CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC — ★★ — Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy; rated PG (vulgarity, profanity, violence, slurs); in general release
The only reason anyone would know that "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is a Jerry Bruckheimer production is because it says so in the credits.
This romantic comedy fluff is about as far from the standard, action-packed, male-centric Bruckheimer formula as it gets. It's also pretty "girlie," even for what's supposed to be a "chick flick."
Unfortunately, it's not a particularly good one. And it certainly doesn't stack up with "The Devil Wears Prada" or "Legally Blonde," two comedies with which it has a few things in common.
The title character is Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), a spendthrift who's deep in debt, thanks to her outlandish clothing and accessory purchases.
Even worse, the gardening magazine she's been writing for has gone belly up, and now she needs a new job. Ideally, Rebecca would like to work for Alette, the magazine run by and named for fashion maven Alette Naylor (Kristin Scott Thomas).
But the only position she can get is writing for Successful Saving, a financial publication run by the ambitious Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy).
He's convinced that Rebecca's unique sensibilities would be perfect for the magazine and begins making her into his star columnist. However, he's unaware of her "shopaholic ways" — and, as it turns out, her spending habits are still out of control.
Speaking of which, Rebecca is being pursued by a debt collector (Robert Stanton) who won't take no for an answer.
This material — based on Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" books — should at least hold our attention, if not yield some laughs. But director P.J. Hogan (the 2003 version of "Peter Pan") and three credited screenwriters (including two television veterans) manage to bungle this seemingly goof-proof premise.
And despite the charms of Fisher ("The Wedding Crashers"), her character is sort of unlikable. She's certainly duplicitous, especially in the way she deals with her boss and apparent love interest, Luke.
Frankly, we're almost more interested in finding out what happens to her frugal parents (John Goodman and Joan Cusack), her best friend (Krysten Ritter) or even Stanton's doggedly determined character than we are in seeing Rebecca fulfill all her fashion and love life fantasies.
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" is rated PG and features some suggestive language and references, scattered profanity, slapstick violence (pratfalls, as well as a "fashion brawl"), and some derogatory language and slurs. Running time: 112 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com