The Bling Ring (2013) User Reviews (225)

Interesting Concept, Boring Execution

[cgmovies · 5/10 · 17 May 2013]

I saw an early screening of The Bling Ring and I have to say my expectations were not met, in fact the movie did not even come close to meeting them. When I heard that Emma Watson was going to be in a movie about a group of teenagers robbing rich celebrities I have to say I was intrigued. Add on top of that the fact that Sofia Coppola is the director, she also made the excellent Lost in Translation, and I was guaranteed to be seeing it sometime in theaters.

The film is based on the true story of a group of teenagers that lived in or around Calabasas, California. Sometime during the period of October 2008 through August 2009 the group, called the "Bling Ring", stole about $3 million in cash and belongings from celebrities including Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and Lindsay Lohan.

It is a fascinating story and one that sounds like a terrific setup for a film but the execution is terribly bland. If you have watched the trailer for the film it seems like it is going to be an insane mashup of partying scenes and what most people are going to be looking forward to Emma Watson and her friends robbing celebrities left and right. These scenes are in the movie but in the film they are not exciting or insane in any way. The robbing scenes all start off with the group looking up the celebrities house on the internet and then finding out if they are out of town or not. They then proceed to just drive up to the house, get out, walk up the driveway, walk around the house trying to open doors, and then when they find an unlocked one just walk right into the house. The filming is so lazy and simple that these scenes are as exciting as watching your neighbor unlock his front door and go inside after coming home from work. Then the actual robbing parts are just the group picking up the celebrities valuables and then constantly saying "Oh my god this looks hot!" Repeat this process for a good 20 times and you have the first 3/4 of the entire movie.

The characters in the film are based on the actual teenagers but their names have been changed. Contrary to the film's marketing selling Emma Watson as the main character she is actually not the ringleader of the group. Instead it is a girl named Rebecca played by Katie Chang. The film centers on Rebecca and her best friend Marc played by Israel Broussard. Their acting is so average and their interactions are so boring that it is hard to care for them at all. In fact the only above average performance in the movie is from Emma Watson and surprisingly she only plays a small role in the film until the end of the movie.

Altogether I am not sure who The Bling Ring was made for. The intended audience appeared to be teenagers but with a R-rating most of that audience is unable to pay to see it. But at the same time it cannot be for this group because the film tries so hard to be artistic. Case in point one of the heist scenes is a continuous shot of the exterior of a house while the characters are running around inside of it for a good four minutes. So the film is too slow to be for teenagers with small attention spans but it is not relatable or intelligent enough for anyone in their 20's or older. And as for those Emma Watson fans they should be prepared to be disappointed because she is not even on screen for a large portion of the movie.

The Bling Ring is a missed opportunity as it could have been an exciting teenage heist film but is instead a film that tries to be artsy and drags on for way too long. If you have to see it rent it on DVD but otherwise you will not be missing anything.

Leaving with a feeling of emptiness is rather the point ... you've just met the Bling Ring.

[twilliams76 · 7/10 · 27 June 2013]

The collective level of vapidity on display in the Bling Ring might (like totally) reach epic proportions.

Award-winning, insightful director, Sofia Coppola, has once again made a film that is highly successful in portraying fame and celebrity ... only this time she has turned the cameras onto those who obsess over and covet the fame and celebrity others have.

The Bling Ring is a character study/meditation of a group of people -- based on real life individuals in SoCal -- with NO character whatsoever. They are all beautiful bling on the outside with no inner core of morality. They are shells of a mass emptiness who worship others for merely having stuff they want ... or being on their TVs.

Coppola's story is based on real-life events of a group of five vacuous and insipid teenagers (one boy and four girls) who used the internet to track the whereabouts of their "celebrity" idols -- some were merely "reality stars" -- so that when the stars were out of town the five could play. The five would break into celeb houses and play with beautiful things that belonged to Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge or ... their ultimate idol, Lindsay Lohan. They also ended up pocketing and stealing a lot of designer goods and merchandise (you know, like to wear and be cool with). They had fun and bragged about their shenanigans at parties and on social media all the while believing that they had done nothing wrong. One even believes this happened in order for her to become more charitable -- her comment on "karma" must be heard to be believed. Coppola wisely lifted this line word-for-word as it is tragic comic gold.

Emma Watson (Harry Potter, Perks of Being a Wallflower) is the most-recognizable face in the cast and she totally has the film's bestest lines! Watson is a genius comedienne ... who knew? Her line delivery and depiction of oblivious shame are perfect.

