"Confessions of a Shopaholic" DVD Review

I really wanted to see “Confessions of a Shopaholic” but didn’t get a chance to when it was in the theaters. I was super excited to have the opportunity to review it and let me tell you, it was worth the wait! It was such a cute movie and I’m so glad to have a copy of it for myself! Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy are adorable in this light-hearted comedy about a shopaholic who turns her life around and finds love in the process. It is definitely a movie I’ll watch again and again!

On Tuesday, June 23rd, Touchstone Home Entertainment released “Confessions of a Shopaholic” on DVD and Blu-ray! “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is about a broke and in-debt fashion shopaholic who is hired to give advice on money. Rebecca Bloomwood loves to shop and her out-of-control spending reaches the maximum on all of her credit cards. She is forced to find a job that will help pay for her “label-icious” wardrobe. Her dream job is to work at New York’s top fashion magazine Alette, but ends up settling for a desk job at Successful Saving, a struggling financial magazine owned by the same publishing company. With a persistent debt collector (Robert Stanton) tracking her down, Rebecca becomes the unlikely author of a column on saving money – with help from her friends at Google. Her “unconventional outlook” on money matters draws the attention of her boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) and the sparks begin to fly. You’ll love “Confessions of a Shopaholic!”

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates of the Caribbean” and “National Treasure”) presents this light-hearted, romantic comedy based on the best-selling novel by Sophie Kinsella. You’ll find “Confessions of a Shopaholic” available in a 1-disc DVD, as well as 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions that include Digital Copy, Confessions of a Shopaholic bonus features including bloopers, deleted scenes, and a music video. The Blu-ray edition has even more bonus features, including a look behind the scenes and the making of this season’s must-have accessory for anyone who loves to laugh!

The 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.

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.

RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2009

Pricing: 1-Disc DVD: $29.99 (US); $35.99 (Canada)

1-Disc Blu-ray Disc: $44.99 (Canada)

2-Disc DVD: $32.99 (U.S.); $40.99 (Canada)

2-Disc BD: $39.99 (U.S.) and $49.99 (Canada)

Feature run time: 105 minutes

Rated: USA: PG (Some Mild Language and Thematic Elements);

Canada: PG (Not recommended for young children, Language

may offend)

Technical specifications may only apply to feature

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Sound: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound

Languages: English, Spanish, French

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Trailer

Important Scarf (Film)

Getting Back the Mail (Film)

Speak Prada (Film)

Temple of Shopping (Bonus)

Patricia Field (Bonus)

Bloopers (Bonus)

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“CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC” FUN FACTS!!!

• The film shot inside of some of the most exclusive stores and boutiques in New York, including Barneys New York flagship store on Madison Avenue, Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue, Scoop and Catherine Malandrino in the Meat Packing District, Alessi (upscale housewares) in Soho, and Kleinfeld (elaborate bridal shop) in Chelsea.

• The film also shot inside some of the most historic buildings in the city, including legendary British architect Lord Norman Foster’s Hearst Tower (the only film to ever be allowed to shoot there) on 57th Street and 8th Avenue; 45 Rockefeller Center (the building that features the statue of Atlas holding up the world at its entrance); the Grand Salon inside of the 1931 Jumeirah Essex House hotel on Central Park South; inside and out of St. James Church (1884) on Madison Avenue between 71st and 72nd Streets; inside of the Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau styled Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building (1908-12) on Chambers Street in the Wall Street district; utilizing the exterior of St. Anthony of Padua on Sullivan Street at the intersection of Greenwich Village, Tribeca and Soho, founded in 1866.

• The production spent two all-nighters dressing the beautiful atrium of Henri Bendel with a Midsummer Night’s Dream themed design, as well as the aviator-themed window displays. They also created window displays for the Hearst Tower with faux stores by Valentino, Anna Sui, Catherine Malandrino and Alberto Ferretti. Excited New Yorkers thought that actual stores had opened on the ground level of the Tower and were sorely disappointed to discover that they were only for the movie.

• Across the street from St. James Church, windows were re-dressed in actual Yves St. Laurent, Asprey and Sonia Rykiel stores for the film’s climax.

• In the film, costume designer Patricia Field selected clothing and accessories to adorn Isla Fisher’s Becky Bloomwood, including Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada, Christian Dior, Todd Oldham, Gucci and Matthew Williamson, among others.

