The Bling Ring, 2013.
Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola.
Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
After Sofia Coppola justly earned plaudits for The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, a lot of good will remained for the less successful Marie Antoinette and, despite garnering the coveted Golden Lion in Venice, for the frankly mediocre and at times racist Somewhere. That good will may have come to an end.
The Bling Ring tells the true and sorry tale of a group of Hollywood teens eager to purloin the riches of the rich in order to live the US dream. It all starts with young Mark (Israel Broussard) attending a high school for drop outs, where he is befriended by the attractive and subversive Rebecca (Katie Chang). Becoming part of her group, he finally shrugs off his outsider status to become one of the "bitches" frequenting both the high school and Hollywood party joints. This gang also comprises sort-of sisters Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga), as well as Lohan wanna-be Chloe (Claire Julien). They are all wealthy, spoilt and dysfunctional: in other words your average LA teenager.
The stealing starts out innocently enough, with Rebecca and Mark looking out for unlocked cars in order to snatch any interesting items. In Hollywood, this means wads of cash, credit cards and drugs - everything a teen dreams of. Dissatisfied with minor theft, Rebecca ratches it up a notch and starts breaking into family homes. From here, it's a slippery slope to stars' homes, including the inner circle of hell that is Paris Hilton's. Interestingly, Hilton - a victim of the gang in real life - was happy for Coppola to film in her home. Thus we peer into the reflective gaze of this super-papped millionaire: photos of herself on any wall that isn't already a mirror. The teens squeal out in awe and admiration "she has so many things!".
Hilton, ridiculed by her burglars ("her feet are so big!") also appears in the film sitting in a club. There is also Kirsten Dunst, playing herself, in the club, but in no way related to this story. If Coppola is satirising the privileged elite of Hollywood, then this brief glimpse of Dunst is surely a satire of the director's own life: need a real star to appear in your movie? Call your ex leading lady!
Coppola states that it was not her intention to be judgmental, but all she has done by avoiding taking any kind of moralistic stance is to leave that to the audience, which does not cast a too favourable eye on either these feckless protagonists or the filmmaker. Even if you feel a shred of sympathy for these pathetic and dim-witted adolescents, the endless shots of slow-motion dancing, drinking and accessorising will wear your tolerance levels down. The film is a long catalogue of theft, partying and not much else. Coppola offers up Nicki's mom as the sacrificial lamb to satire, but the laughs are weak and rare.
Gerald Ratner, purveyor of British high street bling, got into serious trouble for calling his product "total crap". Alas, Sofia Coppola has been caught red-handed "doing a Ratner."
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ / Movie ★ ★
Jo Ann Titmarsh