Coppola understands the world of fame and she has proved she also understand the world of those who dream of it. This isn't a movie in which characters learn life lessons and change ... this is a depiction of people who believe they do no wrong (like never ever). It is eye-opening because these people walk amongst us. The film is full of face palm, jaw drop and eye rolling moments. Like ... a lot. Totally.

Coppola Disappoints Amidst a Creative Idea

[Prinsterish · 5/10 · 23 June 2013]

The Bling Ring is a stunningly shot, visually entertaining film that strives to make a statement about materialism and young teens' fame obsessions. Unfortunately, Sofia Coppola fails to translate her vision into a substantiated plot that develops a story and protagonists; neither of which, are worth caring about. Aside from Emma Watson's intimidating performance, the acting is sub-par which aids in the instantaneous transition from Coppola's attempts to create a smart, creative film to a shallow, unsatisfactory film that feels quite unfinished. The idea of The Bling Ring is fresh, however you cannot help but ignore the large lack of intellectual Bling, the film once promised or Coppola might have hoped for.

Superficial vapid kids are actually kind of boring

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 23 May 2014]

Sofia Coppola brings us this inspired by true story movie. Rebecca (Katie Chang), and new kid Marc (Israel Broussard) go to dropout school Indian Hills. She's a petty thief and he gets sucked up into her world. They break into people's home when they're away. Soon their friends Chloe (Claire Julien), Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga) join in the Bling Ring.

This is a damning portrayal of superficial vapid kids. The problem is that they're actually very boring with their self-indulgent celebrity-obsessed lives. It may be that Coppola is making a statement, but the jabs need to be much sharper. It's interesting to see the unabashed consumerism for about 15 minutes but the constant flood of fashionista names gets tired. The long takes do nothing but add to the sense of superficiality. Maybe that's the point. The narrative goes nowhere. The story is basically laid out by the first 5 minutes if not sooner. There is a change when they're arrested. Emma Watson is especially good in this part. I just wish that the movie isn't 95% pre-arrest. The characters are too similar before their arrest anyways. They all talk the same and act the same. They need a jolt in their system to bring out something deeper.

Catty and empty itself

[chaos-rampant · 28 September 2013]

Yeah this is a dismal misfire. Worse it shows a new Coppola that I'll be avoiding in the future. I say this as someone who can get excited for a project like this, one that embraces youth without sugarcoating the folly and pretensions, that brings a genuine curiosity to a vibrant world—in short something like Spring Breakers that in the thuggish lifestyle finds room for reflection.

This is a superficial look at superficial people, and I mean superficial in what Coppola sees of them. For what it's worth she decided to delve into these lives, apparently inspired by real events. The real events are not a concern here, they are always a springboard for our cinematic journey. She decided to bring these people into focus for us to see, at least so far as she could see into them.

And what does she see? A flaky, rootless youth that has not worked to create its world, that emptily covets expensive trinkets and finds them by merely walking through the door and grabbing stuff. This isn't just about these four individuals who sneak into celebrities' homes, it is a broader look at instagram culture. Naturally.

What's worse is that Coppola has not found some inner space where souls feebly try to know each other and participate, how stealing fabrics can be a search for the identity of what to wrap around self. I'm not saying they should have been shown as troubled romantics. Looking at my youth I recognize a lot of superficial obsessions with unimportant things, it comes with being young and just throwing yourself at this or that current, but I also recognize that as inadvertent part of a larger floating sense of everything feeling doable and airy, which is the essence of youthfulness.

It's what Korine brings to Spring Breakers and feels transcendent, the free wandering of mind.

Coppola tries to show some of that, for instance in the scenes of partying where time ecstatically slows, but is constantly bogged down by the surly need to press on with their neuroses and vacant desires. She adopts a catty and empty look because in her eyes they are merely catty and empty people. There's too much judgement here and not enough intuitive understanding of subtler pulls.

In the future I expect her to be torn to shreds for this one film. How is it that her Marie Antoinette, obviously modeled after her own self, can be shown wistfully in spite of the sheltered privilege as a quietly suffering soul but not these girls? It's a worthless film and even manages to reduce everything else she's done.

a cheap look at shallow teens in la-la land

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 10 November 2013]

I'm only giving this a 6 because I found the story interesting. Of course, it left me with a few questions, such as why Paris Hilton could be robbed seven times and never do anything about her security.

The Bling Ring is the true story of California teenagers who robbed celebrity homes and wound up stealing about $3 million in merchandise. Hilton took a lot of hits, but other victims were Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, and Rachel Bilson. The group would find out that a celebrity was away on location, attending a premiere that evening, etc., and then rob their house. And it must have been as ridiculously easy as it looked on film because they stole so much.

