Last of the big spenders

Isla Fisher enjoys making a fool of herself. Photo / Robert Zuckerman

Is Confessions of a Shopaholic mistimed, given the global crunch? Neither its star, Isla Fisher, nor fellow Australian and director P.J. Hogan think so.

Based on the best-selling novel by Sophie Kinsella, the movie is essentially a love story in a world of excessive consumerism. One might consider, is there a worse time to release a movie about the excesses of extravagant and unnecessary shopping?

PJ Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding, Peter Pan) has his own spin."I think interestingly enough, the film is more relevant now than when we shot it. Sophie Kinsella was really on to something. She tapped into the zeitgeist when she created that character. This is a girl who lives in a fantasy world and is living beyond her means - on credit. I think we've discovered we were all living in a fantasy world, beyond our means, on credit."

Says Fisher: "This movie was conceived during a different economic period. Now the lesson of the movie has already been felt by everyone, so perhaps people won't leave with that lesson about consumerism, but hopefully they still leave the movie having enjoyed pure escapism and a great, funny cast trying their best to entertain."

Fisher is not your typical choice for a potential blockbuster. A relative unknown, save her breakout role in Wedding Crashers, and roles in mediocre fare like Definitely, Maybe, or Hot Rod, there's no disputing she has talent.

For Hogan, casting Fisher was a no-brainer. "I didn't know Isla before I met her, but when I read the books I thought one name came to mind, and that was Lucille Ball. I knew that when I cast this part, I was looking for the second coming of Lucy. I met [Fisher] and I thought, 'She's it!' Isla's gifted at physical comedy and she can also handle the more dramatic parts of the film. She's just downright funny."

Engaged to comedian Sacha Baron Cohen - "Sacha is the funniest man I know" is all she offers about their life together and that they are raising their 17-month-old daughter, Olive, between homes in London and Los Angeles.

Fisher wrote two novels in her teens and, as an author, is especially sensitive of the term "chick lit", which is how Kinsella's novels are often described.

"Anyone would enjoy this book. It's not gender specific," she says. "Obviously the subject matter is more female but I think it's sexist to refer to it that way and makes it less valuable somehow. I like to think of it as wit-lit."

A winning combination of humour and good looks, Fisher is also often featured on the dubious "hot" lists in men's magazines.

"Oh God, I'm hugely flattered. I think you can't tell height in a photograph, which is why I manage to sneak in," she says.

"I really love tapping into my inner idiot.

"People think you're brave when you make a fool of yourself but I think people are much braver to not make a fool of themselves and just keep very still and pout. I feel very fortunate I get to do both."