The things we men do for the women in our lives! For me, it was going with my wife to the dollar theatre (one of our money saving tactics) to see a romantic comedy. Truth be told, it was a chick flick called Confessions of a Shopaholic. But to be honest, I found myself smiling and laughing and having a good time.
Interestingly enough, the movie’s plot line tied in with the work I do on a daily basis as a bankruptcy lawyer. You see I routinely help people who are struggling with large amounts of credit card debt and credit card debt is a large part of the storyline in Confessions of a Shopaholic.
The charming Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a shopping-addicted New York journalist who finds herself out of a job. Rebecca longs to work for a high-fashion magazine but settles for a job at a sister publication about personal finance. What’s hilarious about this setup is that Rebecca not only knows zero about finance, she’s also up to her eyeballs in debt because of her shopping addiction. At one point we see her buying a $120 scarf and splitting the purchase over five maxed-out credit cards and still coming up 23 dollars short.
Rebecca’s parents, played by John Goodman and Joan Cusack, are very frugal people but clearly their frugality didn’t take with Rebecca who can rationalize buying just about anything. How is she going to teach people to spend wisely and save their pennies when she’s hiding credit card bills under her bed? And for me, some of the best moments were of her interaction with the debt collector who hounds her relentlessly throughout the movie.
If you have a couple of hours to spare, and are in the mood for some lighthearted, carefree entertainment, check out Confessions of a Shopaholic.