These kids for the most part come from decent backgrounds, but they are obsessed with celebrity, expensive clothes, jewels, and accessories. One of them cherishes Lindsay Lohan as her idol. That should tell you something.

Rather than go through the dynamics of each character, I'll just say that though one of the producers was Francis Ford Coppola, and it was written and directed by Sofia Coppola, it looks and sounds as if it was made for about $5. Bad sound, nothing locations, and acting strictly from hunger. People have singled out Emma Watson, but frankly, all the acting to me seemed amateur.

These vapid, empty kids, needless to say, became celebrities with fan pages on Facebook and an article in Vanity Fair (on which this film is based). Though these brats ultimately got their comeuppance, it seems obvious any misery they felt was only because they got caught.

The moral of the story is, robbing the right homes is a fast way to get expensive things, your name in the paper, news attention, and a story in Vanity Fair. And after all, isn't that what everybody wants?

Awful. There was just no real point in telling this uninteresting story.

[zetes · 4/10 · 30 June 2013]

Several years ago, a group of Los Angeles teenagers learned that they could easily break into the homes of celebrities, keeping tabs on their comings and goings online. This is their story, as told by Sofia Coppola. Coppola is one of my favorite modern directors. Her previous four films are generally about ennui-filled lives, and I can see what attracted her to this story about these vapid social media- and celebrity-obsessed kids feeding off the even more vapid celebrities (they even pick the most awful celebrities imaginable to victimize, like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox), but, in all honesty, this story just has no conflict whatsoever, and the little jackass teenagers who are at its center are so painfully uninteresting that, after spending half an hour with them, I really wanted to walk out of the theater. To boot, the plot is repetitive as Hell - teenagers break into house, teenagers steal baubles, teenagers drive away like idiots singing along with rap songs, teenagers do drugs, teenagers go out dancing. The film goes through this cycle like six times before the cops finally arrest them. The film is sometimes well shot (it was the last film shot by master cinematographer Henry Savides), and there's at least one killer sequence where the two main teens (Katie Chang and Israel Broussard) rob a glass house where it's shot from quite a distance (it's perhaps reminiscent of the glass apartments from Tati's Playtime - I don't know if Coppola had that in mind). The most recognizable stars in it are Harry Potter's Emma Watson and Leslie Mann, who plays her mom. I'd actually call this the worst film I've seen so far from 2013.

Surprising

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 1 January 2014]

I at least never expected Sofia Coppola to do something like this. You might have expected it from Emma Potter ... I mean Emma Watson. And she might be the best of the bunch, though the other actors do their best too. Still there is nothing happening you wouldn't expect (even if you are not aware of the story this is based on).

But as another reviewer pointed out, this is the feeling the movie wants to create. An emptiness, something uneasy while being as light as possible. It actually might be too light on some things and therefor the detachment might not work as well or better than expected. It depends on how you are watching this and what you're expecting to see. Even if you don't like the people who are "perpetrators" or the ones who are the "victims" in this (both again based on real people), it's tough to say this is not relevant to some extent ...

As superficial and selfish as the subjects

[secondtake · 4/10 · 25 November 2013]

The Bling Ring (2013)

First, what this is: a re-creation of a series of actual robberies by spoiled rich high school girls of spoiled adult celebrities in the L.A. area. They do the crimes, they get caught. This is evident from the beginning with some interviews after the fact.

Second, what this is: nothing more than the above. That's the big big problem here. This feature length movie re-creates and re-creates.

We see these indifferent, superficial girls in house after house (and in Paris Hilton's house a lot), trying on clothes and jewelry and taking home whatever they want by the purse-load. And we see all the parties between, party after party. Some with drugs, some without, all with music and dancing and utter detachment from consequences and culpability.

I guess that's the point, to make visible this world and make clear how really repulsive such prettified, well dressed, fashion imitation girls can be. This is the territory of Lauren Greenfield's photographic essay in the book "Fast Forward," but with a very specific focus on this group of half a dozen girls (and one boy who is sort of sucked in by his willingness to fawn and give attention).

There is zero attention to really what makes these girls tick. A very slim attempt is made at showing they have no true education, and no acculturation beyond fashion magazines. But really, what are these girls about? Where are there jealousies, their aspirations, their sex lives, their doubts? The movie is as superficial as the subject, and for Sofia Coppola that's a real shame and inexcusable, as if she just got lazy. Not that making a movie like this is easy, but someone somewhere should have said, hey, look, this amounts to nothing at all.