• To create a lavish display in Henri Bendel’s six-story atrium, as well as window decorations, production designer Kristi Zea and supervising art director Paul Kelly had to bring in a full complement of their department to pull an all-nighter with military precision, as they only had enough time between the store closing its doors to the public and reopening them again in the morning to pull off the impossible. Mission was accomplished, with legions of New Yorkers admiring the results before the cameras began rolling later that day.

• Filming in New York City gave the filmmakers access to the pool of local actors perhaps better known for their work in the theatre than on film, including Christine Ebersole (Tony Award winner as Best Actress in a Musical for “Grey Gardens”), LaChanze (Tony Award winner as Best Actress in a Musical for “The Color Purple”) and Kaitlin Hopkins (star of the upcoming touring company of “Dirty Dancing: The Musical”).

• Ed Helms of “The Office” is seen only on videotape in the movie as self-help money management guru Garrett E. Barton.

• A bank loan officer is portrayed by Jonathan Tisch, Loews Hotel Chairman and CEO; and in a publishing reception scene filmed in Chicago, another banker is played by Andy Serwer, managing editor of Fortune Magazine.

• Robert Stanton, who plays ruthless debt collector Derek Smeath, drew upon the only other job he ever had besides actor: a skip tracer for a student loan company, finding people who had defaulted on their debts. Stanton admits that he wasn’t good at harassing people, since he would always burst out in laughter instead.

• Sophie Kinsella was on the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” set nearly every day as associate producer, consulting and watching her beloved creation of Rebecca Bloomwood come to life. Not so coincidentally considering the massive international sales of the “Shopaholic” novels, Kinsella was often approached by excited fans on New York, Connecticut and Miami locations as if she were more of a movie star than an author.

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“CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC” Q & A WITH ISLA FISHER!

QUESTION: Are you a Shopaholic?

ISLA FISHER: No I am not a Shopaholic, I don’t shop very well at all. I tend to buy things which end up not being quite right – whether it is a clothing item that does not match anything in my wardrobe, or some cooking apparatus that is utterly useless. I am just not that good at it.

QUESTION: Are you an impulse buyer?

ISLA FISHER: I usually go into a store with a mission. My idea of a fun thing to do would not be to go to a mall and shopping.

QUESTION: In what way did you identify with the character in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?

ISLA FISHER: I identified with her in the sense that I would like to think that I am optimistic and energetic like she is. I would also like to think that I have a big heart, like Rebecca has. I don’t need to always identify with all the characteristics of my character, sometimes it is the differences that help you to lose your inhibitions when you are performing.

QUESTION: How did you make Becky so funny?

ISLA FISHER: Becky can be a goofball and very funny and I have always felt comfortable tapping into my inner idiot. I have a side of me that doesn’t care. I really enjoy physical comedy, thinking of an idea and pitching it to the director. For example there is one scene in the movie in which I do a fan dance with Hugh. I thought of that years ago, I always imagined how funny it would be to have a scene in a movie where a girl seduces a guy by dancing. She thinks she is really sexy but actually she is repulsive. So I went to PJ and suggested it to him and he said ‘oh I always have a dance in my movies, ok let’s do it.’

QUESTION: How tricky was it to do the scene when you dive across the boardroom table?

ISLA FISHER: The scene was quite well planned…where my knees were going to go, where the props are…it was very specific. I slid safely and I wore kneepads. I made it look more dramatic than it was.

QUESTION: Were you surprised to be cast in a Jerry Bruckheimer film?

ISLA FISHER: Absolutely! I was very proud and excited to be on the list of actresses who were considered and to get the opportunity to meet with Jerry Bruckheimer. Being a fan of the books, this was a dream role. I didn’t have to audition. I took a meeting and at the time I was five months pregnant. I just met with Jerry Bruckheimer and the director, PJ Hogan and we discussed the character and they asked me a lot of questions about the script and the comedy. I came up with some ideas and pitched some jokes. Then I got the call that they had chosen me and I couldn’t believe it! It was a terrifying feeling. When you audition you are chosen because they have seen that you are right for the part but when you just get offered a job like this – which is something that has not happened to me before – you think…Oh gosh, what if they are wrong and I mess it up!

