Movie Review of 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'

by Lewis Robinson

The 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic brings the real-life horror of addiction to light as Rebecca tries to hide from debt collectors while also trying to give people advice on saving money. As romantic comedies are wont to do, she has a few bumbling moments before everything works out and she finds love at the end. However, there are quite a few lessons to be learned from this movie, and they are all very important.

You Will Have a Hard Time If You Try to Be Someone You Are Not

Like Rebecca, there are many people who want something more out of life, and will try padding their resumes to get there without having to do the work. However, if you look closely, Rebecca not only tried to fake her way through the interview, but she also ended up hanging on by a thread when she was at the height of her frenzy with the debt collection issue. She was successful in writing a personal finance column, but only because she was having trouble with it herself, and because she was doing research on the fly. Luke, her boss, called her out for taking her first assignment straight out of a self-help book, only to catch her googling good angles for the topic not a moment later. Although Rebecca started out being incredibly successful, she did ultimately lose her job because she was not qualified and was in a moral quandary.

Luke, on the other hand, has had to earn his place using his own merit. He did not get hired to improve the magazine's NPS, or Net Promoter Score, because he was the son of a famous socialite. He knew what he was doing, and that earned him his place as Rebecca's boss.

Change Can Be Just the Thing You Need

When Luke starts to see Rebecca's potential, he turns to focusing on the writers having a voice instead of improving sales, as Rebecca's column is already doing that. He could have worked for any company when it came to improving sales, whether the company sold insurance or a countertop filtration system, but he ended up at a magazine where he had the chance to nurture Rebecca's talent for appealing to the people. Because of his faith, Rebecca was among the movers and shakers in no time, her time in the spotlight escalating her to international recognition. Since he decided to focus on something that was not in his original job description, it led to him being able to start his own company, all because he developed a vision and was willing to see it through.

Rebecca was very hesitant to start accepting change, and as an addict, she did not admit that she had a problem right away. She compressed everything down to fit in her wardrobe so her roommate thought she had decluttered. She went to the meetings for shopaholics, but she was still too focused on the rush she got from making a purchase. It was not until she decided to make the change for herself that her issues got resolved and things started turning around for her.

Sometimes Your Dream Brings Disappointment

There was an instance where Rebecca was offered a job at the fashion magazine she had always dreamed of working at. However, she found out that she would have to lie in her articles, so she did not take the job. Sometimes your dream is not as magical in real life, and comes with serious ethical or moral issues. Do not be afraid to chase a different dream if this ends up being the case.

While Confessions of a Shopaholic is not wholly realistic, it teaches a lot of lessons about addiction and finding one's own way. This movie is highly recommended to anyone who is struggling with addiction or anyone who needs to realize that the way to your dream is not always the way you think.