Where are there comparables beyond Greenfield (whose book has its own flaw of making glorious what she apparently means to critique)? Larry Clark's "Kids" is one place to consider (or his other films, which deal with youth more disturbingly). Or maybe the even more horrible "Murder in Greenwich" which dealt with the East Coast version of spoiled kids losing their bearings (and at least created a plot you could follow with some curiosity).

Coppola has gone this direction before in "The Virgin Suicides" and there she created a semblance of depth. Not this time. And the spoiled title character in "Marie Antoinette" gave her at least a fascinating subject, which she layered up in really compelling ways. And to be sure this isn't "Lost in Translation" (her masterpiece) in any manner. These are all written and directed by Coppola.

If you are the type of person who recoils at the Paris Hilton antics, skip this movie. This is a bunch of wannabe Hiltons and you don't feel sorry for anyone, perpetrator or victim. You just hope it ends fast.

Interesting, but a Wasted Opportunity

[danew13 · 6/10 · 10 September 2013]

The Bling Ring pace was fast simply because the kids went from one burglary to the next without much else in between. The acting, what there was of it, was okay. And Emily Watson's Valley Girl accent was spot on. But, there was hardly any character development.

How did these well-off privileged kids turn into obsessive narcissists? What are they doing now? There was no reaction shown from the victims.

The kids parents played minor roles in the film and they showed little reaction to the crimes their kids committed.

The film seemed a rush through the plot without bringing into play all the elements that one would expect in this real life caper plot. In the end it seemed more like an outline for a film rather than a completed film.

Not enough material

[christophe92300 · 4/10 · 2 October 2013]

For someone who knows a bit the true story on which it is based, the movie absolutely puts no new perspective on the facts themselves or the members of the Bling Ring. The script consists of an extremely redundant succession of burglaries, punctuated by a few excerpts from interviews which unsubtly try to explain the motivations of those teenagers. The plot lacks substance, there is almost no dramatic tension, and even the atmosphere, one of Coppola's work's most appealing aspect, has here trouble establishing itself and carrying away the viewer. The movie gets boring quite quickly and after an hour, it seems two have passed. In the end, it is not sure that this story deserved a feature.

An atmospheric, blackly comic look at celebrity obsession

[BertMacklin_9 · 8/10 · 22 June 2013]

Sofia Coppola is one of the most interesting and divisive filmmakers working today. It seems that with every new film she releases there's always a wide array of responses, both positive and negative. And that's very true with her new film, The Bling Ring. Some love it, and some loathe it. I personally enjoyed it very much, and the more I think about it, the more I like it and would maybe even see it again. It's an interesting and atmospheric look at American celebrity and media culture that bleakly shows how we can think being rich and famous can make us "happy."

The film is based on a Vanity Fair article about how in 2008, a group of Californian teenagers (4 girls & 1 boy) stole millions-of-dollars worth of clothing and jewelry and possessions from celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, and others. It's a stranger-than- fiction kind of story that could lend itself to exploitation, satire, or even heavy-handed moralizing, but Coppola distances herself from the lurid material and simply displays it as a set of facts. It's a cold, deadpan film, but there's several fascinating moments of insight and darkly funny commentary that make it interesting. It's been compared to Harmony Korine's similar film "Spring Breakers," which also features several young girls trying to experience the media's view of what a fun Spring Break is. Whereas that film is knowingly repetitive in its dialogue and images and very violent and exploitative to get its point across, Coppola goes for a more restrained and almost documentary type of style. In fact, there's several instances where the main action is interrupted and we see scenes of the characters being interviewed after the events or TMZ-like celebrity news stories.

The Bling Ring is benefited by its central young actors who give strong, naturalistic performances that feel so live-in that they give an improvisational feel. The leaders of the Bling Ring are Marc (Israel Broussard) and Rebecca (Katie Chang). Marc is the quiet, insecure gay kid who soon is taken under the wing of Rebecca, who's troubled yet confident and cold-as-ice. Broussard is charming and subtly sympathetic and Chang is hyper-perceptive, smart, and cold but not without a conscience. There's Chloe (Claire Julien), the loud and outgoing one in the group. Then there's sisters Sam (Taissa Farmiga) and Nicki (Emma Watson). It's interesting seeing Watson in a supporting role since she's arguably the most famous out of the central gang, but it pays off because of Nicki's larger-than-life, self-absorbed Valley Girl personality. Watson is the scene-stealer of the film with her smart and satirical performance that never goes over-the-top and always feels real, which makes the character that much more misguided and tragic. It's early to say something like this, but it's a performance that deserves some Best Supporting Actress recognition. Also very good and inspired here is the always funny Leslie Mann, who plays the flighty mom of Sam and Nicki and teaches them the ever so spiritual teachings of "The Secret." There's a scene near the end of the film between Watson and Mann that is just pure, dark comedy gold.