QUESTION: Jerry describes you as the next Lucille Ball, what is like getting compliments like that?

ISLA FISHER: That is very nice of Jerry to say that and also slightly terrifying to fill those shoes. But wow, I love her, she is very funny and fantastic. I grew up watching “I Love Lucy.

QUESTION: How soon after our baby did you do the film?

ISLA FISHER: Four and a half months. Jerry hired a personal trainer for me. He wanted me to work out every day but I said no way and got him down to three times a week. I used to pretend that I was working out on the days he was not coming to the house. My daughter was on the set and I was breast-feeding every three hours. PJ Hogan had his three-year-old daughter on set. So there was a total family vibe.

QUESTION: You seemed to have no trouble with the American accent for “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?

ISLA FISHER: I was given a dialect coach on the film, which was a great luxury.

QUESTION: Have you ever bought something and then later on thought you had made a ridiculous purchase?

ISLA FISHER: I very rarely go to hardware store but once I am there I see all sorts of things that I never knew existed and then I convince myself that I need them. Whether it is a drill, or a pot of very cool, neon pink paint, which I am never going to put anywhere! Then I buy all the brushes. Or I might see a little shovel and think that I might get into gardening. There is something about a hardware store because it seems so different.

QUESTION: What was your favorite outfit in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?

ISLA FISHER: I liked the purple dress that Rebecca wears on the TV show – I thought it was classy. But I am not too into fashion because I am more of a jeans and T-shirt girl. Thanks to Patricia Field I have become more confident about the way I dress. But I am more comfortable in trainers or Ugg boots.

QUESTION: Is it true you requested five-inch stilettos for this part?

ISLA FISHER: I did. I thought there’s something funny about a Shopaholic impractically buying ridiculously high heels and tottering throughout the stores. I thought it would be amusing. But it was less amusing, of course, when I was actually doing it! Walking in them was tricky but they were so great for the character. They put her off balance and Rebecca is off balance because she doesn’t have a sense of who she is. At the start of the movie she does not know where she is going to end up.

QUESTION: Did your feet ache at the end of each day?

ISLA FISHER: Yes! My feet ached constantly, they really did! In my every day life I would not wear shoes like those.

QUESTION: You do a lot of physical comedy in the role, so how was that?

ISLA FISHER: The great thing about doing physical comedy for film is that if it doesn’t work you’re not exposed. It ends up on the editing room floor, so it gives you a lot more room to experiment I guess. But I really enjoy doing it. I’m very comfortable tapping into my inner idiot.

QUESTION: What was the last thing you bought with a credit card?

ISLA FISHER: I actually bought some magazines at the airport. I don’t carry cash, so it’s not very interesting. I try to remember to carry cash but more often than not I end up putting it in jeans pockets, which get promptly washed.

QUESTION: What was the most embarrassing thing to shoot?

ISLA FISHER: It’s interesting but when I’m in character I don’t really feel any embarrassment. In real life I’m obviously a lot more shy, but once I’m on set and in costume and I’m hidden behind the person I’m playing I feel quite free to experiment. Except for Hugh [Dancy] probably, when I slapped him in the face with a fan.

QUESTION: When you were in “Home and Away” did you ever dream of being in a movie like “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?

ISLA FISHER: I am still completely bewildered and absolutely flattered that I was chosen to be the lead in this movie. The first time I saw the movie poster I was at The Grove in Los Angeles. There was a poster of Cate Blanchett for “Benjamin Button” – she is one of my favorite actresses – and then I saw who I thought was Deborah Messing and then I realized it was me! I froze. It was so thrilling and at the same time terrifying and perplexing that I was up there. So I have a tremendous sense of achievement because I never dreamed I would end up here. I have always been someone who loves their job and I am totally aware of how lucky I am and appreciative of this opportunity. I started acting when I was 13 and I am now 33 so I have been it at it for 20 years. Now it feels as if it has led somewhere.

QUESTION: Playing journalists seems to be quite a popular career choice for actors. How much did you enjoy it and what kind of research did you do?

ISLA FISHER: My girlfriend from high school is a journalist so I spoke to her. But I also researched the shopping end of the character by visiting some overspend/under earner groups who essentially are Shopaholics and who, rather sadly, their lives have essentially become unmanageable because of their shopping addiction. But I don’t want to focus on that side of it because the film is supposed to be escapist fun.

