From October 2008 to August 2009, a group of Californian teenagers burgled the homes of several celebrities including Paris Hilton, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom.
Their robberies totalled around $3 million in cash and belongings and over 50 homes were said to have been targeted for potential burglary. The group were caught in 2010 and were given sentences ranging from two to six years in prison.
Their story has now been immortalised by director Sofia Coppola (who also served as writer and producer) in her new film The Bling Ring. Coppola decided to make the film after reading a Vanity Fair article on the burglaries titled The Suspects Wore Louboutins. She said: “When I read the article, I thought it sounded like a movie and so I checked [who had] the rights. The more I talked to the journalist and read the transcripts, I thought the whole thing was so fascinating and so contemporary and said so much about our culture today.”
The film features an ensemble cast including newcomers Israel Broussard, Katie Chang and Claire Julien as well as American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga and Emma Watson. There are also strange cameos from Kirsten Dunst, Gavin Rossdale and Paris Hilton herself – who allowed the crew to film in her actual (ginormous!) wardrobe.
The Bling Ring has all the elements of a good film – a genuinely interesting, true-life story, a great director, a decent cast – however, it somehow falls way short. The burglary scenes are exciting at first, especially the one of The Hills star Audrina Patrdige, but soon become repetitive and there is little to no character development.
Coppola took a risk in casting virtually unknown actors for some of the lead roles and unfortunately a few of these risks don’t pay off as some the acting is extremely stiff and the dialogue is often uncomfortable to watch.
The film is short at just under hour and a half and it is an interesting and humorous watch, it just seems that with all the interest and talent involved, they could have done something so much better.
[rating=2]
