Confessions of a Shopaholic

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

Fashion porn for those who believe spending is the best way out of a recession.

Just like

Sex and The City

and

The Devil Wears Prada

this is serious chick flick material. A light, fluffy romantic comedy,

Confessions of a Shopaholic

is based on a book by Sophie Kinsella and will provoke shoe envy, and naughtily encourage you to go on a shopping spree immediately.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

is the story of Rebecca Bloomwood's (Fisher) addiction to designer clothes, shoes and accessories. A perky, ditzy fashion obsessed journalist, Becky's ambition in life is to work for

Alette

, a

Vogue

-like fashion magazine edited by Alette Naylor (Kristin Scott Thomas).

With her credit cards maxed out, debt collectors on the prowl, designer sales enticing her and no job, Becky's forced into taking a position at a financial magazine within the Alette family, where she ironically starts writing a column about how to manage debt.

Encouraged by her charming new boss, and love interest, Luke Brandon (Dancy) Becky's column uses easy to understand fashion analogies to explain finance. The column is a worldwide hit, but Becky's meteoric rise in the world of journalism is threatened by her nasty little secret - she's a shopaholic.

Yes, and here's the surprise, hidden behind the designer clobber,

Confessions of a Shopaholic

attempts to convey the serious message that addiction is bad and living beyond your means can ruin your life.

The only problem with this is that the clothes selected by costume designer Patricia Field (

Sex and the City

and

The Devil Wears Prada

) are the most eye-catching and irresistible part of the film - so the case for frugality is unconvincing.

Fisher saves the day, managing to stand out despite stiff competition from her wardrobe. She's a natural at this physical, slapstick style of comedy and comes across as an energetic version of Elle Woods, combined with a young Carrie Bradshaw. The script is weak, but Fisher works hard to deliver a charming performance.

There's nothing realistic about this film, and you don't have to have read the books to know the ending, but thanks to the wonderfully over-the-top fashion, this average piece of escapism is pleasantly tolerable.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy

Director:

P.J. Hogan

Running time:

104 mins

Rating:

PG (low level offensive Language)