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The year was 2009. The global economy was enduring the final throes of the worst financial crisis since the second world war and Isla Fisher, clad with an American accent and a shopping addiction, played a financially illiterate New Yorker with more than $16,000 in personal debt; an auburn-haired Marie Antoinette of the late oughts.
Confessions of a Shopaholic was awarded a measly two stars by this outlet when it was released. The film, based on the Sophie Kinsella novel series of the same name and directed by the Australian film-maker PJ Hogan, was practically doomed from the start. Financially battered audiences weren’t exactly chomping at the bit to watch a plucky fashionista make terrible spending decisions for 104 minutes. It was also just as romcoms’ box office dominance was coming to an end, replaced by a new era of unsaturated and action-packed superhero franchises. But while Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it is charming now – and arguably ahead of its time in regards to its depiction of overwhelming personal debt.
The film’s plot is simple enough: Rebecca (Fisher) is a down-on-her-luck, materialistic single girl kicking it in the Big Apple, dreaming of working at a fashion magazine. She is supported by her angel of a best friend, Suze (Krysten Ritter), and her parents (Joan Cusack and John Goodman), whose hyper-frugality inadvertently caused Rebecca’s extreme shopping habits. All the while, Rebecca is dodging a Javert-esque debt collector, Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton).
In an ironic twist, Rebecca becomes a finance advice columnist – under the moniker of “The Girl in the Green Scarf” – and, obviously, gains the affection of her handsome nepo-baby boss turned boyfriend Luke (Hugh Dancy). There’s also a gorgeous blonde rival to this love story (Leslie Bibb) – because every romcom protagonist must have an enemy with a different hair colour.
Rebecca herself makes for an odd romcom protagonist: she has the bones of an eclectic and chic Carrie Bradshaw-type, and the lovable cringe of Kimmy Schmidt. It also feels as though the film can’t decide if it wants to relish in its own camp sensibilities or ask its audience to seriously sympathise with its subject matter; it is not quite saccharine and not quite grounded. There are talking mannequins, akin to sirens, luring Rebecca to overspend and cartoonish physical gags aplenty – but there’s also a dramatic fight between Rebecca and Suze that is far more heartbreaking than anything involving a man.
But for many young girls, including myself, Confessions of a Shopaholic introduced a bittersweet and lifelong fantasy into our impressionable little lives: the allure of working in the glossy world of print media. It’s no secret that journalism is one of the top career picks for women in romcoms and the 2000s were especially full to the brim with them: Suddenly 30, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Devil Wears Prada and Bridget Jones’s Diary, among others. Each of these probably inspired future journos but Confessions of a Shopaholic was the one that made the job look fun. Albeit chaotic, full of redundancies and rife with nepotism (once again, truly ahead of its time!)
And its warning against racking up thousands of dollars of credit card debt is well and truly relevant today: gen Z and millennials have some of the highest levels of debt in comparison with older generations, much of it stemming from the increased accessibility of buy now, pay later services. One can easily imagine a contemporary Rebecca, forlornly stalking her favourite fashion influencers’ Instagram profiles and buying overpriced secondhand designer clothes on Depop. The Devil Wears Prada got a sequel this year – but if there’s any noughties romcom set in the media and fashion world that needs a sequel, it’s this one.
Confessions of a Shopaholic just isn’t as beloved as its peers, which is a shame but an understandable one. It might not have the polish of The Devil Wears Prada nor the timeless charm of Bridget Jones’s Diary but it’s cute and arguably more relevant now than when it was released. And even if the (slightly) outdated humour isn’t your thing, Fisher’s ultra-luxe wardrobe makes it worth the rewatch.
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Confessions of a Shopaholic is available to stream via Disney+ in Australia, UK and the US. Find more recommendations of what to stream in Australia here
