The Bling Ring is about obsession. The obsession of brand names. The obsession with fame. The obsession with celebrities and the lifestyle they live. Sadly, this is the culture we live in and director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) is very aware of it. And I am sure she has seen her fair share of it as well. Unfortunately, the way she presents it is too vague, thus leaving the film almost as shallow as its characters.
Based on a 2010 Vanity Fair article by Nancy Jo Sales, the Bling Ring is made up of a group of teens who broke into celeb mansions in the Hollywood Hills, and had their own personal shopping sprees by taking purses, jewelry, clothes, shoes, and even a painting right off the wall. From Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan to Rachel Bilson and Orlando Bloom, the homes of the stars became their’s when they were away. This went on for about a year until they were finally caught. Between their big mouths and pictures on Facebook, it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Yet Coppola never dives into the actual investigation itself. As the audience, we only see the characters and how much they do not give a shit.
The leaders of this robbing posse are Rebecca (Katie Chang) and her “friend” Mark (Israel Broussard). Rebecca lives in a fantasy world where she can do and get anything she wants. Thanks to Mark, this fantasy becomes a reality. He searches the celeb’s addresses and finds out if they are out-of-town on vacation or filming a movie, and if so, they become the newest target. The gang climbed over fences and either the keys were under the mat or usually a door was always unlocked. It was almost too easy for them. But I guarantee the Bling Ring forced these famous folks to at least lock their damn doors!
The only thing we know about Rebecca is she loves expensive things and is fascinated by Lindsay Lohan. It’s easy to see Mark is the fool who is in love and willing to risk everything for her. He’s too blind to see he is being used. They all are. Mark and Rebecca’s followers consist of three girls with Nicki (Emma Watson) being the standout of the entire pack. With The Perks of Being a Wallflower, her small yet unforgettable role in This Is The End, and this film, Watson has left Hogwarts far behind. She is impressive as Nicki and the more we see from this character, the faker she becomes. No one knows the real Nicki because she is always acting for someone. It’s all a song and dance, and just like her friends, she so desperately craves the spotlight. Fame or Infamy? The Bling Ring will take either one. They aren’t picky unless it involves material things of course.
Coppola seems to be the perfect fit for a film like this and while it’s beautifully directed and stylish as hell, The Bling Ring goes through the motions without having any effect or meaning. Teens raising hell is not anything new and this bunch has nothing on the wild ones from Spring Breakers.
Rob. Party. Snort. Repeat.
This is the life they live. It’s what fills up most of the 90 minute running time. People getting swept up in a lifestyle they cannot personally achieve is a story we all know. They fall to temptation and being a teenager makes it so much worse. But there has to be something more to these kids. If there isn’t then Coppola is wasting her time and ours. The Bling Ring knows how to flaunt it, but it’s hollow from the inside out.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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