The Bling Ring
Sofia Coppola
Distributed by A24
Sofia Coppola, the brilliant mind behind the movies The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, has proven a number of times that she has the ability to captivate her audience with raw storytelling.
The Bling Ring only solidifies this.
Inspired by a true story, the film follows a group of Los Angeles teens who rob the homes of the celebrities they admire.
On the surface, you might assume this is a shallow tale of excess, but as you dig deeper into the movie, viewers will come to the realization that Coppola portrays the Hollywood lifestyle as a dystopian wasteland—a mask that is aesthetically pleasing through its exterior, all the while suffering from emotional and mental decay within.
The Bling Ring introduces us to Marc Hall (Israel Broussard), a misunderstood teen who recently transferred to a new high school. On his first day, he meets the free-spirited Rebecca (Katie Chang) who quickly takes him under her wing.
Connecting through their shared love for the celebrity limelight, Rebecca lets Marc in on a little hobby of hers—she’s a serious kleptomaniac. Using the baby steps approach, the two embark on a series of robberies among neighbours and classmates before they make the leap to celebrity home invasions.
Once they successfully break into Paris Hilton’s mansion, Marc and Rebecca recruit friends to partake in the robbing spree until things spiral out of control.
Coppola’s depiction of Los Angeles as paradise was very effective because she kept viewers in tune with the beauty of that location. The weather, the beaches, the cars, the houses, and the nightlife leaves you intoxicated with pleasure over a life you would want for yourself. Such a ploy made it easier to understand what motivated these characters.
What also worked favourably for The Bling Ring was Coppola’s insight on adolescent behavior. She took advantage of the fact that technology and material goods elevated that demographic’s image by correlating these features with her own characters. This can be seen through the use of Facebook in the movie to validate self-worth and even the use of UGG boots, which are popular among teen girls.
Newcomer Katie Chang delivered a solid performance as Rebecca. Her ability to take on the role of the enigmatic leader with such confidence made me question the truth in Chang’s claim that this was her first breakout role. It was Chang’s charisma that left me torn between loving or hating Rebecca by the end of the film.
Meanwhile, Emma Watson continued to demonstrate her versatility as an actress with the role of Nikki Moore, a member of The Bling Ring. A vain combination of Cher Horowitz and Quinn Morgendorffer, Watson perfected the vocabulary and the mannerisms of a valley girl. Her witty delivery often made Nikki the movie’s very own scene-stealer.
A major downfall that came with The Bling Ring was Coppola’s inability to fulfill the potential of the plots and the characters. There were a number of times where she would present teasers concerning the characters’ backgrounds, but they never came to bloom.
For instance, Rebecca alluded to tension with her mother and stepfather yet the matter was barely touched upon. We didn’t even get a chance to see how she came to be a smooth criminal. This prevented the characters from undergoing development that could have contributed to the strength of the film.
It wasn’t Coppola’s strongest work but the message behind the film was put together well. In an attempt to be something you’re not, your judgment gets clouded, leading to the deterioration of the self.
These characters got so caught up emulating the lives of celebrities that they lost their own sense of reality. The Bling Ring makes you question why you place certain celebrities on pedestals.
