Instead, Confessions of a Shopaholic's main focus is Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), her shopping problem and her desire to get a job writing for the top fashion magazine, Alette. But when she shows up for her interview, she finds the position has been filled from within, but the receptionist tells her that Alette is just part of a family of magazines and getting in at one of those is a good foot in the door to move to where you want to. As it happens, the company's financial mag is looking for a new writer, but when her possible-future boss turns out to be someone she accidentally annoyed earlier that day, the possibility of getting a job at Successful Saving seems remote.
So how did she annoy Editor-in-Chief Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy)? On her way to her Alette interview, she passed by a window with a green scarf. As is common with Rebecca, the mannequin displaying the scarf comes alive and explains to her just how necessary this accessory is and that it would be the perfect addition to her outfit for her interview. Unfortunately, this causes her to run late and when she tries to buy a hot dog from a street vendor, a run-in with a random guy ends up being none other than Luke.
That night, she writes two letters, one, a high-end fashion article about making sure you pick out the right shoes, and another telling the receiver of the letter off. And in true comedic style, the recipients get mixed up, Luke ends up with the fashion letter and the head of Alette comes close to getting the short but scathing note. To Rebecca's surprise, Luke finds her article a wonderful analogy for savings and asks her to join his team as a writer who can make financial advice more accessible to the general public. The only major problem is that Rebecca's shopping addiction means she is dodging bill collectors and quite frankly doesn't seem to be in any position to tell others how to spend. But her continued use of shopping and clothes as a metaphor for how to handle your money is a big hit.
Throughout the film, Rebecca is pushed by her best friend Suze (Krysten Ritter from 'Til Death), who signs her up for a shopaholics anonymous class, gets her self-help DVDs and does everything possible to help her friend, but it isn't until the movie's climatic series of calamities that always occurs in these films before she finally gets a handle on her problem and even though the mannequins still talk to her, they applaud her ability to just walk away (literally).
Special features are very light in the DVD version of Confessions of a Shopaholic. Where the Blu-ray release has several behind-the-scenes featurettes that would have been nice to see here, all this DVD has to offer is a bloopers reel, deleted scenes and a music video.
While this isn't a movie I would watch over and over again, it is still a fun experience. John Goodman and Joan Cusack do an excellent job as support characters by playing Rebecca's parents, and when she sees them admiring and following her advice column (which is under a pseudonym, of course), she gets a real look at how normal people are drawn to her writing. This is a cute movie worth seeing at least once, at least if you are into this style of films, but there isn't really anything in the package to warrant a purchase, and the movie doesn't beg to be watched over and over again. If you must buy it and have a Blu-ray player, then consider that version of the movie since it at least has some worthwhile extras to keep you entertained after you see the movie.