The plot mostly consists of the gang clubbing, breaking into houses, driving around, and trying on clothes. It sounds repetitive, and well, technically it is. But Coppola distinguishes each break-in with its own tone and style and you can very subtly see how the characters change as they become more and more comfortable with invading the houses. For example, the break-in of Audrina Patridge's house is all done in one, long take from outside, across the street as Marc and Rebecca rummage through all her things and run from room-to-room and eventually leave. Another break-in finds Sam cluelessly waving around Megan Fox's pistol without a care in the world. And one of the film's most telling and haunting shots comes when the gang is inside Lindsay Lohan's house and Rebecca stares at the mirror and smiles so genuinely that it almost seems like that's the happiest she's ever been. It's a truly disturbing and haunting moment and the film is full of subtle images that let you into the characters' psyche and ego.

But the glue that holds the film together is the dynamic between Marc and Rebecca. There's several poignant and moving moments between the two characters that cut through the film like a knife and let you into the ultimately empty and sad feelings the two characters have. Their scenes and dialogue are so sharply drawn that it reminds you just how gifted of a writer Coppola is as well.

So this movie just worked for me. It's not a film that's trying to dig deep into it's subject, and it's not even really interested in telling you all of the details about this group of young robbers. It's ultimately this odd, off-kilter tone poem that's beautiful to look at and at times surprisingly poignant and hilarious. (And lastly I'd like to mention the great and legendary work of cinematographer Harris Savides, who, during shooting this film, passed away from brain cancer. The film is dedicated to him.)

Good for what it is

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 12 September 2013]

If you go into this film expecting 90 minutes of social criticism, you will be disappointed. But if you see it with the intention of watching a modern little crime story, you'll probably have a good time.

Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" is one of my favorite films ever and I'm truly curious about the path Emma Watson is going to take in the next years after the Harry Potter franchise ended recently. That's why I was kinda curious about this project. And I was not disappointed. It succeeds for what it is. I don't think I've seen any of the actors besides Watson obviously and Vera Farmiga's daughter in American Horror Story, especially the younger ones, in any other projects. This probably applies to most audiences as almost all of them only had very minor parts so far, if at all, but their performances were downright solid to the point that I occasionally almost felt like I was watching a documentary including the real perpetrators.

It's not in my top favorites from 2013, but there's really nothing wrong with this film. Actually the art direction, set decoration and costumes worked very well and were a success in terms of how they dragged the viewer into their world of glamor. I thought Watson gave the best performance. Her interview scene with her mother is ridiculously funny, and as whole, she portrays a girl character whose ambitions just can't match her mental development at this point. The scene in which she's arrested and turns into full panic mode is showy as hell shows what an immature little brat is still hidden behind her expensive shades and designer clothes. You could probably say the same for almost all the others for being so open to everybody about what they've done. Legal consequences were bound to happen. But there's also a positive in all of this. With their immaturity also comes the notion that none of them do really have any criminal energy, except Rebecca to some extent. They simply got sucked into an abyss of bling flushing them out on the other side right into the world of the rich and famous, a temptation they weren't ready to resist, but willing to cross boundaries for.

Now, if she read this review, I truly wonder: What would Lindsay say?

Dreadful... Read this quickly and then go find something else to watch

[Smike93 · 1/10 · 21 March 2015]

A quick summary of this utter monstrosity:

0-10 minutes: OMG (insert celebrity) is away, let's go rob his/her house. Look at all this stuff! Let's go to the club. Trying on various items the next day

10-20 minutes: OMG (insert celebrity) is away, let's go rob his/her house. Look at all this stuff! Let's go to the club. Trying on various items the next day

20-30 minutes: OMG (insert celebrity) is away, let's go rob his/her house. Look at all this stuff! Let's go to the club. Trying on various items the next day

30-40 minutes: OMG (insert celebrity) is away, let's go rob his/her house. Look at all this stuff! Let's go to the club. Trying on various items the next day

40-45 minutes: "I'm starting to get worried about being caught." "Shut up, you dork."

45-55 minutes: "I'm leaving because I miss my Dad. Bye."

55-65 minutes: Search warrants and arrest.

