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SYNOPSIS
When fashionista Rebecca Bloomwood’s out-of-control spending reaches the outer limits of her credit cards, she is forced to find employment to pay for her label-icious wardrobe. Her dream job is a position at New York’s top fashion rag Alette, but she has to settle for a desk at Successful Saving, a struggling financial magazine owned by the same publishing company. With a dogged debt collector (Robert Stanton) hot on her stilettos, Becky becomes the unlikely author of a column on saving money—with a little help from her friends at Google. Her unconventional outlook on money matters attracts the approval of her dreamy boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), and Becky begins to think maybe there is a whole new world waiting for her just a few steps away from Madison Avenue.
A flat broke fashion junkie is hired to dispense monetary advice in the stylishly funny romantic comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic, coming to Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on June 23, 2009 from Touchstone Home Entertainment. Legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure franchises) presents a lighthearted, feel-good romp based on Sophie Kinsella’s best selling novels about a fashion forward New Yorker who trades frocks for finance and finds fulfillment in the most unexpected place. Available in 1-disc DVD plus 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions that include Digital Copy, Confessions of a Shopaholic sports bonus features including bloopers, deleted scenes, and a music video. The Blu-ray has even more bonus features, including a look behind the making of this season’s must-have accessory for anyone who loves to laugh.
Confessions of a Shopaholic’s strong ensemble cast includes Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Hugh Dancy (The Jane Austen Book Club), Krysten Ritter (What Happens in Vegas), Joan Cusack (Friends with Money), John Goodman (Speed Racer), John Lithgow (Dreamgirls) and Kristin Scott Thomas (The Other Boleyn Girl). Directed by P. J. Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding) with a comic touch as light as the rarefied air of the fashion world, Confessions of a Shopaholic also features costumes by iconic designer Patricia Field (Sex and the City, The Devil Wears Prada) that give New York’s Fashion Week a run for its money.
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.
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.
Watch the Trailer:
BONUS FEATURES FOR CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
Both the Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD Editions of Confessions of a Shopaholic include these exciting bonus features:
• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• “Stuck with Each Other” Music Video by Shontelle Featuring Akon
Plus, available exclusively on Blu-ray Hi-Def:
• “Accessory” Music Video by Jordan Taylor
• “Takes Time to Love” Music Video by Trey Songz
• Behind the Fashion – A collection of insider peeks at the making of Confessions of a
Shopaholic, including:
o Wardrobe by Patricia Field – The renowned fashion designer takes viewers into her
studio and shares some of the secrets of her outrageous creative process.
o Temple of Shopping – The inspiration for Rebecca Bloomwood’s fashion wonderland
is finally revealed.
o The Green Scarf – Fans will learn more about the all-important accessory that drives
Rebecca to take desperate measures.
o New York Fashion Central – A style-centric tour of the home of more shopaholics
per square foot than anywhere else on the planet.
o Sample Sale Madness – The filming of the film’s hilariously chaotic shopping spree.
o Window Shopping – The Shopaholic team brings store windows to life along
shopping mecca Madison Avenue.
