Ahhh… nothing like a little romantic comedy to while away the hours with the Mrs. “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is a cute little movie that will probably horrify most husbands whose wives spend all of their hard-earned cash on clothes, shoes, jewelry and any old thing that catches their eye. Fortunately for me, while my wife does love to get a few ‘extra’ things when she goes shopping, she’s still a spendthrift who knows when to say “No.” “Confessions…” introduces us to Becky Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), a wannabe journalist whose dream is to work at the New York fashion rag… I mean mag…Allette. Unable to get hired on, she settles for one of their smaller sister magazines, “Successful Saving.” She begins to write about saving money, giving out all sorts of advice on the subject. The only problem is, Becky is a shopaholic. She is so deep in debt herself that she’s the last person who should give out advice. However, penning a column called “The Girl in the Green Scarf,” Becky manages to become somewhat of a sensation. But as her star rises, darkness looms over her in the form of a debt collector threatening to tell everyone her secret. As is this wasn’t bad enough, her romance with the boss (never a good idea, no matter what movies profess) is at stake if the truth comes out.

“Confessions of a Shopaholic” is based on a series of books by author Sophie Kinsella. In the books the action takes place in England, and so even though the locations have been moved to New York, a lot of the British flavor feels intact. It’s a rather harmless comedy that certainly made for an enjoyable evening. Isla Fisher, who has been acting since 1993 but is still just finding her niche, is stunningly cute in the role of Becky. She admirably delivers a performance of the ‘dumb blonde’ who really ain’t so dumb. She ably carries the film from start to finish.

The film is being released this month on DVD and Blu-ray, and we were able to get our hands on the latter. The picture and sound are stunning, as is to be expected with Disney behind the scenes in its release. The colors are vibrant without being to saturated, a feat that was difficult to do considering some of the higher fashion scenes. The sound nix was solid throughout, and I never had any problems hearing the dialogue.

As for extra features, there are a handful of deleted scenes and bloopers, as well as music videos for “Stuck with Each Other” by Shontelle - featuring Akon, Jordyn Taylor's “Accessory” and Trey Songz's “Takes Time to Love.” There are also 6 featurettes about the fashion, sets and mannequins that inhabit the film. But before you get too excited, these are all very short. Additionally, you can also download a digital copy for your Ipod.

“Confessions of a Shopaholic” is not a great film, but it is an accessible one. It made for a quietly amusing evening at home with my wife, both of us able to laugh at the ridiculous clothes that are accused of being fashionable.

Directed by: P.J. Hogan
Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, John Goodman, Joan Cusack
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Music Video, Digital Copy, Featurettes, Music Videos
Specifications: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 (2.40:1), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 6/23/2009
MPAA Rating: PG
http://www.bluefly.com/media/promotions/flash/shopaholic/main/shopaholic.html

We'll give Confessions of a Shopaholic a B.