We can be a bit hard on movie clichés, but that doesn't mean we don't still (sometimes) love (some of) them. Case in point: the elaborate shopping montage, in which movie stars raid a mall, twirl around dressing rooms, swipe credit cards, and merrily swing their shopping bags while "Pretty Woman" or "Money (That's What I Want)" booms in the background. It's just too good.
With your own Christmas sale shopping hell ahead, what better time to pump yourself up by watching a dozen or so of the best shopping montages to grace the silver screen. Let the quick cuts of dressing room fashion shows inspire your own retail adventures. Note how these movie stars flash their Visas and chequebooks without stopping to price-check. Take comfort from their gleeful grins and the smug smiles of the shop assistants silently calculating their commissions.
It's not quite the same as fighting over £5 fleece throws and marked-down flat-screen TVs at Argos, but it's all in the spirit of capitalism. Go get 'em, tiger. Oh, and don't forget your Roy Orbison CD.
Only When I Laugh(1981)
Has anyone ever been this overjoyed to step inside a Laura Ashley?
Video: Courtesy Columbia Pictures.National Lampoon's European Vacation(1985)
And we wonder why the world pokes fun at American tourists. Fun fact: Rusty is played by Blake Lively's real-life half-brother, Jason Lively.
Video: Courtesy Warner Bros.Planes, Trains and Automobiles(1987)
Say what you want about his standards of cleanliness, but Del Griffith is one mean shower-curtain-ring salesman.
Video: Courtesy Paramount Pictures.Pretty Woman(1990)
The one, the only. Man, we wish shopping was actually like this.
Video: Courtesy Buena Vista Pictures.Joe Versus the Volcano(1990)
Tuxes, trunks, Tom Hanks... what more do you want?
Video: Courtesy Warner Bros.Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Eat your heart out, Julia Roberts.
Video: Courtesy New Line Cinema.Blank Check(1994)
Brian Bonsall, originator of "treat yo'self."
Video: Courtesy Buena Vista Pictures.Muriel's Wedding(1994)
Oh, Muriel. We're pretty sure this is why bridal boutiques charge shoppers $50 for an appointment.
Video: Courtesy Miramax.Four Weddings and a Funeral(1994)
What's more awkward than watching the woman you love try on the most ridiculous wedding dresses in history? Having her rattle off every single lover she's ever had while you sit there wearing a shorts-and-socks ensemble.
Video: Courtesy Gramercy Pictures.A Very Brady Sequel (1996)
No trip to the vintage store is complete without a musical number.
Video: Courtesy Paramount Pictures.Au Pair(1999)
The Roy Orbison estate must really be raking it in.
Video: Courtesy ABC Family.Drive Me Crazy(1999)
There's nothing hotter than giving your fake boyfriend a makeover down the shopping centre as REO Speedwagon blares in the background.
Video: Courtesy 20th Century Fox.What Women Want(2000)
What does a girl want? Probably to not go shopping for prom dresses with Mel Gibson ever.
Video: Courtesy Paramount Pictures.Glitter(2001)
Tune in at around the 44:25 mark — or, hell, watch the whole thing, it's your life — to see Mariah Carey and her buds splash out on cowboy hats and Kangol caps at the Everything Gold Market.
Video: Courtesy 20th Century Fox.The Sweetest Thing(2002)
The best shopping montage is an ironic one. Christina Applegate and Cameron Diaz slay it with their dressing room tributes to Pretty Woman, Grease, and Dumb and Dumber.
Video: Courtesy Columbia Pictures.The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
Consider this your ultimate Black Friday training video.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
We'll take it all! Just charge it to Louis.
Video: Courtesy Columbia Pictures.Enchanted (2007)
Okay, we need this little girl in our life.
Video: Courtesy Disney.Confessions of a Shopaholic(2009)
Needing multiple credit cards to pay for a designer purchase? We can so relate.
Video: Courtesy Disney.Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
In which Miley Cyrus and Tyra Banks tear up a boutique fighting over a pair of shoes.
Video: Courtesy Disney.Crazy, Stupid, Love(2011)
Men love a good trip to the mall, too. We object to the defamation of character when it comes to New Balances, though.
Video: Courtesy Warner Bros.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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