Confessions & Credit Cards
Confessions of a Shopaholic is one of this years Valentines Day cinema releases including Bride Wars and He’s Just Not That Into You. Is it me or does this seem the weakest contender? Not only does it use a recycled and bland title, the plot synopsis is severely lacking in …well in sense. A pretty girl in debt, unhappy in her job and sponging off her friends tries to ensnare a wealthy man to pay for her obsessive and compulsive spending habits- and wins. Ah ok- so it’s a film that has thematic qualities which are reflective of the current economic instability? No. Instead it’s a fluff movie adapted from a fluffier ‘airport bestseller’ which just happens to involve ‘bad credit’.
At least in Bride Wars we had the beautiful Anne Hathaway to keep us involved in the ‘story’, with a hilarious performance as both the vulnerable doe-eyed school teacher and the enraged and vengeful bride. Not that I don’t love Isla Fisher, it’s just I am disappointed with her choice in film, but maybe it was the lure of Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the chance at a lead role that confused her. Yes, Jerry Bruckheimer- has he taken leave of his senses? This is the guy who has brought us Gone in 60 Seconds, Pirates of the Caribbean , Black Hawk Down and the glamorised gore of the C.S.I series. Is he onto a winner here? It’s doubtful. Was it a studio decision- who knows?
If this is a film that aims to curb spending, the moral message is a little hazy. Case study: the average looking Jane Smith, working somewhere less rewarding than Fisher’s ‘boring financial magazine’ lets say a standard office. Jane is in debt and compelled to purchase beyond her means. Never fear says the film- blow away that cloud of financial woe, the answer is simple. Find a rich single man, take him up the aisle, have his child as a down payment and before you can say ‘marriage of convenience’ you have your own wardrobe full of pretty labelled goods paid for by someone else.
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