Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

The story

Shopping addict Rebecca Bloomwood lives in New York City with her best friend Suze and works as a journalist for a gardening magazine, but dreams of joining fashion magazine Alette. On the way to an interview with Alette, she tries to purchase a green scarf, but her credit card is declined. After a series of mishaps involving a hot dog stand and a mysterious $20 gift, she eventually lands a job at a financial magazine. However, her secret identity as a shopaholic and her mounting debts begin to threaten her new professional success as she struggles to balance her desires with her reality.

First release year

2009

Runtime (minutes)

104

Production countries

United States

Original languages

English

Directors

P. J. Hogan

Writers

Tim Firth · screenplay; Tracey Jackson · screenplay; Kayla Alpert · screenplay

Genres

romantic comedy

Themes

materialism; conspicuous consumption; debt; responsibility

Tone and mood

romantic; comedic; pandemonious

Premise and plot tags

consumerism; fashion; workplace comedy

Source material / true-story basis

The first two entries in the Shopaholic series of novels by Sophie Kinsella (The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad)

Franchise connections

Shopaholic series

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics, though Isla Fisher's performance was praised. It was a box office success.

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 26% · review count: 170; Metacritic · score: 38 · scale: 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F

Production trivia

John Lithgow turned down the role of Edgar West twice before accepting it.; Fred Armisen was approached for the West role but the role was rewritten for him after Lithgow accepted.; Ed Helms was cast as Derek Smeath but was replaced due to scheduling conflicts.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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