Isla Fisher in "Confessions of a Shopaholic"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
“Shopping In the Recession”

If ever the timing of a movie was bad then the release of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” during the worst point of the recession was. The Isla Fisher/Hugh Dancy romantic comedy which glorified shopping for extreme tastes was the wrong movie at the wrong time. Maybe now that it is out on DVD and things are a wee bit better with the economy it will find a more appreciative audience. Heck things aren’t that much better and this movie sends the wrong message.

This silly and shallow film based on the novels of Sophie Kinsella is full of easy spending and overindulgence. The main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, comes across as an airhead who somehow manages to attain a modicum of success. She and the movie are not very likeable and so the entertainment value is minimal.

Rebecca (Isla Fisher) is a woman who can not pass up a sale – ever! When the movie starts she is over sixteen thousand dollars in debt and is being hounded by a debt collector named Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton). She has just lost her job but gets an interview with “Alette Magazine,” a fashion magazine she has always adored.

She doesn’t get the job at Alette but in quirky fashion does get hired by a financial magazine edited by Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). There she writes a column on shopping that becomes very popular. But still the tenacious Mr. Smeath hunts for her.

Rebecca comes across as a woman who gets her worth from what she owns. She is not a very loyal friend or a conscientious employee. Her world rarely extends beyond her own wants and needs. Even at the end of the film when she is finally redeemed the “change” is not convincing.

Fisher doesn’t have the skills necessary to make Rebecca loveable in spite of her addictions. If there had been a warmth to the character that overrode all her other eccentricities, then she might have been worth watching. But as played by Fisher she is just a self-centered young woman who deserves all the problems she gets.

Dancy does not help much in the role of Brandon. You never get a real sense of who or what his character is. And you never understand what draws him to Rebecca. Dancy and Fisher are searching for the core of their characters throughout the film but never succeed in finding them.

John Goodman and Joan Cusak pop up as Rebecca’s bargain hunting parents. Kristin Scott Thomas waltzes through as the head of “Alette Magazine.” “SNL’s” Fred Armisen has a few scenes as Luke’s boss, and Wendy Malick makes an appearance as the head of a “shoppers anonymous” group. None of these add anything to the enjoyment level of the movie.

In these days of tight money and rampant unemployment a silly movie about excess spending is not an escape, it is a nightmare. The times they are a changing and this movie is caught making jokes about a very serious situation.

You get a chance to see movies on DVD that might have never come to a theater near you. And there are some real gems there that shouldn’t be overlooked. Such a film is “The Sinner,” a movie about a priest and his efforts to validate his calling.

Nick Chinlund and Georgina Cates star in this film and it is an interesting one. Several issues are raised about a man committed to God and the sinners he encounters. The issue of priests and their roles has been front and center in the media lately and this movie offers you a glimpse at one man who is trying to make it work.

This is not a run of the mill movie. It isn’t full of explosions or graphic sex. It looks at two people and lets the viewer decide if they fall on the side of good or evil.

Moviemaking is alive and well in Texas as evidenced by “Sno-Cone Inc” a movie, now out on DVD, shot in Austin. It is a comedy about being entrepreneurial and using every opportunity to get ahead. It is a little amateurish in spots but still manages to give viewers a lot of fun for their money.

Morgan Fairchild, Tony Sirico. Ryan Carnes, Steve Ligambi and Luis Lopez star in the film with cameos from a slew of Austin celebs. It is all done in good fun and with gusto so you owe it to you, and producer Travis Knapp, to take a look at it.

The 2009 Academy Ward nominee for Best Foreign Film titled “Waltz With Bashir” is now available on DVD. This is a movie that is part animation and part documentary and is spellbinding in every sense of the word.

The basic story concerns a man who was involved in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon by the Israelis. He has gaps in his memory and reconnects with old friends and comrades to fill in the blanks in his mind.

The film is based on actual events and makes a real impression. This is one you do not want to miss.

Finally there is the dramatic and satisfying movie about a girl who is “unique.” Her name is Phoebe and she is the central focus of the movie “Phoebe In Wonderland.” Elle Fanning (Dakota’s little sister) plays Phoebe and she shows Dakota is not the only talented Fanning.

Bill Pullman and Campbell Scott are also in the cast as well as the extraordinarily talented Patricia Clarkson and Felicity Huffman. They combine their talents to elevate this movie.

“Phoebe In Wonderland” is enthralling. Don’t miss it!
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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