The Bling Ring: Not as Deep as You’d Expect

There seems to be a subtle through line in Sofia Coppola’s portfolio of films. Although certain aesthetic aspects come to mind, the true connection lies in the exploration of people who are lost. The subjects of her films are devoid of direction and suffer the consequences, however high the stakes, of being so. The Virgin Suicides focuses on a family of girls who can’t seem to find their way outside their domestic prison, Lost in Translation literally possesses the word in the title, and Somewhere shows us a wanderlust rock star who’s only hope of salvation lies in his daughter. But perhaps the closest film to The Bling Ring is Marie Antoinette. Both films showcase protagonists who fill their lives with things because they can’t find satisfaction in much of anything else, or maybe they just don’t try to. Although The Bling Ring is a fun, glittering ride it doesn’t’ contain as much depth or intricacy as should be expected of Coppola this far in—especially when she’s still exploring the same type of characters.

Between 2008 and 2009 a group of Calabasas teens robbed the homes of celebrities in Los Angeles, stealing over $3 million in loot. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Partridge, and, yes, even Lindsay Lohan. Lead by ringleader Rebecca (Katie Chang) and their desire to live like their icons, they got away with the robberies until being arrested a year later.

Perhaps the most interesting, and only interesting, person in the film is Marc (Israel Broussard). He’s just moved to a new high school after being suspended from his previous for too many absences. On the first day, classmate Rebecca (Katie Chang) befriends Marc. She feeds his ego but also his insecurities. Who cares! She likes him! Always glamorous and always with her nose in the latest US Weekly or People, she’s obsessed with celebrity culture. Her hero is Lindsay Lohan: Red Flag Alert.

Soon we see she has some serious kleptomaniac inclinations. She steals wallets from unlocked cars…. just for fun. But high school aged teens are always prone to bad behavior. Red cups are sort of the norm. But when Rebecca decides to sneak into Paris Hilton’s house when the star’s out of town, shit gets real. With just a click on GoogleMaps and the opening of an unlocked door, Marc and Rebecca are in. It makes us think: should the stars be more security conscious, or the kids keep their hands to themselves?

Before long, others come on board. Facebook and Instagram means nothing’s secret for long. To round out the ring, there’s Nicki (Emma Watson), Chloe (Claire Julien) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga). The break-ins are about as nauseatingly easy as the loads of designer clothes and diamonds are superfluous. Nicki assures a friend that they only take enough for Paris Hilton not to notice. A Chanel bag? She won’t miss it.

Coppola does do an excellent job of bringing us into the culture. When the group goes out to clubs, all they really do is re-apply lip-gloss and take Selfies. For those of you unfamiliar with the term “Selfies,” it derives from the noun “self,” referring to the photographing of yourself, sometimes with others, with a camera, usually an iphone.

The parents are equally as self-involved. Laurie (Leslie Mann) home schools Nicki and Sam, forming her lessons around the novel “The Secret” and making collages. When she displays a board of Angelina Jolie, she asks her girls what they admire about the actress. Sam replies, “Her hot bod.” Clearly these girls have their priorities mixed up; or maybe their mom does.

But that’s about as deep into the psychology of the characters as Coppola goes. One could choose to argue that these subjects in fact don’t have any more depth, they’re as shallow as Hilton or Lohan or any of the other A-listers they idolize… but that would be a cop out. Coppola, in a way, feeds the machine she also mocks. By making a movie about the glorification of celebrities, including the criminal activities in which they partake, she walks a fine line. Does a news publication run their headline story about Amanda Bynes’ latest DUI or avoid it all together, seeing that it’s nothing but negative influence?

This vicious cycle can make you swim in circles, never quite finding the root of the corruption. That’s a little how The Bling Ring makes you feel. How can you send a message about the destruction of youth and the lessons to be learned when they did in fact get away with it all? When you put it in perspective, the Bling Ring suffered a slap on the wrist.

But the film is undeniably a riot. Emma Watson is hilarious and a slew of new faces promise star power. Katie Chang is a snake of a villain and Israel Broussard delivers an organic, endearing performance. It’s not a bad film by any means, just for Coppola, it could’ve been more.