The Bling Ring (SIFF 2013) - Movie Review

Sofia Coppola's latest directorial effort is based on the inexplicably true story of a group of teenagers who decide its a good idea to break into celebrities houses and take their stuff. The Bling Ring stars Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Taissa Farmiga, Leslie Mann, Claire Julien, and Paris Hilton's house.

So, there's like this new boy named Marc (Broussard) who shows up at school and is totes looked down upon by all the cool kids, hipsters, jocks, and partiers until the completely fab Rebecca (Chang) gives him a chance to hang out with her and her blinged out posse which includes aspiring model Nicki, her live in best friend Sam, and the stylishly rebellious Chloe. All of whom just want to be as glamorously famous as their smart phones tell them they are destined to be.

One day, after a typical night luxuriating in the VIP section of the local unnamed nightclub (not that a place like that would let in minors), Rebecca decides she would like to pay a visit to Paris Hilton's house...while she's not home. Of course, the celebutante won't mind one bit as she'll either be too busy hosting a party in Miami or living it up in Vegas so yeah, why not! After discovering how unbelievably easy it is to get into the Hilton homestead, Rebecca and her now partner in crime Marc, decide to check out other celebrity homes and eventually they bring along the rest of the crew to join in on all of the illegal fun.

What starts out as teenagers engaging in some out of the ordinary rebellious fun, turns into an unstoppable freight train of looting and pillaging, all in the name of high fashion and excessive partying. As the kids get braver, the stakes get higher and before you know it, they are grabbing tons of cash, clothing, and random stuff from celebrity homes, yet are oblivious to the trail of evidence they are leaving behind that will eventually be their downfall.

If you want to see teenagers (or at least a cast filled with actors that can all easily pass for teenagers) dancing, partying, drinking, doing drugs, breaking and entering, and committing other various felonies, then this is the movie for you. Outside of that, there really isn't much to draw your interest as, just like the subjects of this movie, the story is pretty hollow and has very little substance to back up what could have been a lesson learned type of story.

There isn't much to say about the acting and I expected more from a group of rising stars like what we have here, but I also don't really blame them as they are not given much to work with. I honestly expected more from Sofia Coppola than just an overly glossy look into these kids lives without any of the substance that might make it a worthwhile experience. The Bling Ring, while a fun joy ride through the Hollywood lifestyle, isn't something you'll remember for very long or want to revisit any time soon.

On Sunday June 9th, The Bling Ring played to a sell out crowd during the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival's Closing Night Gala at the Cinerama theater in downtown Seattle. Katie Chang and Israel Broussard were both on hand to walk the red carpet, introduce the film, and participate in a post screening Q&A session.

CLICK HERE to check out our coverage of this exclusive event.