Sooo, I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic this week, my final choice of movie, I have to say, was slightly swayed by a kind offer from from PR agency JAM to donate a poster signed by Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Jerry Bruckheimer and Sophie Kinsella for me to offer as a competition prize, and seeing as I was planning to see it anyway it seemed like a pretty good idea! If you want to enter you can do so here.
So. To the film. I have to come clean. I haven’t read the book. I’m not a huge Chick Lit fan, often just the covers make me cross, but I am fond of the occasional Chick Flick. They’re light, frothy, and everything works out OK in the end, and that’s what everyone wants from life surely?
I was pretty much expecting to spend a pleasant 2 hours looking at pretty frocks and come out with utterly no recollection of what had actually happened, but, I actually loved it as a film. So much that I now want to read the book! It was funny, charming, and actually seemed quite refreshingly light on the lingering shots of pretty shoes and bags.
For me, the storyline itself struck a chord. I am painfully familiar with hiding from the debt collectors, though my debts were mostly spent on Faith shoes rather than Louboutins! I’ve pretended to be someone else on the phone to say I wasn’t in and hung up if there’s too long a pause when I answer the phone (this means a call centre chasing me for payment!)
But mostly what made the film so special was Isla Fisher. As Becky she was the perfect everywoman. She drinks a little too much and says slightly inappropriate things and walks into glass doors (I loved this particularly. I once tried to look through a window with secondary glazing whilst viewing a flat and nearly knocked myself out).
I think we can all identify with that feeling that everyone else is poised, elegant and confident in all situations, whilst we are just acting a part, and that maybe we can buy some of that confidence and success if only we can afford those shoes, or that bag.
The ultimate lesson that we can only find these things inside ourselves is one even those poised and elegant people struggle with.
So, yes, I recommend Confessions of a Shopaholic, and not just for the pretty frocks, though they are very pretty…
