Billed as a contemplation on Hollywood aspiration among the youth, The Bling Ring suffers from its own irony – it is concerned more with promotion of its central name (Emma Watson) than any dedication towards good storytelling. In 2001 a gang of teenagers from Southern California are apprehended by police. They are charged with the burglary of several of the Hollywood elite – Paris Hilton, Miranda Kerr and Rachel Bilson all feature among targeted stars. The motivation – vanity. And that’s it really.
Coppola disappointingly shuns revealing her perspective on this real life tale, opting for simple storytelling – but the events don’t merit such attention. They rob a house. They party. They rob another house. They party. They go back to rob the first house. They party. Insert classic Coppola contemplation montage: the brooding look, the introspective music, given weight more by the talented sound designer than the visual content. They rob another house. They party. Someone thinks. The end. Sadly compromised by attention to its star name, we are treated to a lopsided focal point pasted asymmetrically to the end of the film onto the most peripheral, and boring, character. The story itself loses any focus and we end as we began, bored and wondering, that this surely couldn’t be it?