Film review: The Bling Ring
We have a look at The Bling Ring, the latest flick from Sofia Coppola:
Sofia Coppola is the cinematic equivalent of Christmas gift wrapping. Colourful and enticing. She’s masterful at decorating her films with all manner of luminosity. Her soundtracks always tasteful, cinematography always breathtaking and everything else, down to the font of the film title are so very, very carefully considered. Then there’s the subject-matter, which is of course is why we’re all here, right?
Who doesn’t want to see a group of beautiful, privileged teens rob the house of Hollywood A-listers? Or in the case of recent headfuck of a film, Somewhere, a handsome (?) actor mooch around the Chateau Marmont. Or how’s about Kirsten Dunst, (but who else!) play a cake-eating, champagne-swiveling, damned Marie Antoinette.
See, on paper, her films look and ideally ARE stunning, eerily articulated, pieces of cinematic art. Traversing the lines of pop culture like no other ironic/highly intelligent female Hollywood director could dream of doing. Problem is, however, that – except for that cinematic masterpiece of hers, Lost In Translation – it has not NOT been so on film.
Like Harmony Korine’s epic Spring Breakers, The Bling Ring finds its most interesting moments in its lesser known actors. And I mention these two films side-by-side, as there are obvious cultural similarities. Both films are provocative takes on youth culture. Generation Y’ers giving us lame, uncool, older siblings, their hot, entitled and hardcore middle finger.
And none are more entitled than The Bling Ring’s Katie Chang, who is mesmerising as gorgeous, brat pack leader, Rebecca. Also fabulous is super blonde, reckless badass Chloe (Claire Julien). Nevertheless, the real bait, we’re led to believe, is Emma Watson, star of modern fantasy franchise, Harry Potter. The only connection I can make here, however, is that she very literally potters around the entire length of the film, with a cringeworthy Valley accent and a stunningly average performance as fame obsessed LA teen, Nicki.
Despite intriguing and believable performances from those previously mentioned, as well as a very beautifully shot film, Sofia has, yet again, left me totally let down. Scene after scene of watching over-excited girls, Valley girls at that, rampage through Paris Hilton’s obscenely, grotesque wardrobe just gets stupid boring. With scenes drawn out beyond what anyone’s attention span should be willing to tolerate, what we’re ultimately left with is some very chic and culturally apt Christmas wrapping.
Bah Humbug.
Review by Golden Lady
