Confessions of a Shopaholic: Movie Review

I'm helping Feeney out with his movie review blog by reveiwing a movie he thought would somehow capsulate his manhood. So read, enjoy, buy a movie ticket. And while you're at it, buy a popcorn and soda...stimulate the economy and all that.

Confessions of a Shopaholic




A light hearted and relatable portrayal of a girl
who truly believes that an accessory can change her life.


Before I divulge into my take of the cinematic portrayal of Sophie Kinsella’s famous book series Confessions of a Shopaholic, I think I have a confession to make myself. My name is Johnna Moretti, and I am a shopaholic. That’s right; I am a sale hounding, shiny store window obsessed, full fledged shopaholic. Rebecca Bloomwood, meet your doppelganger, Johnna Moretti. So I joined the legions of women who fell in love with Miss Bloomwood’s shopping peril’s in the original book series, because I too saw a piece of myself in her hopeless love affair with retail. And I can say with the utmost confidence that director PJ Hogan and actress Isla Fisher, truly brought charm and relatability into this unsung heroine who completely understands the life changing power that comes with buying a new outfit.

When we first meet Rebecca Bloomwood, she is an unhappy journalist struggling to obtain her dream position as a writer for the high fashion magazine, Alette. Her shopping addiction is made evidently clear to the audience as we see her try to convince herself and friends that someone had stolen her Mastercard after realizing she had spent $900 dollars in one month. She frequently falls under the fashion thrall of talking store window mannequins and she almost buys 97 hotdogs just to get an extra twenty dollars in her pocket. After losing her job, Rebecca is unemployed and faced with over sixteen thousand dollars in debt.

Forced to take a job at a financial planning magazine, Rebecca makes a name for herself as “The Girl with the Green Scarf.” She uses her retail and fashion expertise by comparing complex financial planning terms to basic shopping principles. After all, what better way to explain cost and worth to a fashion hounding public than with a Gucci shoe analogy? Despite her career successes, she is still struggling with her credit card debt, including avoiding a particularly vicious debt collector, Derek Smeath. Broken legs, sick aunts, and a bought with malaria are only some of the excuses Rebecca and her friends give the relentless Smeath. He eventually finds Rebecca’s place of employment and in an attempt to hide her debt from her financially savvy co-workers, she claims Smeath is a psycho ex-boyfriend who is stalking her.

The lies surrounding Rebecca’s financial situation deepen as she develops feelings for her financially astute boss, Luke Brandon. Soon her shopping habits begin to threaten the inner workings of Rebecca’s love and social life as she is forced to make a choice between her addiction to shopping and her relationships with her friends and family. The audience is reminded of the eventual toll that shopping and extreme self indulgence can take. We begin to see Rebecca’s life turn around as she begins to resist the overwhelming need to shop.

Admittedly, the movie is far from Oscar winning. The plot is predictable and the jokes are slightly unoriginal. However, the light hearted take on a shopaholics eventual turnaround, is received as a welcome break from our own financial worries in a less than perfect economy. The audience is able to laugh at Rebecca’s struggles with her new mantra “Do I really need this?” because like much of the audience, I too have grappled with this very battle between want and need. Ultimately, the movie sends a sense of hope to its audience as Rebecca’s Dad reminds us all, ‘if the American economy can be billions in debt and still survive, so can you.”

And for all you men out there who blanch when their girlfriends/wives bring up the idea of watching this movie…never fear. Ed Helms, (aka Andy from The Office) and John Goodman bring enough comedic relief that stirred more than a few chuckles from my boyfriend. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who feels alone in their overwhelming financial worries. This movie is a light hearted, two hour escape from the constraints of our own wallet and for a confessed shopaholic like me; it reminded me that 9 out of 10 times, the best things in your life can’t be found in a store. 

Always be yourself....unless you suck: My ode to Joss Whedon and various other thoughts on Friday the 13th, 2009

My life has been so un-blog worthy lately. I can probably attribute this to the fact that I have been extremely happy for the past two months. I need to get over the writing block that cramps my brain when the endorphins flow and remind myself that blogging isn't only meant for inner turmoil and romantic angst.

I've been re-watching old episodes of Buffy and the Vampire Slayer lately. Everytime I watch, I am reminded of what an unsung genius Joss Whedon truly is. His character development and dialogue writing is absolutley amazing and his attention to detail and mastery of subtlety in his writing astounds me. If I become half the writer he is in my life time, I will consider myself an extremely accomplished woman. I highly recommend everyone taking the time to get into that series. It'll change your life. True story. (Sidenote: I also think Glenn is exactly like Xander on Buffy and I've always had a giant crush on Xander. Life imitating art I tell ya.)

I seriously think every spoof of Christian Bale's freak out is hilarious. Stephen Colbert & Steve Martin has been the funniest so far. I have to thank Christian Bale's ridiculous temper for many shakey laugh fits these past two weeks. Although Glenn & I's attempt at changing the face of "Rick Rolling" to "Christian Bale-ing" failed horribly. I shake my fist at the volume on power point! Or as my friend Christian Bale would say to Power Point, what the FUCK do you think you're doing?! Are you a FUCKING professional?!


