Rating:  -
The thing that made this character different, in the book, was her basic sweet goodness which was so interestingly and hilariously coupled with all those faults. The movie changed that and in doing so, changed everything. And then it became just a movie about a silly, thoughtless girl who runs through life, and money, as if nothing had any consequences and THE most important thing was her next purchase. I like Isla Fisher and thought it would be more interesting but it just seemed like a different version of The Devil Wears Prada. And I mean that in a bad way.
Rating:  -
If men only knew how much we really spent.... I liked this movie some of it was a little out there (the credit collector basically stalking her) but still good.
Rating: -
First thing first, It is not like the book at all!!!! Still, I really loved the movie. Though I always complain when they change the movies from the way the book was I could not do it with this one. Although it was very different I think they captured Becky's essence very well, and the movie was so hilarious that I didn't even care that it was different, and Isla Fisher was so funny! It was a very enjoyable chick flick, that leaves you with that wonderful satisfied feeling, like all other good romantic movies. Though I'm sad not to see the actual book come to life, I still bought this movie and I love watching it all the time. I think you just have to take it as it is, not treat it as if its the book.
Note: I thought it was especially funny that in the movie they made Luke Brandon seem like such a nice guy and in the book he was kind of a jerk.
Rating:  -
I never read the book, and wanted to see this movie only because I am a fan of Isla Fisher and wanted to see how she handled her first major starring role. I'm sure Isla did the best she could with what she was given to work with, so my love for her is only slightly tarnished. The fact is that NO actress could have made her character tolerable. The true culprits here are the idiot director and screenwriters, who crafted a character who is impossible to root for and then presented her in a way that makes Saturday morning cartoons look like the height of cinematic sophistication.
Rebecca likes to shop because it fulfills her in some vague way. Since all we know about her past is that she grew up middle class with a mother who liked saving money by purchasing things that would last instead of frilly expensive things that wouldn't, and commits the apparently cardinal sin of shopping at thrift stores and flea markets, all we can conclude is that Rebecca is a shallow person who resents not ever being rich enough to buy the sparkly crap she wanted as a kid, and hangs on to a childish dream of getting everything she wants as soon as she wants it with no regard for the consequences. Are we really supposed to root for the success of a character who shops herself into such poverty that she must depend on her shrill friend to pay her rent, then blows off work to go and shop some more, even getting into fights with people over items she can't afford to buy anyway? Are we really supposed to be on the side of a woman who lies constantly, to everyone around her, and acts so unprofessionally that she'd actually start sharpening a pencil during a meeting on her first day of work at a new job at a prestigious magazine? Why would a woman like her even be USING a lead pencil and carrying her own sharpener around? This is just one example of how unrealistic and forced the "humor" in this movie is. The pencil exists so we can giggle about her interrupting the meeting, and then see how "cute" she is when she realizes that -- gasp! -- making that kind of noise in a meeting draws attention to you! BAD attention! And then to cap it all off, the first assignment she hands in is 100% plagiarized. Not that she's fired or anything, for committing the ultimate journalistic crime.
There is no development in this movie. We see her write one column and suddenly she's an instant success, period. Same goes for her relationship with the male lead. Suddenly, for no reason at all, he wants to kiss her. And we're supposed to believe their relationship is meant to be? Every moment of this movie is straight out of the rom-com cliche playbook, from the shrill best friend to the handsome man who forgives her for lying because he just can't resist her. The ultimate capper was when she turns down the job she claims she always wanted at another prestigious magazine, even though she's nearly $20K in debt. Oops, did I just spoil it for you? Sorry, but if the rest of the movie didn't clue you in to what was about to happen in that scene, then -- Welcome! And I hope you're enjoying your first visit to planet Earth!
The soundtrack was atrocious; apparently there wasn't enough budget to pay for original songs so they had a bunch of people re-record popular songs and used those instead. The supporting players were also terrible. I never thought I'd hate anything Kristen Scott Thomas or Joan Cusack did on film, but even they can't elevate this excrement. The only extras were some un-funny bloopers and some mercifully deleted scenes, along with a music video I didn't bother to watch. I know a lot of people's bad reviews harp on the fact that a character like this is especially egregious in financial times like the ones we're experiencing now, but as far as I'm concerned, this woman would never be redeemable no matter what era the movie was released in. I'm just sorry this was Isla's first starring performance, and hope she'll get another chance in a better movie. Unfortunately, this one deserved its box-office failure. So far it's the worst movie I've seen in 2009.
Rating:  -
I watched this because I like Hugh Dancy and though I'm not a great fan of Isla Fisher, I decided to give the movie a chance. It's actually not too bad, entertaining in a mindless sort of way and fun escapist fare. Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist who aspires to work for a prestigious fashion magazine whilst struggling (though denying) her mounting credit card debt. Rebecca is addicted to high-end shopping you see, and has no control over her spending habits. A chance encounter with Hugh Dancy eventually lands her a job at Money Saving Magazine with Dancy as her boss. This is far from Rebecca's dream job but she figures she can use this stint to get to her dream job. Along the way, romantic entanglements ensue, complications arise especially with a sinister and persistent debt collector on Rebecca's trail, and her life slowly but surely falls apart.
The plot is predictable, and there is nothing remotely intellectual about this movie. It is just a light, frothy confection of a chick flick and is not meant to be taken seriously. Isla Fisher does a good job as the vivacious shopaholic and shares credible on-screen chemistry with Hugh Dancy. Recommended as a rental.
|