CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
RYAN: We both love a good chick flick, but I think I may have loved “Confessions of a Shopaholic” more than you.
CAROLINE: If you’re using the word “love,” then you definitely did. It’s cute, but it’s not all that.
RYAN: I thought it was fab! What didn’t you like?
CAROLINE: Some of the timing was awkward and the jokes didn’t always work. Isla Fisher was great, and definitely has a knack for physical comedy. But I thought the love story needed more development. It kinda came out of nowhere. I think the main problem for me is that it’s rated PG and it’s definitely targeting a younger audience. I wanted it to be edgier. Hugh Dancy is cute though.
RYAN: Very cute, and he’s Claire Danes’s new fiancé. He looked better in the film than he did on the red carpet though.
CAROLINE: He’s not tall enough to be truly gorgeous.
RYAN: I had a very different reaction to this film than you. I thought it was 50% perfect. I was totally into the first half, and even though the second half wasn’t as great, I walked out totally loving it. I could easily see it again in the theater.
CAROLINE: I’d probably watch it again on TV sometime, but something was missing for me. I really didn’t like the girl who played Isla’s roommate. She has either a bad nose or a bad nose job, and she looks like a bird. She overacted in all her scenes.
RYAN: She looks like a cross between Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel.
CAROLINE: Maybe in bizarro world. She’s not nearly as cute as either of them. And I didn’t love Joan Cusack and John Goodman as the parents. All their scenes were awkward and unfunny.
RYAN: John Goodman was a bad casting choice. Some of the casting is good though; I loved Stephen Guarino from “The Big Gay Sketch Show” on Logo as the receptionist. Broadway’s Christine Ebersole was great as a TV talk show host, as was Kristin Scott Thomas in the Anna Wintour-esque role.
CAROLINE: That was so unexpected! I had no idea she was in the movie, and her French accent was bitchy and perfect. And I loved all the clothes and the shopping, of course.
RYAN: Patricia Field, who did the wardrobe for “Sex and the City,” did all the costumes, so they’re fabulous. The colors are so great and the outfits this woman puts together are just amazing.
CAROLINE: I enjoyed the film, but I wasn’t bowled ever. It felt sanitized. It’s almost like a fairy tale about a girl who likes to shop, and I couldn’t relate to it like I could to “He’s Just Not That Into You.” It didn’t ring as true for me. Again, I think it’s the PG factor. Younger girls will love it, I’m sure.
RYAN: I think I liked it more than you did because of that fantasy/fairy tale element. Plus it didn’t have major drama, which I enjoyed. It’s very light, fun and silly.
CAROLINE: It’s definitely frivolous and silly, which is fine. I was just hoping for something more adult, and perhaps a love story I could relate to.
RYAN: It’s not overly slapsticky tough. Isla Fisher is being touted as a modern-day Lucille Ball so eat your heart out, Debra Messing.
CAROLINE: By the way, there are some incredible special effects with the store mannequins that come to life. I noticed in the credits that they were done by George Lucas’s company. I was shocked at how cool they were.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: I loved it. Definitely worth your money to see it in the theater. Go with all your girlfriends – you’ll love it.
CAROLINE: It’s cute, but not a must-see for me at all. It didn’t quite reach the humor level I expected it to. I wanted it to be more laugh-out-loud funny.
RYAN: You usually laugh more than I do in movies, but I definitely laughed out loud more than you in this one.
CAROLINE: I just wish they’d let the love story grow a little more, and made the movie PG-13. That would have made it a lot better. But alas, it’s a Disney film.
— RATING —