65-70 minutes: Court case blah blah blah you've been charged blah blah blah

70-the end: Err... a lot of crying... and cameras and stuff... there isn't really any footage of them being in jail. The movie ends with a cheesy, confusing, and pointless anecdote from Emma Watson.

So there you have it: this movie summed up in a few quick points. Guys, if you're here for Emma Watson, just save yourself the time and just go for an image search like everyone else. Girls, you might enjoy the various handbags and shoes that get some screen time, but I would strongly advise you to just watch something else... especially if you want to see a good movie as well as various handbags and shoes.

Overall: 9/100

Eventually finds the root of all evil, at least in the heart of teenage girls living in the suburbs of fame and fortune

[napierslogs · 7/10 · 22 June 2013]

"The Bling Ring" starts out slowly; trying to grab your attention with sports cars, night clubs and expensive clothes. But that's a superficial attraction – it only works on a particular group of people. Meet Rebecca (Katie Chang), Marc (Israel Broussard), Chloe (Claire Julien), Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga), the bling ring crew, who rob the homes of Hollywood's rich and famous.

They're teenagers in rich homes in the Hollywood Hills – but by "rich" I mean, rich to you and I, not rich to themselves or their celebrity neighbours. They just do what they can to fit in, to resemble their idols. One hundred dollars from a successful movie producer or one designer pair of sunglasses from Paris Hilton will go unnoticed. It's insignificant to the wealth of their victims, but the bling ring crew will put it to good use.

Early on we do want more to this high-fashion heist film. What are the girls' original motivation factors? And how far will they go? That's where more accomplished actors come in handy. In Sofia Coppola's previous celebrity life-style, character study film, "Somewhere" (2010), Stephen Dorff is able to portray so much of his internal thoughts and personal struggles with just a look. So much is said with so little. Highly glamorized shots of sparkling jewelry doesn't quite say as much.

The more to "The Bling Ring" does eventually come through. Some of the criminals are able to vocalize why they're doing what they're doing. It should be pretty obvious if you think of them as regular teenagers even if they don't look, sound or act like them. Others in the gang are able to delude themselves and that's why we keep watching, to see how far each of them can go. We've seen a lot of the evil side of money and celebrity-obsession and these girls are definitely capable of reaching those heights.

One thing that "The Bling Ring" accomplishes that few other films do is to get the regular audience thankful that we didn't grow up in Hollywood. Emulating our neighbours and friends do not turn us into money hungry thieves where cash doesn't just buy you clothes but buys you the realization that you'll never have enough. These girls have been raised in an environment where Lindsay Lohan is an example of the type of person you want to be. Life can be hard for teenage girls; it can be downright impossibly, tantalizingly cruel for teenage girls living just a stone's throw away from fame and fortune.

Coppola shows improvement as director but tale of amoral teenagers is repetitious and slight as well

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 2 October 2013]

When I saw 'Lost in Translation' a few years ago, I wrote Sofia Coppola off as a complete neophyte and someone who was riding on the coattails of her famous father. Now I must grudgingly concede that Ms. Coppola has markedly improved as a director. 'The Bling Ring', based on the true story of a bunch of California high school students, who burglarized homes of rich celebrities, has the look and feel of a well-crafted music video. In fact, Coppola employs a slew of contemporary tunes (mostly rap), that give the film its raw edge.

The story is rather straightforward, following the basic facts of the case against the amoral teenagers who commit the 'bling ring' burglaries. The main anti-hero protagonist is Rebecca who befriends Marc; both attend a high school for underachievers and dropouts. When Marc mentions that one of his well-off acquaintances is out of town, Rebecca has no qualms about convincing him to burglarize the acquaintance's house where they make off with a handbag, cash and keys to the victim's Porsche, which is used to go on an extended shopping spree.

Marc and Rebecca meet up with her airhead friend, Nikki (well-played by Emma Watson) and her two adopted sisters and bump into celebrities Kirsten Dunst and Paris Hilton at a nightclub. Marc and Rebecca realize that Paris Hilton is out of town while doing some research on the internet and they then concoct a plan to burglarize her home.

Paris Hilton gave Coppola permission to use her home for filming the burglary scenes and one comes away amazed at just how many clothes and 'bling', Paris Hilton owns. Hilton's home is burglarized by the Bling Ring on multiple occasions and other celebrities are targeted including Audrina Patridge, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom. Unfortunately, the burglary scenes become tiresome and after awhile, one realizes that there's not much to this 'mini-documentary' of sorts, at all!

