Review of Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) by Chads. — 15 Feb 2009

Whereas Hal Ashby's "Being There" satirized the anaesthetizing effects that television had on the baby-boomer generation, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" possesses a likeminded intention to lampoon the masses, but this time, the media form that the film attacks is the Internet, and its ancillary users, "The Y Generation"(also known as The Net Generation).

In "Being There", Chance(Peter Sellers), a gardener with the intelligence of a peanut, convinces people that he's a brilliant economist. Rebecca Bloomwood(Isla Fischer) echoes the mentally-impaired gardener when a line like, "Risky investment is like a pair of platinum boots," is confused for wisdom.

The antecedent for this quote was: "As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden," delivered by Chance to great acclaim. Needless to say, the garden is not a metaphor; he's speaking plaintively.

Part of the reason as to why Luke(Hugh Dancy) hires Rebecca is biological, but once she's on the staff, the editor explains his plans for her, advising the fashionista to speak in a language that people can understand; in laywoman's terms.

In other words: dumb it down. Blogs, with its inclination towards lower word counts and uninformed opinions(not Susan M.'s), has been blamed for a retarding of people's ability to read longer articles, not to mention, books.

Since Rebecca apparently knows very little about finance, she's in essence, a blogger, who has infiltrated the publishing industry. Hence, the satire, in an otherwise dreary picture about an absolutely ghastly woman.