Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie Review

A trite and irritating romantic comedy that squanders its promising young star...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 17, 2009

If Muriel's Wedding director P.J. Hogan's Confessions of a Shopaholic were a bleak and biting satire about materialism and consumerism in America, I might have been more enamored with its bright-eyed heroine. If it were a compelling exploration of credit addiction and insolvency in a world teeming with Chanel billboards and Gucci bags, I might have been more forgiving of its inane love story. Sadly, the film doesn't embrace any of these lofty ambitions, instead carving out an all-too-familiar niche for itself amidst the umpteen-thousand formulaic romantic comedies eager to give genre fans everything they expect and... well, nothing more. Were it a model coming down the runway, it would be greeted with blank stares; were it a garment in a 5th Avenue window, it would drive customers into other stores; were it anything but a shallow romcom Adlib, it might actually have something to offer the most discerning genre fans among you.

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Meet Rebecca Bloomwood (Wedding Crashers' Isla Fisher), a cheery but impulsive Manhattan writer whose shopping addiction has brought her to the brink of bankruptcy and tears. Despite the best efforts of her best friend Suze (Breaking Bad's Krysten Ritter) and her loving parents (John Goodman and Joan Cusack), her credit cards have been maxed out and her appetite for the latest fashions has become insatiable. Enter "Successful Saving" magazine editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), a thrifty young businessman who just might be responsible enough to save her. With a job offer in hand, Luke rides in on a proverbial white horse and begins to win her heart. However, Rebecca has to contend with a young fashionista competing for his affections (Leslie Bibb), an uber-creepy mannequin (voiced by Kelli Barrett) that talks her into buying a fortuitous green scarf (I can't make this stuff up), the frosty help of a socialite (Kristin Scott Thomas), the dogged pursuit of a persistent collections agent (Robert Stanton), and -- oh bother! -- an embarrassing on-the-air revelation that she hasn't been entirely truthful with her new beau.

Based on a series of novels by English author Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic crams designer labels and grating pop music into an increasingly flashy assault on the senses, burying the talented Isla Fisher in its wake. Having established her barbed comedic chops in Wedding Crashers and dramatic prowess in The Lookout, you might think the smart and sassy actress would bring something fresh to the role of doting romcom protagonist. Instead, Fisher is inexcusably wasted. Hogan and company not only pull her teeth, they insist she restrain everything that might make her (and, by default, the film itself) more memorable. But while I'd love to continue placing blame squarely on the filmmakers, it's tough to give Fisher a pass, particularly considering she signed onto a project with an incoherent script, page after page of banal dialogue, and one of the most vapid genre storylines I've endured in quite some time. Her 2005 turn as the Secretary of the Treasury's oversexed daughter sent me into fits of laughter; her Rebecca Bloomwood left me checking my watch and tapping my remote.

Far be it from me to wade into genre waters I so desperately try to avoid -- romantic comedies aren't exactly my Dolce & Gabbana -- but Confessions of a Shopaholic is as flat and flimsy as they come. At one point my wife even remarked, "I wouldn't want to spend five minutes with any of these people." I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree. Ultimately, without any substance, soul, indelible characters, or redeeming value, the film is the cinematic equivalent of a discarded wet towel. Fisher's sun-streaked presence (as well as the flick's notable cast of who's who actors) gave me high hopes, but I couldn't get past the tedious drudgery of it all. Even diehard genre fans should approach this one with extreme caution.

Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Confessions of a Shopaholic features a chic 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that handles Jo Willems' blazing palette and acrid contrast with ease. Primaries are powerful, granting summery handbags and chic jackets the same startling intensity. Saturation is overwhelming at times (a scene with John Goodman looks as if it were shot in a bowl of Orange Crush), but each instance seems to be the result of creative intention rather than faulty encoding. Likewise, shadows are purposefully overcooked, swallowing detail and reducing racks of little black dresses into amorphous blobs, but depth remains convincing and dimensionality commendable. It helps that detail is so sharp and revealing. Aside from some softness that haunts Fisher's opening strut through New York City, textures are generally refined, overall clarity and object definition is crisp, and the use of edge enhancement is kept to a bare minimum. More importantly, the image is spotless -- I didn't detect any troublesome artifacting, banding, source clutter, or noise reduction. As it stands, the intended look of the film is somewhat overbearing, but Disney's technical transfer proves itself more than capable of tackling the task at hand.

Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray edition of Confessions of a Shopaholic may boast a fairly proficient DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, but the film's sound design is as uninspiring and uninvolving as you'd expect from a formulaic romantic comedy. Dialogue is bright and clear, prioritization leaves no line behind, and pans are silky smooth, but rear speaker activity is so maddeningly reserved that the mix fails to recreate the hustle and bustle of New York's busy streets. LFE support is competent, but usually produces similar results: traffic lacks presence, effects lack weight, and movement lacks the heft provided by the best lossless tracks on the market. It isn't overly distracting per se, but it does leave the soundscape malnourished from time to time. In all, this DTS-HD MA offering is often as thin and superficial as the film it accompanies. It won't spoil the experience for anyone swept up in Rebecca's world, but it certainly doesn't break the romcom mold.

Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A quick glance at Confessions of a Shopaholic's back cover might lead you to believe Disney's BD-50 disc is brimming with special features. However, you can plow through the entire supplemental package (exclusives and all) in half an hour. Ah well, at least the video content is presented in high definition.

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes (HD, 14 minutes): Six flashy EPK shorts -- three standard, three exclusive -- that briefly touch on a variety of topics including Patricia Field's costume design, the storefront set, the green scarf featured in the film, the shooting of a particularly chaotic scene, window mannequins, and shopping in New York.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 6 minutes): A collection of dull deleted scenes that were wisely removed from the final film.
• Bloopers (HD, 2 minutes): A standard gag reel in which cast and crew snicker at missed lines and hee-larious mistakes.
• Music Videos (HD, 9 minutes): A trio of music videos round out the package -- Shontelle and Akon's "Stuck with Each Other," Trey Songz' "Takes Time to Love," and Jordyn Taylor's "Accessory."

Confessions of a Shopaholic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I won't rehash my distaste for Confessions of a Shopaholic. Suffice to say, it didn't entertain me at all. Regardless, Disney has at least cobbled together a decent Blu-ray release. It doesn't offer much in the way of supplemental material, but its attractive video transfer and passable DTS-HD Master Audio track should satisfy genre regulars looking for a solid AV presentation. While I would still give the film itself a rent before considering a purchase, fans will be fairly pleased with the disc as is.