I had wanted to go see the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, but it came and went from the theater before I could see it. And then I forgot about it. Now I am visiting my sister in Boston, and we always watch movies. And it was on today! So we watched it.
To start off, it was very good. The story is about a young woman who is right out of college and a shopaholic and up to ears in debt. She gets a job at a finance magazine and finds a niche as a columnist, writing about personal finance. She is also being hounded by a debt collector for her $9000+ of debt to a department store.
She learns to write about finance at warp speed and gets quite a following. She falls in love with the editor, and has to keep evading the debt collector.
As things usually happen, everything comes to a head in a bad way. She gets exposed by the debt collector during a live TV interview, and she accidentally gives away her bridesmaid dress for her roommate's wedding. Her boss, her love interest, who also is falling for her becomes disillusioned when he finds out she has been lying to him about her personal problems.
But not is all lost: She sells all of her designer clothes and bags and pays off her debt. She gets her bridesmaid dress back and is able to be in the wedding at the last minute after all. Her boss buys the magazine company, and she gets her job back.
It is a very good movie. There is only a couple of realtiy problems. One, the movie makes a big deal about how could she write about personal finance when her own finances are in such a mess. Well, it happens all the time. You don't need to be debt free to be able to write about what you should do. As a matter of fact, writers can be very knowledgeable in many areas in which they themselves dont excel.
Also, there is a slight problem about the movie's handling of the debt collector. The Fair Debt Collections Act would never allow a debt collector to show up at your house or humiliate a debtor on national TV. Can you say LAWSUIT??? Well, it does make for a good movie though. Very entertaining, and many people would be able to relate to her situation and the feelings of shame that accompany an out of control spending habit.
