Direct from Cannes. Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) delivers a coolly satirical take on the true story of Californian rich kids who found media fame breaking into the houses of celebrities. With Emma Watson.
A comic ode to how cheap our 15 minutes of fame has become.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2013
The Bling Ring 2013
“Emma Watson, the Harry Potter star, gives a sharp, knowing, smart performance as Nicki, one of a gang of spoiled rich Californian brats robbing the houses of celebs who, like, totally deserve it. Directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides), this is a funny, sarky, bang-on portrayal of the freakiness of celeb obsession. The story would sound outrageous – if it wasn’t true.
Between 2008 and 2009 a gang of high-schoolers, who became known by the media as The Bling Ring, stole more than $3m in clothes, cash, jewellery and art from the homes of Paris Hilton (who makes a brief appearance), Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and more. Using gossip sites like TMZ, they calculated when their victims would be out of town and googled their addresses. Easy as. Hilton was even so kind as to leave a key under her doormat. Not exactly criminal masterminds, The Bling Ring took selfies of themselves in designer swag and brazenly posted them on Facebook…
[Coppola] nails the cult of celebrity worship. In a disturbingly funny scene, ringleader Rebecca (Katie Chang) stands in Lindsay Lohan’s bedroom smothering herself with Lilo’s perfume, staring at herself in the mirror in almost drugged-up ecstasy. This isn’t just about nabbing a Hermès Birkin bag (price tag approx $10,000) for free, it’s about fantasy. ‘I’ve never been an A-lister guy,’ says the gang’s only boy. By wearing Orlando Bloom’s Rolex, he’s living the dream…
Through some kind of meta-weirdness, the gang soon became as famous as the celebs they stole from… In 20 years’ time, The Bling Ring will surely feel like a time capsule of now.” — Cath Clarke, Time Out London