In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping--a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can't quite get her foot in the door--until ironically, she snags a job as a columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future.
Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers," "Definitely, Maybe") stars in the film from blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, "National Treasure," "National Treasure: Book of Secrets") and director P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friend's Wedding"). The screenplay by Tracey Jackson and Tim Firth and Kayla Alpert is based on the books "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" by Sophie Kinsella.

FROM BEST-SELLING BOOKS TO THE BIG SCREEN
Filmmakers Tap Novelist Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" Series
Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and her four subsequent novels ("Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," "Shopaholic Ties the Knot," "Shopaholic and Sister" and "Shopaholic and Baby") are an international phenomenon, winning a passionate and devoted readership. Each book has made best-seller lists in the U.S. and the U.K.; at one point, Kinsella had three books on The Washington Post's top-ten list.
The series' success caught the eye of producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "Our company is always looking for fresh ideas," says Bruckheimer. "Sophie helped us throughout the making of the movie to ensure that Rebecca Bloomwood's transition to the screen would be faithful to the heart and theme of the novels."
Recalls executive producer Chad Oman, "When I first read the novel, I knew 10 or 15 pages in that it was a film we wanted to make. It immediately seemed like a very smart, witty, charming, emotional book."
"If you look at the debt crisis going on in the U.S. right now, with everybody having 27 credit cards, everybody can relate to Rebecca Bloomwood," adds executive producer Mike Stenson.
Kinsella introduced Rebecca Bloomwood eight years ago. Since then, more than 15 million readers in 35 countries--including the United States and Great Britain, throughout all of Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey, Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam--have grown to love the endearing, hapless, eternally optimistic shopaholic.
To direct "Confessions of a Shopaholic," Jerry Bruckheimer selected Australian-born, U.S.-based P.J. Hogan as the man for the job. "P.J.'s work has the kind of deft, light touch that we wanted for the movie," notes the producer. "Both 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'My Best Friend's Wedding' were two pictures that I loved watching. He has such a wonderful sense of humor, and a delightful romantic touch."
"Rebecca Bloomwood was a character I totally identified with," says Hogan. "A shopaholic is somebody who believes heavily in retail therapy. Feel bad? Go into a store, you're cheered up instantly. Everybody can understand that. When we're down, we've all used retail as a way to cheer ourselves up, but Rebecca just can't stop. She's never met a bargain that she can say no to."
For the film version of "Confessions of a Shopaholic," both the setting and Rebecca's nationality have emigrated westward across the pond to America. "In my head and in the books, of course, she will always be British," says the author. "But I have met Becky Bloomwoods all over the world, of every nationality. What matters to me most is that in the film, we have her heart, her foibles and her comedy. The film uses elements from the first two 'Shopaholic' books, the second of which is in fact set in New York. Many of my favorite scenes are in the film, and watching them being shot was a huge treat. Becky's story is really a parable for our times as she tries to cut back her spending, put away the credit cards and turn her life around."