Coppola does well in highlighting the utter vacuousness and amorality of the principals. A few plot developments keep us mildly interested including the sale of a box of Rolex watches to a boyfriend of one of the Bling Ring and the pilfering of a gun from one of the homes, which goes off accidentally, while another one of the Bling Ring, stupidly plays with it.

Coppola deftly illustrates the gang's undoing, including a montage of their Facebook posts as well as the news coverage (including surveillance footage) that ultimately leads to their final downfall (capture by police and conviction and sentencing).

The Bling Ring's principals, Rebecca and Marc, receive the longest prison sentences (4 years) but the others get off rather easy. After Nikki does a short stint in jail with Lindsay Lohan, she claims to have learned a lot from her experience but has a hard time accepting responsibility (her story is basically that she was led astray). Now Nikki has a website devoted to self-promotion, and one wonders if she's really learned anything from her experiences.

Coppola has done well with the actors here and has learned to use the camera adroitly. It's just that the material is slight and events just seem to repeat themselves one too many times throughout the film. Coppola's detached eye captures the lunacy and moral failings of these airhead teenagers as well as the crass materialism of the Bling Ring victims. 'The Bling Ring' is a well crafted film but would be better off as a TV movie.

Based on an article. Should have stayed one.

[alecpmoore · 1/10 · 1 September 2013]

It was based on an article and it feels like an article stretched out into a film.

I'm a fan of Sofia's work but this is crap. Incredibly two dimensional and the point of the film is established almost immediately and then drawn out from there. I understand what the film was trying to do but it did it in an exceptionally boring way.

Saw this in theaters and would have walked out if the ticket didn't cost so much.

Enough films about this Beverly Hills rich kid wanna-be celebrity lifestyle. It's incredibly boring.

Of the films I've seen this year, this is the worst. Spring breakers is a very close second.

Unpleasant teen story

[treeline1 · 1 October 2013]

Sophia Coppola's film is based on the true story of some jaded, amoral LA teens who stole millions of dollars worth of designer goods from celebrities they admired. They get high, take a lot of selfies, burglarize celeb homes and then do it all again and again. Their complete lack of regret is disgusting and the story left me feeling very sad for our fame-obsessed society.

The ensemble cast is made of mostly newcomers and they are all convincing in fairly undemanding roles. The story is shocking but somehow manages to be predictable and boring at times. All in all, it's interesting but off-putting; not great cinema by any means.

Shallow end of the gene pool.

[Quietb-1 · 6/10 · 26 June 2013]

Uninspired by true events. The movie expands on the magazine article that told the "true" story of a group of young people that robbed the home of celebrities. Perhaps it was a magazine article and not a book as there just wasn't enough there. There isn't enough there for a feature movie.

Sophia Coppola does the most with what she had to work with. Unfortunately there are redundant scenes of the stars jumping around the dance floor of clubs, doing drugs and trying on clothes.

The kids are as shallow as most of the stars they robbed. They are voyeurs into the celebrities life's and watching the movie you feel like a voyeur watching the voyeurs. Unlike some of the Director's other movies this one moves at a watchable pace. Great use of sound. Interesting music track that leads to a record setting end music credit as a percentage of movie length.

The movie doesn't answer the questions why? Why does Paris Hilton have celebrity status? Why did the kids think it was cool to rob houses? Why is shallow acceptable?

No need to rush to the theater, this pedigreed docudrama will have a long run on various platforms coming your way.

Boring.

[zombiebird · 2/10 · 5 September 2013]

This movie probably lacks everything you want out of a good movie. To begin with there is no proper story, 90% of the movie is just kids playing around with shoes and bags, the characters are never really established or properly evolved, they are just there, doing things. The acting is dull and the dialogs are annoying, I'm not sure if this was intended to portray the bland L.A. wannabe lifestyle or just poor writing and acting, either way, it's boring to watch. You will also most likely want to slap some of these kids for being so vain and stupid. The directing is good, not great, but good, and I like the colour schemes in most of the scenes which gave the sense of the washed-out pictures you find on Tumblr and Pinterest. There isn't much action here either, you'd think in a movie about robbery would have some cool Ocean's 11 type sequences or something but not, none of that, most of the time the scene just cuts to when they are already in the house partying. The court trial at the end is also mashed up into a silly 5 second sequence where the court room door opens and closes. Emma Watson, is isn't the lead, is overly in focus through out the movie in a more than obvious attempt to sell her celebrity, in a movie like this, I just found that ironic. In short watch this if you want to see teenage girls play around with designer shoes and handbags.