QUESTION: Can you draw comparisons between the scale and the expense of a Hollywood movie compared to the kind of movies and TV material you started out on? Does it seem like anything goes in an industry this huge?

ISLA FISHER: I tend to not focus on stuff like that, or notice it. You do feel the difference, obviously, when you have a trailer that’s warm and has a television, versus when you’re getting changed in the back of a Winebago.

QUESTION: How was working with costume designer Patricia Field on your wardrobe?

ISLA FISHER: She’s incredibly imaginative. She’s not married to any designers and she’s open minded. Every single look tells a story. I really enjoyed working with her. I’m not a Fashionista. I don’t have much experience in that world, but I felt I was kind of educated in the end and that even my own fashion style is now sort of braver. I enjoy dressing a lot more.

QUESTION: Did you keep anything?

ISLA FISHER: I didn’t keep anything. I loved wearing the costumes but they’re Rebecca Bloomwood’s costumes and I felt like her in them. I don’t know how I would feel in my everyday life in those heels.

QUESTION: What are your shopping temptations?

ISLA FISHER: Books… and more recently cook books. I think its wish fulfillment. I never have time to cook, so I just look through the books and imagine the dishes I would make if I wasn’t going out for a business dinner.

QUESTION: What would your favorite dishes be?

ISLA FISHER: Probably Italian… or French.

QUESTION: You’re part of a very famous comedy couple [with fiancé Sacha Baron Cohen], so how advantageous is that in terms of advising or testing each other? Or do you keep work separate?

ISLA FISHER: Well actually Sacha was the reason I got into comedy. I was actually auditioning for a lot of dramatic roles and having no success at all. I was losing confidence in my abilities when he recommended that I do comedy. He felt I was really funny, so when someone as funny as him recommends that I listened and actually auditioned for “Wedding Crashers”, which ended up being my big break.

QUESTION: Which one of the two of you will be the first to do a dramatic role?

ISLA FISHER: Oh gosh, I have no idea. I don’t know. He’s definitely a lot funnier than me.

QUESTION: Did it feel like you were actually taking on a novel hero with this. She obviously has a big fan base already and were you worried about the reaction from fans?

ISLA FISHER: Extremely worried. When you’re in the lead of a movie suddenly you’re more responsible for the tone of the film and there’s obviously the added pressure of taking on such a beloved character. But I was so fortunate in that I was truly the biggest fan of Sophie Kinsella’s books. It’s going to sound pretentious, but I’d had the vibrations of that character since I’d read it in my imagination. When I met with Jerry and discussed the role, I was so lucky he chose me, and then I just thought about it every day, in everything I did, whether I was driving my car, or cooking. Whatever I was doing, I was thinking about Becky Bloomwood and what she would be thinking. So, that’s how I began.

QUESTION: What are you doing next?

ISLA FISHER: I’m working on an animated movie that Gore Verbinski is directing, called “Rango” with Johnny Depp. It has a really nice schedule and a very creative experience. Normally with an animated movie you are in a booth and it is very sterile but Gore has us all acting out the scenes and he films it and then you go into the booth while the performance is still fresh in your mind and you repeat it. I have also been working on ideas for a couple of projects…Cookie Queen and Groupies. Groupies is about two girls who are in love with a rock band but the band has a restraining order out on them. Cookie Queen is a girl who sold the most Girl Scout cookies and built her entire adult life round that. Then a nine year old girl overtakes her record and the woman descends into madness as she starts selling cookies again to get her crown back. I sold Girl Scout cookies in Australia, but, as I recall, I ate most of my box. My mom had to bail me out.

QUESTION: You have traveled a lot. Do you think it is in your genes since you were born in Oman?

ISLA FISHER: That is probably fairly accurate because we traveled a lot when I was a kid and I have probably always lived a nomadic existence and I am comfortable doing that.

QUESTION: How are you coping with motherhood and acting?

ISLA FISHER: Motherhood is my favorite topic, personally. But I don’t discuss it professionally because she did not choose to be in the business, she is not an actress and she has the right to privacy. I have not worked for eight months and I have been able to focus on being a mom.