SHOPPING FOR THE PERFECT CAST
Filmmakers Call on Isla Fisher for Title Role
The filmmakers knew that the lead character in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" had to be portrayed by a special and spirited talent. So they tapped Isla Fisher for the role.
"She stole people's hearts in 'Wedding Crashers' and 'Definitely, Maybe,'" says producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "In 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' she carries the movie. It's exciting to see her wit, intelligence and comedic timing in nearly every scene."
"I thought that Isla would be perfect for the part," adds director P.J. Hogan. "This role needed someone who was immensely likeable and also very gifted dramatically. And importantly, Isla is a physically gifted comedienne. She's that rarity, a beautiful woman who isn't afraid to make a total fool of herself. She's fearless, which is what the character needed."
Author and associate producer Sophie Kinsella agrees. "Isla's fantastic. She's funny, she's warm, she's appealing and she's the kind of girl that you would just long to be your best friend."
Likewise, Fisher was a fan of Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series long before she was approached to play Rebecca Bloomwood. "I read all of the books when I was working in London," she says. "People refer to the books as 'Chick Lit,' but I think the more appropriate term is 'Wit Lit' because they are genuinely funny. I felt that the book really spoke to me; I was truly blessed to get this role.
"Rebecca is such a great character," Fisher continues. "She's lovely, optimistic, happy, a good girl who is also an impulsive shopper who falls in love with shiny objects. She has this childlike lust for new things. Becky is so warm, loveable and deeply flawed, and she has tapped into the collective consumer consciousness."
Fisher admits that she can relate to her character's enthusiasm for shopping. "I'm a bags and shoe girl," she says. "I have so many shoes, it's terrifying."
The filmmakers cast British actor Hugh Dancy in the role of Luke Brandon, the workaholic editor of the magazine where Rebecca lands a job as a financial columnist.
"Hugh Dancy is someone we've worked with in the past," says Bruckheimer. "He played Schmid, the medic, in 'Black Hawk Down,' and then Galahad in 'King Arthur.' I think he's a wonderful young actor, extremely handsome, very charming, and I think somebody who is going to be a major movie star."
Adds P.J. Hogan, "Hugh is ice to Isla's fire. They're both what the other needs, and they were a perfect match. Hugh had to be just what he was in the books, a Brit. Hugh has that edge that the Luke Brandon in the books has. Luke grounds Becky and she breathes life into him--he was totally committed to his career and was just letting life pass him by."
"On the surface, Luke appears to be the polar opposite of everything that Becky is attracted to," says Dancy. "He's utterly disinterested in clothes and shopping, and he's in love with the world of finance, which she clearly has a bit of a problem with. But like all good matches, these initial differences end up being the very thing that draws the two characters together."
"Hugh is so much fun," says Fisher. "He's down to earth, and has that typical British sensibility, very witty, dry and smart. I think he brought all those qualities to Luke, and the relationship between he and Rebecca is very sweet."
Cast as Graham and Jane Bloomwood, Becky's loving if slightly eccentric parents, were John Goodman and Joan Cusack, two of America's most prolific actors. Unlike their daughter, Graham and Jane are thrifty and proud of it.
Says Cusack, "There's a great fun in shopping, clothes and commercialism, but the passion turns out differently if you become controlled by it, as Becky does."
Goodman credits his character for some of Rebecca's flaws. "Graham is a 'good old lunch pail Joe,' a regular guy. He's got a great daughter who's inherited a little bit of her parents' loopiness."
The effervescent Krysten Ritter is an up-and-comer who was perfect for the role of Suze Cleath-Stuart, Becky's upscale friend and roommate. "I read the first two 'Shopaholic' books and was amazed by what page-turners they were," says Ritter. "I fell in love with Sophie Kinsella's characters. Suze is the best friend you could ever hope for. She and Becky are like two peas in a pod as well as partners in crime. They both really like clothes and shopping, but Suze is coming from money, so it's hard for her to understand Becky's mounting problems at first."
John Lithgow was cast as magazine magnate Edgar West. The actor says he was drawn to the film's love story. "Isla and Hugh are young versions of Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, a throwback to a wonderful era with wonderful characters against a glamorous backdrop," says Lithgow. "I liked the fact that in the story, Becky brings life, humor and spirit to the whole gray subject of finance, and that my character gradually discovers just who this woman is."
British-born Kristin Scott Thomas portrays French fashion editor Alette Naylor. Fortunately, the actress has lived in France for years. "I'm bilingual, and have made a lot of films in French, so speaking with a French accent comes quite naturally to me," she says. "Alette doesn't quite understand the real world, but she basically means well."
Leslie Bibb plays scheming Alette magazine staffer Alicia Billington. "I like playing villains," admits the actress. "I like playing girls who aren't particularly nice. The relationship between Becky and Alicia reminded me of a sibling rivalry, which I felt deepened their interaction. I was also attracted by this amazing, stellar cast, and the fact that Jerry Bruckheimer was producing, P.J. Hogan was directing, I would be dressed by the awesome Patricia Field, which was also a pretty sexy idea."
Robert Stanton admits that he was more suited for the role of debt-collector Derek Smeath than filmmakers realized. "The only other job I've ever had besides acting was as a skip tracer for a student-loan marketing association," he says. "A skip tracer finds people who have defaulted on their debts. I had to get on the phone and harass people, and I couldn't do it very well. I would always laugh--playing Smeath in 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' was my opportunity to get it right."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