I need to invest in making copies upon copies of every key I own. I learned yesterday that if you don't have spare keys, you're basically up shit creek without a paddle...or a key to your tobogan or whatever you float up shit creek in.


Apparently women in the 1950s did not have to eat or exhale. I got my dress today from Unique Vintage for Glenn and I's 50's inspired Valentine's Day Dinner and let me just say, this dress could make Michael Feeney look fat. I'd be fine as long as I was not expected to breathe or injest food or liquids at any point of the night. Since we're going to an Italian restaurant that night, I'm going to need the extra dress room for a little Italian food baby to emerge. Emergency dress shopping begins tonight at 6pm.

Wow...that's really all I can come up with! Unless you want me to gush about how wonderful Glenn is which I just refuse to do for fear that I've become one of "those girls." (Just for the record...he is pretty frickin wonderful.) I will be writing soon lovelies.

<3

25 things and then some...

To many people's chagrin, the "25 things about me" note has slowly been taking over, popping its cheery little head amongst news feeds all over the facebooking community. I personally love reading 25 random tidbits about my friends. No matter how much you think you know someone, they can still surprise you in something as silly as a facebook chain. Or in some cases, the people I didn't know so well have enlightened me with small things about themselves that I would have otherwise not known. So to all of you naysayers, I think you're just a little too chicken to take on the 25 things challenge. Oh that's right, I went there.

So after I finished my note, I realized I could probably write 25 more things but I wouldn't be that self indulgent on facebook. However, a blog is entirely self indulgent so why wouldn't I carry on here?

Without any further a due, here is my "25 things about me: part deux:"

26.) I have a seriously strange connection with a certain individual (let's call him Shmyan Shmuir) that I went to high school with. I can eerily predict when and where I will run into him. I've tried to use my psychic powers in other ways that would be far more beneficial to my life, but it only seems to work on him.

27.) When I get really nervous, I always carry Two in my purse.

28.) Because of this, Two always seems to smell like spearmint gum.

29.) I give Halpert pep talks before I leave the house in the morning. We go over what he'll do in my absence, including play with his toys, poop, and nap. Then I tell him all the fun we'll have when I get home. I feel as if he appreciates this time I take out of my morning even if sometimes it makes me late for work.

30.) I am extremely irritated by people who don't seem to have a dark side to them. We all are a little fucked up inside. Isn't that what makes us interesting?

31.) The only girl I have ever considered to be my best friend is Barb. She restored my faith in the female gender. Yet, her departure to California makes me question if I'm truly meant to have a best friend who is a girl.

32.) Even though I only see him every couple months, I know Greg Johnson will be in my life forever. Same goes for Robert and oddly enough; these are the only two people that I am 100% confident in the belief that I will know them for the rest of my life.

33.) I go through phases when I am an extreme home body, and a party girl. I never can quite master balancing the two.

34.) It's taken me almost 10 years to figure out, but I think I'm finally starting to see that it is possible for a guy to treat you exactly how you think you deserve to be treated.

35.) I still consider the time that Adam Lazzara from Taking Back Sunday said 'shit sweetheart, this songs about you' to be the sexiest moment of any concert I've ever been to. (Even though he didn't even say it to me).

Sidenote: This also tops seeing Britney Spears in her nude diamond body suit psuedo masturbating in a tub.

36.) I still laugh over the fact that I ever dated Shaun Hague.

37.) I can read a book in an entire sitting but I usually fall asleep midway through a two hour movie.

38.) I am an absolute lyrics junkie. I still feel as if there is a song out there that I have yet to discover that will explain my life perfectly.

39.) I feel as if I have three different families: My actual family, my co-workers at Brown and my co-workers at Self Essentials. The girls at both work places have helped me immensely over the years and I honestly don't know where I'd be without all of them.

40.) I sometimes want to up and leave and move to London. I feel as if I'm going to have a huge event in my life one day which will result in a drastic move. It also fits with my theory that I am destined to marry a British man.

41.) If above does not happen; I hope my husband takes me to London on our honeymoon.

42.) I really believe that I was a World War I nurse in a past life and I had a passionate affair with a soldier.

43.) I completely believe in ghosts but I never want to see one for fear that I will go insane as a result.

44.) I am still torn on the existence of God. My poppa's passing has convinced me that there is something else out there but I don't think I'll ever be ready to commit to a religion.

45.) I also think deeply and radically religious people are ignorant.

46.) That said, I have my talks with the big man (whoever he is) and he knows I'm trying every day to make him proud.

47.) My mom was supposed to be a nun. I'm glad she decided otherwise.

48.) My brother and sister used to say I was like the guy in Beetle juice who hangs from the ceiling and says 'feeling a little flat.' I've gained some weight since then. Maybe they'll lay off now.

49.) The only way I would eat when I was little was if my parents put on Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video on the T.V. Oddly enough, I am still happier when I eat while watching The Family Guy, Buffy or The Office. And I refuse to eat while watching anything new. I had odd eating habits from the womb.

50.) I used to think Slimmer from the Ghostbusters movie lived on my ceiling at night. Little did I know, it was just the little green spots you see from staring at the light for too long.

I think that's all for now. :)

(How's that for raw Feeney?)