Shocking story. An honest depiction of our society.

[irinafiruti · 7/10 · 25 July 2020]

I haven't been that shocked about a movie in quite a while:. First yeah I haven't heard this story, I guess as I've been busy with real living or because I don't read stuff like Vanity Fair. People here who have found it boring and shallow and lacking of athmosphere aso...I don't agree with them: I mean what depth and inner conflicts and athmosphere aso could it be expected in such a story?! The movie is a fresque of an empty, immoral, shallow, boring, stupid society where people do not define themselves by what they are or think or do but merely but what they wear. Stupid kids, stupid parents, stupid celebrities and other residents leaving their belongings at anyone's hand. And cupid and perverse fashion world taking advantage of easy money people in search for shallow celebrity and feeding the shallowness in suggestible individuals like these teens. (Pretty surprising from the part of Sophia Coppola herself, which has given her name to a bland Louis Vuitton bag costing thousands of dollars...).

If you are reading this...

[Lovefilmsforever · 2/10 · 11 July 2013]

Sofia please stop. Just for a second and consider that for those of us who are less privileged than yourself - spending 10 Euros to see a film is a lot of money. Asking us to sit in and watch your film for 90 minutes…well that is also quite a lot of time to ask. We (yes it was a group of us) found your film to be lazy, boring and superficial.

At the start of the film it's declared that the film was based on a Vanity Fair article – which says it all. It felt like the vanity fair article, google, TMZ and YouTube were the only source of research for this poor script.

Sofia seemed to approach this film with the same degree of snideness and holier than though attitude that I'm sure that same article evoked. You cannot judge your characters negatively and then write about them. As a result what you get is a bunch of shallow, one dimensional characters like the ones I had to endure for so long. 'That's the point' – you may say – 'they are one dimensional, they are shallow'. Well I looked up Emma Watsons real life character on YouTube – she had much more depth than what Emma led us to believe and I was far more intrigued by her than what was presented on screen. Instead Sofia wants us just to laugh at these people - distance ourselves from them, put our behaviour above them as well, that's easy and it's wrong.

For anyone reading this I implore you to wait to watch this on an outlet that doesn't involve you wasting any of your hard earned money because it's not worth it. I can promise you that. The story is about a bunch of girls who seem obsessed in acquiring a celebrity lifestyle through any means. We follow them rob houses, post things on facebook, have silly conversations everywhere, driving, getting drunk and generally playing cartoon characters. Everything is so easy and inconsequential. The acting is so, so poor. The story is thin and lazily handled. Little effort, be it staging, pace, thought, editing has been invested into making this into any kind of legitimate film worth thinking about. It actually made me bored – then angry – hence why I am venting through IMDb.

We mustn't also forget that the director – Ms Coppola has a bag line – yes, a bag line with Louis Vuitton…erm… just be weary of this when you next go to see her many films about empty lives. I get that its best to write what you know – but do it in an interesting, profound, humane way – otherwise please don't bother.

Underrated.

[SamJamie · 8/10 · 22 October 2020]

I've always liked this movie. It has a unique, indie style of cinematography and doesn't fall into clichés of other movies in the genre.

Not What I Was Expecting

[trvlers5 · 6/10 · 23 June 2013]

Most of us probably watched this because of Emma Watson. Well I did. When I watched the trailer it looked really interesting with a cool concept. Sofia Coppola didn't do a good job on this film. The directing was amazing but the script was poor. This film wasn't as hard core as I thought it would be. Over all I give this movie a 5 out of 10 because it didn't capture a lot of emotion as I thought it would. It was a good movie but another big time director should have done this film. Emma Watson's performance was okay but there were moments I wasn't expecting. Over all the soundtrack to this film was great. Ignore the R rating though. The only reason why it's rated R is because of all the drug use. This Movie could have been PG - 13.

An advert for a good security system

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 24 February 2019]

Based on a true events. Sofia Coppola takes a shallow distant approach about a bunch of five hard partying teenage airheads obsessed with celebrity and designer names.

Using the internet they burgle celebrities Hollywood homes targeting when they are out of town. So they are not that vacuous.

Celebrities such as Megan Fox, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Bilson and Paris Hilton are all victims. In Paris Hilton's case repeatedly so, as she never notices any of her items are gone.

The teens party, take drink and drugs, drive erratically and break into houses. The film repeats the cycle and it is framed like some kind of faux reportage.

It does not work as a satire nor are the characters interesting. It all comes across as vapid, boring and disposable. Coppola does not even seem to be disapproving of such behaviour.