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During a time of rampant economic crisis, it's hard to be amused by "Confessions of a Shopaholic." People everywhere are losing their jobs, homes and livelihood, and the heroine of this slapstick comedy is a financially irresponsible 25-year-old named Rebecca (Isla Fisher), who never met a high-end item of clothing she didn't like. Turns out that racking up $16,000 in credit card debt isn't cute or charming -- who knew?

Based on the book by Sophie Kinsella, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is like "Legally Blonde" crossed with "The Devil Wears Prada," minus a handful of I.Q. points. Rebecca is a New York journalist with big dreams of working at fashion-filled Alette magazine (think Vogue), but instead winds up at a savings magazine under editor Luke ("Evening's" Hugh Dancy). As her best bud / roommate Suze (Krysten Ritter) points out, "You're advising people about debt and you're up to your eyeballs in it," but she doesn't have time for lectures on moral ambiguity -- there's a sample sale at Gucci.

Isla Fisher, also known as the girl most often mistaken for Amy Adams, is a talented comedic actress, which she proved in "Wedding Crashers." But she can find a lot better outlets for her chops than "Confessions of a Shopaholic." The character of Rebecca is irritating (with vapid narrations to boot) and cliché (her cell phone ringtone is Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl"), the type who'd sport a chihuahua in her bag. There's nothing human about her so the film goes for cheap and easy laughs, which doesn't mesh well with its poor attempt to educate about money management. No tween, after seeing this movie, is going to forego the latest Hannah Montana accessory in lieu of making a deposit into savings.

As for conflict, the "bad guy" in the film is a debt collector (Robert Stanton) who has the audacity to chase her down for the large sums of money she owes. He even, gasp, humiliates her when she goes on a T.V. talk show wearing an overpriced purple dress from Barneys. Australian director P.J. Hogan (of the far-superior "Muriel's Wedding") and writers Tracey Jackson ("The Guru"), Tim Firth ("Calendar Girls") and Kayla Alpert ("Ally Mcbeal") seem to know they're making a foolish movie and so they don't bother coating it with a soul or common sense. 

The high points of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" are watching Fisher make the most of a bad situation; guest appearances by John Goodman and Joan Cusack as her thrifty, eccentric parents; and a few quality tunes (Amy Winehouse's "Rehab," " Don't Forget Me" by Macy Gray," a unique cover of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" from Greg Laswell). Otherwise, the movie is, like, so five minutes ago.