P.J. HOGAN (Director) made his motion picture directorial debut with "Muriel's Wedding" in 1994, which he also wrote. When "Muriel's Wedding" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight in 1994, it received a standing ovation. It dominated the Australian Film Institute Awards with 11 nominations, including Best Achievement in Direction. It won AFI awards for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Achievement in Sound.
In 1996, Hogan followed his success with "My Best Friend's Wedding," starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, which was the highest grossing comedy ever at that time. His next project was "Unconditional Love," which he co-wrote and directed in 2001. In 2004, Hogan directed a live-action version of "Peter Pan."

TRACEY JACKSON (Screenplay by) has written original screenplays for Hollywood/Bollywood films, "The Guru," a Working Title Films release starring Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei, and "The Other End of the Line," an MGM release starring Jesse Metcalf. Jackson has recently worked on screenplays for the upcoming Katherine Heigl film "The Ugly Truth" and "The Ivy Chronicles" for Warner Brothers and Jerry Weintraub. She spent the early part of her career in television, writing numerous sitcom pilots and the Fox comedy "Babes." During the past two years Jackson wrote, produced and directed "Lucky Ducks," a feature length documentary that explores the controversial topic of psychological problems common to privileged children. She is presently writing a book for Harper Collins.

After studying at Cambridge for three years, TIM FIRTH's (Screenplay by) first professional commissions were the plays "Heartlands," directed by Sam Mendes, and "A Man of Letters" for the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough. Firth's subsequent work includes "Neville's Island" (1993) and "The End of the Food Chain" (1994), both for the Stephen Joseph Theatre. The Nottingham Playhouse production of "Neville's Island" went on to London's West End, where it was nominated for an Evening Standard Award and four Olivier Awards. It has since been produced regularly in the United Kingdom and all over the world and translated into several languages. The television film of "Neville's Island" was screened on ITV.
Firth's first play for television was the BBC film "Money for Nothing." It won Firth the Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award for best film in 1994. His first series, "All Quiet on the Preston Front," ran for three seasons between 1994-7, winning the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Drama, the Royal Television Society Best Drama, the San Francisco Television Festival, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Best Drama, and a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nomination.
His first series for children, "Roger and the Rottentrolls" (1996), was on for four seasons, winning the BAFTA for Best Children's Entertainment and earning three additional BAFTA nominations.
Firth wrote the critically acclaimed feature film "Calendar Girls," starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, followed by "Blackball," starring Paul Kaye, James Cromwell and Vince Vaughn. "Cruise of the Gods," a comedy film for BBC2, starring Steve Coogan, was broadcast Christmas 2002.
Firth's recent stage work includes the musical "Our House," which opened at the Cambridge Theatre in 2002 and received three Olivier nominations including Best Musical. He also wrote the Miramax Films comedy feature "Kinky Boots."

KAYLA ALPERT (Screenplay by) catapulted into the entertainment industry by answering fan mail for the original "American Gladiator." Since then, she's written screenplays for Miramax, Disney, 20^th Century Fox, New Line and Warner Bros. as well as television pilots for HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and the WB, including "Generation Gap" with Debbie Reynolds starring. In addition, she was a writer-producer on the Emmy Award-winning "Ally McBeal" as well as a supervising producer on "LAX." She received her B.A. in English Literature from Harvard University. She has no credit card debt.

READ MORE ABOUT SHOOTING THE FILM

THE ART OF ADAPTATION


HOME


































































DRESSING SHOPAHOLIC
Award-Winning Costume Designer Patricia Field Sizes Up the Film
Filmmakers knew that a film like "Confessions of a Shopaholic" required brilliant costuming. Enter Patricia Field.
"Patricia Field is one of the great costume designers," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "She's always been ahead of the curve, finding new designers and dressing our characters in ways that are unique, interesting, colorful and stylish."
Field has been at it for more than 40 years, since opening her first boutique in 1966. Field is responsible for the noteworthy fashions behind HBO's "Sex and the City" (including the smash-hit