This is a chick flick. My wife even told me I shouldn’t do a review of this movie, because she does the chick flicks. Well, I have to!
The suffix “aholic” can be tacked on to any word and the entire word would mean: a compulsive need to [fill in the blank]. I Googled the word, which is how I found the definition, and this is a short list of things I found: workaholic, dance-aholic, MySpace-aholic, soupaholic, even something called a nogg-aholic (not sure what that is).
I can only guess that these people cannot get enough of whatever it is they put right before “aholic.” This was the case with Confessions of a Shopaholic. As the title implies, it is about someone, Rebecca Bloomwood, who feels the compulsion to shop. There is that word again: compulsion or above compulsive. I looked up the definition of those words and here is what I found: a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, esp. one that is irrational or contrary to one’s will.
That definition fits this movie to a T. Rebecca, skillfully played by Isla Fisher, grew up always wearing cheap, utilitarian, and ugly clothes. This lead to her always getting teased by the stylish girls. I’m sure you are getting the picture now, but this leads to her need to shop. And when I say shop, I mean it is a matter of life and death to her to make purchases. It gets to the point where her credit cards are all maxed out, she is months behind on rent, and she has a very persistent debt collector after her. Yet she still continues to purchase.
Although this is a comedy, it is painful to watch as she drives those that she loves away and ruins a very good career all to make that next purchase, because it will “define” her. Not that she doesn’t try. She tries Shopaholics Anonymous, but she won’t admit she has a problem. She tries freezing her credit card in a block of ice, which is nothing a high heel and blow dryer can’t fix. She tries everything… and none of it works.
She finally reaches rock bottom. She is being interviewed on a talk show with her new boyfriend and boss, Luke Brandon, when the debt collector stands up in the audience and reveals her to be a fraud. See, she was posing as a columnist who helps people figure out their finances. Shortly after that, she loses her best friend because she picked a fancy dress for work over her friend’s hideous bridesmaid dress. Only then did she realize she needed to change.
The reason I had to do a review on this movie is not just because it is well made and funny, but because it is so appropriate for our times. I would venture to guess that everyone reading this article has some sort of compulsion… something they can tag “aholic” at the end of. If we are honest, that is. Whether born out of a childhood of being ridiculed like the character in this movie or a bad habit that has gone unchecked, there are things that we do that we can’t for the life of us control.
I am a foodaholic. I have been for a long time, maybe even my whole life. I have a hard time saying no to food and/or stopping when I am full. Over the last few years I have been realizing the extent of this compulsion… this thing that I just can’t control. I tried the whole self-control route and that just isn’t working. So I have asked Jesus to help me.
Now before you get weirded out, Jesus said that he came to heal the brokenhearted and set captives free (Luke 4: 18-19). I think that describes the “aholic” very well. We are brokenhearted when we compulsively do things due to hurts from our childhood. Being captive seems to surely describe what happens when a bad habit cannot be reined in.
So I have asked Jesus to heal me of my foodaholic behavior, which by the way is another word for the sin of gluttony. At each meal, I ask him to give me the strength to stop when I’m full. I would love to say that I am fully healed, but I will tell you what: miracles are happening, because I am taking leftovers home from restaurants, which I would have never thought in my wildest dreams I could do. Praise the Lord!
I hope you watch this movie and think of your “aholic.” Think about it long and good. If you are anything like me you will try your darndest to stop, but when you finally give up turn to Jesus. He wants to rescue you.
