Confessions of a Shopaholic (2-Disc Special Edition) (Blu-ray Disc)

The biggest problem with Confessions of a Shopaholic is that it doesn't embrace its own premise. The idea behind author Sophie Kinsella's best-selling novels is that her main character Rebecca Bloomwood -- played here by the lovely Isla Fisher -- isn't some stock romantic comedy bimbo but instead an empowered and intelligent young woman who learns through a series of fabulously clothed misadventures that a life lived in materialistic haute couture is an empty and unfulfilling one.

Unfortunately, director P.J. Hogan's (Confessions of a Shopaholic) movie version doesn't quite gel with that concept. It is an empty, facile and highly disjointed piece of work with no discernible point of view or reason to exist. It haphazardly follows dozens of genre tropes and clichés but does so with absolutely no zip or zeal. In fact, the only thing I could take away from it watching it again on Blu-ray was just how eager it is to sell you things and turn you into a consumerist snob. The whole thing is nothing more than a buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell designer label commercial.

The movie also continues an annoying genre trend that feels decades out of touch. It's almost as if in recent efforts like Bride Wars, Sex and the City, The Women, 27 Dresses and He's Just Not That Into You women have regressed, the only thing important to them is the latest D&G handbag, the newest Valentino dress or the size of the Tiffany's purchased diamond on their engagement ring. In these films, admittedly two of which (the latter pair) I sort of liked, feminism is suddenly a four-letter word, empowerment no better for these women than being barefoot in the kitchen sporting a pregnant bellybutton.

As for the new Blu-ray, there isn't much to say. It looks fantastic and sounds terrific, but what movie made during the last couple of years hasn't? Filmmakers now work in a high definition world and I think the bigger news would be if a current Hollywood production looked terrible in the format than it ever would the opposite. Nonetheless, the technical specs of this release are spot-on and I have nothing negative to say about them.

If you're a fan of Confessions of a Shopaholic -- and I know of no one who is -- I wouldn't say superior audio and visual alone is worth the extra dollars for this disc over its standard definition counterpart. Making it less attractive are the Blu-ray specific special features, the three short behind-the-scenes featurettes focusing on Rebecca's fashion sense and the New York fashion world, and two instantly forgettable music videos by artists I've never heard of (and probably will never hear from again). None of these are enough to warrant a purchase, especially when the extras included on both discs (a decent blooper reel, an okay collection of deleted scenes and fairly good music video of "Stuck with Each Other" by Shontelle featuring Akon) are superior.

Granted, I do not like this movie, so I wouldn't buy the Blu-ray or the standard DVD anyhow. I don't like what it stands for and I detest what it says about women. I find it lives in a world completely divorced from reality, and as fanciful as the two books got that is one complaint I would never levy at the either of them. The film is a waste of time, nothing more, and those picking it up better be prepared for angry disappointment as soon as it comes to an end.