striking out on his own instead of using his famous mother's name--something dumb happens and insults your intelligence. Director P.J. Hogan who made such a remarkable breakthrough with the lovely 'Muriel's Wedding' seems to have sold his soul to the devil himself, producer Jerry Bruckheimer. We're in the middle of a recession and most of this film unfortunately feels like product placement for Gucci, Prada or Dolce & Gabbana.
Video: A film like this has to be eye-popping and colorful and though the story may be lacking, the visuals are rather impressive. The look of this film is so top notch that it almost has a 3-D effect. From the color shemes, to the accurate fleshtones of the actors, things pop off the screen and this AVC encoded 1080p 2.40 to 1 transfer does it justice.
Audio: For a wacky comedy, this DTS Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is pretty active. If you're in the mood for the type of surround envelopment that involves speeding cars or explosions, you're in the wrong place, but everything here, from the music to the atmospheric interiors and the familiar sounds of New York streets pops pretty well.
Extras – Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes: These are unfortunately a series of EPK type featurettes that I'm sure not even a die-hard fan of this film will fall for.
Wardrobe by Patricia Field ): (HD, 3:00 min) How the New York stylist from Sex and the City, Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada chose and used wardrobe to help shape the story. Temple of Shopping: (HD, 3:00) a group of mini-featurettes shows that focus on how Henri Bendel boutique on 5th Ave. was transformed and given a Midsummer's Night's Dream theme. The Green Scarf: (HD. 2:00 mins) , how they chose, you guessed, it, The Green Scarf. New York: Fashion Central: (HD, 3:00 mins), Sample Sale Madness: (HD, 2:00 mins), Window Shopping: (HD, 2:00 mins).
Deleted Scenes: (HD, 2:00 mins) just three and very brief.
Bloopers of a Shopaholic: (SD, 2:00 mins) not as funny as they could be.
Music Videos: (SD, 9:00 mins) Videos for "Stuck with Each Other" by Shontelle (featuring Akon), "Accessory" by Jordyn Taylor, and "Takes Time to Love" by Trey Songz.
Digital Copy: You know what to really do with this.
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