"Rosalie Goes Shopping" is a dark satire masquerading as a bright comedy. It frequently threatens to go very black any minute, but never really does, managing high marks for a scathing look at America's credit-mad, compulsive-purchase society.
The utterly charming Marianne Saegebrecht stars for writer-director Percy Aldon, reteaming after the delightful "Sugarbaby" and the popular "Bagdad Cafe."
This time out, Saegebrecht is an Arkansas housewife, presumably having married Brad Davis when he was a serviceman in Germany. He's now a cropdusting pilot and Saegebrecht has made the American dream come true for her family, as they feast on banquet-style fine food nightly (one of the kids is learning to be a chef) and have in their home every new gadget and appliance seemingly as soon as it is placed on market shelves.
Davis is baffled as to how his wife manages it all on his meager salary, but Saegebrecht has a secret. She's using some of her 37 credit cards to pay bills on other credit cards, she's forging checks and she's getting ridiculous advances on his pay.
She is also confessing her sins daily to her local parish priest (Judge Reinhold), so she won't have to worry about her sins anymore. She's so content to commit her crimes, in fact, that it causes Reinhold more grief than it does her.
But this house of cards is doomed to tumble, of course, and the comedy balances neatly with potential tragedy along the way.
Aldon's view is not unique, but his approach certainly is and the film may prove to be a bit too offbeat for most audiences, with his off-kilter sense of humor, colorful lighting and odd camera angles. But those willing to indulge his eccentricities are in for a treat - and maybe a little guilt about their own spending habits.
And for those who've seen Saegebrecht only as the maid in "The War of the Roses," this is a nice introduction to her terrific comic talents.
"Rosalie Goes Shopping" is rated PG, presumably for its adult themes and for some mild sexuality.