BOTTOM LINE: Despite being well shot and starring a very strong supporting cast, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is inconsistent in tone and let down by its lead Isla Fisher who cannot hope to carry a film on the basis of the semi-crazy performances she has become known for.

THE GOOD: Any one who has an interest in fashion or knows the adulation and pitfalls of going on shopping sprees with credit cards are likely to enjoy this movie simply on these terms. The madness that envelopes the lead character of Rebecca Bloomfield (Isla Fisher) whenever she enters a brand-named clothing or shoe store will surely appeal to a certain demographic obsessed with these things. In some ways, the film has much in common with The Devil Wears Prada and the Sex & The City movie but taking the fashion and shopping aspects to the nth degree. Shopaholic Rebecca has maxed out all her credit cards and is $16000 in debt. The magazine she works for goes in to liquidation and she is forced to put her dream of working at a top fashion magazine in to action. She unintentionally gets a job at a finance magazine when her application gets sent there by mistake, and she proceeds to become a highly successful, but anonymous finance writer who gives tips to her readers on how to save money (the irony is about as subtle as a sledge hammer). Eventually she is discovered to be a hypocrite in the sense she has mountains of debt that is painfully put on show on national television when a debt collector in the audience exposes her. Director P.J. Hogan has managed to make the film look top notch with New York never looking better. The supporting cast are very strong across the board with some well known actors lending their credence to the piece and giving some decent light-hearted moments. Overall the film pushes all the right buttons in terms of fashion and brand name shopping.

THE BAD: The film is a mess from a tone perspective. In the broadest possible sense, the film is following the “troubled-girl-with-a-good-heart-does-right-in-the-end” formula but has trouble extracting any empathy for that girl thanks largely to the way the character is played by Isla Fisher. This may not necessarily be all her fault as it seems clear that the studio who backed the film and its makers have constructed the film around Fisher’s ability to act crazy (ala “Wedding Crashers”) but it never gels properly. Rebecca is completely irresponsible, lies her way out of her obligations to herself, family and friends to get herself ahead, and somehow we are meant to feel good about her plight because she does the right thing in the end. Combine this with some awkward slapstick and Fisher’s attempts to mangle her face in to bizarre shapes in an attempt to look funny and the whole exercise becomes downright awful to watch. Her high-pitched American accent can at times sound like nails on a chalk board, and her youthful appearance makes her look like a teenager out of a soap opera rather than the lead in a big budget studio comedy. Isla Fisher has done better than this, and she seems to work well in supporting roles as part of an ensemble (Definitely, Maybe comes to mind). This film demonstrates that she may not be lead actress material. However, Director P.J. Hogan may be the more unfortunate person to come out of this film, showing a directorial ineptitude in translating this story to the screen with inconsistent tone, pacing and character. “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is a very strong high concept idea that has unfortunately not been translated well in to a full-length film.