Review of The Bling Ring (2013) by Maksim B — 11 Oct 2013

The Bling Ring is a stylish and shockingly freaky story of celebrity obsession, pop culture spiced up by a portion of crime drama events based on a true story. With the typical for Sofia Coppola visual and character detachment from the real world, this movie is a funny and sarcastic take on a particular segment of our post-modern culture. Sadly, the The Bling Ring remains as shallow as the people and the part of the society it portrays and it never delves deeper into the characters and the moral part of the story.

The whole storyline would have seemed a total absurd it was not based on actual event, involving the actual celebrities mentioned in the movie. A young, celebrities and fashion obsessed high-school girl Rebeka (Katie Chang) teams up with a new boy in school (Israel Broussard) and just for fun they start breaking in celebrity properties. Soon their fun & business activity grows and involves the whole group of friends. With a wonderful sense of sarcasm and irony, director Sofia Coppola tells the story of these adolescents by depicting countless parties, moments of fashion obsession and how victimized they have become by the flashy and shallow modern pop-culture. Lightly paced and loaded with comedic moments followed by acts of complete immorality, The Bling Ring evokes an initial interest in the story which is kept until the very end.

However, Sofia Coppola's delivery comes short of meaningful content, which differs from the acts of stealing houses, partying and trying fancy clothes in front of mirrors. It would have been a wonderful decision, if Coppola had decided to delve deeper in the characters, to try explaining the reasoning behind their deeds, to portray the talented Emma Watson, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard different from the one-dimensional approach she takes on them. With this being no part of the movie and the fact that the end is revealed in the beginning of the movie, the story has neither potential to be a suspenseful crime drama, nor a coherent and clear message for the audience.

The Bling Ring is definitely worth seeing it as its entertainment value as a modern satire is beyond any doubts. Yet, the disappointment of watching a shallow story which limits itself with this satire, stealing houses and posting pictures on Facebook from fancy clubs is also present. Though only partially, the disappointment is strengthen by the fact, that the The Bling Ring is directed by the same person who stunned the world with Lost in Translation. This surely has raised the initial expectations, but given the potential of this movie, the final outcome is passable and leaves strange taste in your mouth.