"A somewhat alarming portrayal in a rather unassuming guise," Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring opens in limited release in the U.S. on Friday, June 14. The film stars Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, Katie Chang, and Israel Broussard, and is based on the true story of a gang of young people in Los Angeles who robbed the homes of celebrities.
Our own Ryland Aldrich saw the film at Cannes last month, and his words are quoted above. He had much more to say, of course, including the following:
Instead of using character development to teach the audience what went wrong with these kids (or, say, generation), Coppola just takes us on a 90-minute vacation into their fun-filled lives of coke-fueled clubbing and slo-mo selfies. Where is the conflict? ...What's left is a straight forward dramatization of events that glorifies the results of the crimes while barely touching on their ramifications. Without characters worth engaging with, the audience's only choice for entertainment is the pretty cool shit the kids are up to. But it's rather clear where everything is headed from the start. That pretty cool shit eventually gets repetitive and The Bling Ring falters on its Louboutin heels and falls flat.
You can read the review in its entirety right here.
For more information about the film, visit the official U.S. site.